September 27, 2010
City of Benares - RAAF
Dear Mac and Pip Byrne,
If you access www.lawnswoodhighschool.com then go to Miss Armes’ story then go to The Yorkshire Post of 27
Sep 1940 you will find that the Royal Australian Air Force are given credit for finding the last life boat (No. 12) from City of Benares.
Hope this is of use.
Kind regards
Capt. Mike Kinnear
Mike,
My thanks for that.
Best regards,
Mac.
September 30, 2010
Dear Mac,
www.cornishsurname.matthewcornish.info states:-
Other information re Mary Cornish from the Public Record
Office.
Miss Cornish was awarded the George Cross, notified in a
supplement to the London Gazette dated 7 January 1941.
Personal details are given as:
Miss Mary A C Cornish, 41 years, occupation - Music
Teacher,
Address: 67 Baker Street, W1 (or c/o Mr Patterson,
Bywood, West Lavington, Midhurst, Kent)MT
9/3406/M14212/40
Accounts of Miss Cornish's heroism MT 9/3461/M15184/40
List of survivors and their present position as at
10-10-1940. Mary's address is given as: Forest Hill
Hydro, Aberfoyle ( her sister and brother-in-law's
address) DO 131/20
The same information has been copied by www.ahoy.com "Pictures of the SS City of Benares?"
I have checked www.gc-database.co.uk and this data-base
states:-
Awards to Women: Women have always been eligible for the
GC, and the following have received the direct award.
Lt Odette Sansom MBE (later Mrs Hallowes), Women's
Transport Service (FANY) SOE, October 1942 to May 1945.
She was the first to receive the award.
Ensign Violette Szabo, WTS (FANY) SOE, April
1944-February 1945
Assistant Section Officer Noor Inayat-Khan, WAAF/SOE, 16
June 1943 to 12 September 1944
Miss Barbara Harrison, Air Stewardess, BOAC, Heathrow
Airport, 8 April 1968
The following awards were translated from the Empire
Gallantry Medal in 1940.
Miss Emma Townsend, Attempted Rescue, Cottage Hospital,
Kingsbridge, Devon, 6 September 1932
Miss Dorothy Thomas, Nursing Sister, Middlesex Hospital,
London, 26 January 1934
Ashraf-un-Nisa (The Begum of Hydrabad), Hydrabad, 14
June 1935
Corporal (later Section Officer) Daphne Pearson, WAAF,
Detling, Kent 31 May 1940
The following awards were translated from the Albert
Medal in 1971.
Miss Hilda Wolsey, Nurse, Hanwell, London, 11 June 1910
Miss Doreen Ashburnham, (later Mrs Ashburnham-Ruffner),
Schoolgirl, Vancouver Island, Canada, 23 September 1916
Miss Harriet Fraser, (later Mrs Barry), Staff Nurse
TFNS, 31 January 1919
Miss Florence Allen, (later Mrs Allen), Nurse, Quetta,
India 31 May 1935
Miss Margaret Vaughan, (later Mrs Purves), Schoolgirl,
Sully Island, Glamorgan, 28 May 1949
I can see no Miss Mary AC Cornish among the above.
Further it states that she was gazetted on 07 Jan 1941
and checking the above data-base I can find only one
person who was a recipient of the George Cross on that
date, namely:-
Squadron Leader John Noel DOWNLAND of RAF Station Manby,
Lincolnshire for bomb disposal.
I cannot actually get into the London Gazette for that day!!!
Here is some more information!!!
www.independent.co.uk
The Independent 01 Apr 2009
In 1941, Mary Cornish was awarded the British Empire
Medal for what, in her view, was merely doing her job as
an escort. "Her boys" felt they owed their survival to
her (and to Bulldog Drummond, without whom they reckoned
they would have died of boredom).
Elspeth Huxley (1941) Atlantic ordeal: the story of Mary
Cornish
Cornish’s own courage is portrayed as different from
this. It is not only that she is modest and unassuming,
feeling that her part in the episode does not merit the
award of the MBE because ‘she was only carrying out, to
the best of her ability, the responsibilities of an
escort’s job’.[29] She is also level-headed,
middle-aged, single – an ‘ordinary’ woman.
[29] Elspeth Huxley (1941) Atlantic ordeal: the story of
Mary Cornish, p. 87
(London: Chatto & Windus).
www.old-merseytimes.co.uk states she was awarded the MBE
I cannot check this source as you need to be a subscriber to Harper’s Magazine!!!! It is in pages 113 to 125 of Jan 1942.
1. The only woman in the
lifeboat: The story of Mary Cornish of the ...
SEE ALSO: Atlantic Ocean; —Career as escort for
evacuated children on the City of Benares (Ship);
Evacuation of civilians; Life-boats; Cornish, Mary; ...
www.harpers.org/archive/1942/01/0020206 - Cached
West Sussex Gazette states:-
When she came back, she was lauded as a heroine and
honoured with an MBE
I hope this is of use but I feel it needs someone living
in the UK – I now live permanently in Thailand – who can
access MT 9/3461/M15184/40
Kind Regards
Mike Kinnear
Mike,
Like you I cannot ascertain that Mary Cornish was a recipient of the George Cross, and I will need to amend my
AHOY report accordingly.
Here is a list of all those who were decorated with the GC, and of course no MARY!
List of George Cross recipients
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The George Cross (GC) is the highest civil decoration of
the Commonwealth of Nations.[1] As the civilian
counterpart of the Victoria Cross, the GC is the highest
gallantry award for civilians as well as for military
personnel in actions which are not in the face of the
enemy, or for which purely military honours would not
normally be granted.[2] This list solely contains original
George Cross recipients and not recipients of the Empire
Gallantry Medal (which preceded the George Cross), the
Albert Medal or the Edward Medal, living recipients of
these medals were at various times instructed to exchange
their original medal for the GC.
Personal awards
Name & Rank Date Gazetted Nationality Organisation
Posthumous award
Thomas Hopper Alderson 1940-09-3030 September 1940
British Air Raid Precautions No
Captain Mateen Ahmed Ansari 1946-04-1818 April 1946
Indian 7th Rajput Regiment, Indian Army Yes
Lieutenant Bertram Stuart Trevelyan Archer
1941-09-3030 September 1941 British Royal Engineers
No
Sub-Lieutenant Robert Selby Armitage 1940-12-2727
December 1940 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
Tracker Awang anak Rawang 1951-11-2020 November 1951
Malaysian Federation of Malaya No
John Axon 1957-05-077 May 1957 British British Rail
Yes
Sub-Lieutenant John Herbert Babington 1940-12-2727
December 1940 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
Sergeant Eric George Bailey 1946-10-2929 October
1946 Australian New South Wales Police Force Yes
John Bamford 1952-12-1616 December 1952 British No
Sergeant Arthur Banks 1946-11-055 November 1946
British Desert Air Force Yes
Major Herbert John Leslie Barefoot 1941-01-2222
January 1941 British Royal Engineers No
Inspector James Wallace Beaton 1974-09-2727
September 1974 British Metropolitan Police Force No
Sergeant John Archibald Beckett 1947-12-1616
December 1947 British Royal Air Force Yes
Second Lieutenant Michael Paul Benner 1958-06-1717
June 1958 British Royal Engineers Yes
Major Kenneth Alfred Biggs 1946-10-1111 October 1946
British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
Captain Michael Floud Blaney 1941-04-1515 April 1941
Irish Royal Engineers Yes
Lieutenant John Bridge 1944-06-2020 June 1944
British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve No
Radio Officer David Broadfoot 1953-10-066 October
1953 British Merchant Navy Yes
Sub-Lieutenant Francis Haffey Brooke-Smith
1941-06-2727 June 1941 British Royal Naval Reserve
No
Richard Arthur Samuel Bywater 1944-09-2626 September
1944 British Ministry of Supply No
Second Lieutenant Alexander Fraser Campbell
1941-01-2222 January 1941 British Royal Engineers
Yes
Flight Lieutenant Wilson Hodgson Charlton
1944-01-2121 January 1944 British Royal Air Force No
Apprentice Donald Owen Clarke 1943-07-2020 July 1943
British Merchant Navy Yes
John Clements 1976-12-077 December 1976 British
Sherrardswood School Yes
Lieutenant Dennis Arthur Copperwheat 1942-11-1717
November 1942 British Royal Navy No
Frederick John Cradock 1943-09-1010 September 1943
British Yes
Lance-Corporal Matthew Croucher 2008-07-2424 July
2008 British 40 Commando, Royal Marines Reserve No
Sub-Lieutenant Peter Victor Danckwerts 1940-12-2020
December 1940 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
Fireman Frederick Davies 1946-02-055 February 1946
British National Fire Service Yes
Lieutenant Robert Davies 1940-09-3030 September 1940
British Royal Engineers No
Squadron Leader Hubert Dinwoodie 1947-02-044
February 1947 New Zealand Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve No
Sowar Ditto Ram 1945-12-1313 December 1945 Indian
Central India Horse Yes
Albert George Dolphin 1941-01-1717 January 1941
British South Eastern Hospital, London Yes
Raymond Tasman Donoghue 1960-10-1111 October 1960
Australian Metropolitan Tram Trust, Tasmania Yes
Squadron Leader John Noel Dowland 1941-01-077
January 1941 British Royal Air Force No
Private Charles Alfred Duncan 1943-11-199 November
1943 British 4th Battalion, Parachute Regiment Yes
Sub-Lieutenant John Bryan Peter Duppa-Miller
1941-01-1414 January 1941 British Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve No
Captain Mahmood Khan Durrani 1946-05-2323 May 1946
Indian 1st Bahawalpur Infantry, Indian Army No
Lieutenant William Marsden Eastman 1940-12-2424
December 1940 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
Sub-Lieutenant Jack Maynard Cholmondeley Easton
1941-01-2323 January 1941 British Royal Naval
Volunteer Reserve No
Chief Petty Officer Reginald Vincent Ellingworth
1940-12-2020 December 1940 British HMS Vernon Yes
Errol John Emanuel 1972-02-011 February 1972
Australian District Commissioner, Territory of Papua
New Guinea Yes
Fireman Harry Errington 1941-08-088 August 1941
British Auxiliary Fire Service No
Detective Constable Frederick William Fairfax
1952-01-066 January 1953 British Metropolitan Police
Force No
Lieutenant Francis Anthony Blair Fasson 1943-09-1414
September 1943 British HMS Petard Yes
Trooper Christopher Finney 2003-10-3131 October 2003
British Household Cavalry Regiment No
Captain Douglas Ford 1946-04-1818 April 1946 British
Royal Scots Yes
Lieutenant William George Foster 1942-11-2727
November 1942 British 7th Wiltshire Battalion, Home
Guard Yes
Leslie Owen Fox 1945-02-2020 February 1945 British
London County Council Heavy Rescue Service No
John Alexander Fraser 1946-10-2929 October 1946
British Assistant Attorney General, Hong Kong
Colonial Service Yes
Sergeant Michael Gibson 1941-01-2222 January 1941
British Royal Engineers Yes
Lieutenant Ernest Oliver Gidden 1942-06-099 June
1942 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve No
Aircraftman 1st Class Ivor John Gillett 1950-10-033
October 1950 British Royal Air Force Yes
Benjamin Gimbert 1944-07-2525 July 1944 British
London & North Eastern Railway No
Constable Anthony John Gledhill 1967-05-2323 May
1967 British Metropolitan Police Force No
Explosives Officer Roger Philip Goad 1976-10-011
October 1976 British Metropolitan Police Force Yes
Lieutenant Leon Verdi Goldsworthy 1944-09-1919
September 1944 Australian HMS Vernon No
Lieutenant George Herbert Goodman 1942-09-1515
September 1942 British HMS Vernon No
Lieutenant George Gosse 1946-04-3030 April 1946
Australian HMS Vernon No
Leading Aircraftman Karl Mander Gravell 1942-06-1111
June 1942 Canadian Royal Canadian Air Force Yes
Flight Lieutenant Hector Bertram Gray 1946-04-1919
April 1946 British Royal Air Force Yes
Flying Officer Roderick Borden Gray 1945-03-1313
March 1945 Canadian Royal Canadian Air Force Yes
Able Seaman Colin Grazier 1943-09-1414 September
1943 British HMS Petard Yes
Sergeant Stewart Graeme Guthrie 1991-12-1919
December 1991 New Zealand New Zealand Police Yes
Private Benjamin Gower Hardy 1950-09-011 September
1950 Australian 22nd Australian Garrison Battalion
Yes
Roy Thomas Harris 1940-12-1717 December 1940 British
Air Raid Precautions No
Barbara Jane Harrison 1969-08-088 August 1969
British British Overseas Airways Corporation Yes
Leonard Henry Harrison 1941-01-033 January 1941
British Air Ministry No
Albert Edward Heming 1945-07-1717 July 1945 Irish
Civil Defence Rescue Service No
Sub-Officer George Campbell Henderson 1951-11-2020
November 1951 British Gibraltar Dockyard Fire
Service Yes
Corporal James Hendry 1943-04-022 April 1943
Canadian Royal Canadian Engineers Yes
Lieutenant Commander William Ewart Hiscock
1942-06-1616 June 1942 British HMS St Angelo Yes
Aircraftman First Class Vivian Hollowday
1941-01-2121 January 1941 British Royal Air Force No
Corporal Kenneth Horsfield 1945-03-2323 March 1945
British Manchester Regiment, attached Special Air
Service Yes
Sergeant Murray Ken Hudson 1974-10-1111 October 1974
New Zealand Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment Yes
Driver Joseph Hughes 1947-06-2626 June 1947 British
Royal Army Service Corps Yes
Staff Sergeant Kim Hughes 2010-03-1919 March 2010
British Royal Logistic Corps No
Noor Inayat-Khan 1949-04-055 April 1949 Russian
Special Operations Executive Yes
Section Commander George Walter Inwood 1941-05-2727
May 1941 British 30th Warwickshire Battalion, Home
Guard Yes
Lance Naik Islam-ud-Din 1945-10-055 October 1945
Indian Jat Regiment, Indian Army Yes
Captain Robert Llewellyn Jephson-Jones 1940-12-2424
December 1940 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
Staff Sergeant Major Barry Johnson 1990-11-066
November 1990 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
Private Ralph Jones 1950-09-011 September 1950
Australian 22nd Australian Garrison Battalion Yes
Able Seaman Thomas Raymond Kelly 1948-02-1010
February 1948 Irish Merchant Navy Yes
Major Andre Gilbert Kempster 1943-11-099 November
1943 British Duke of Wellington's Regiment Yes
James Stirratt Topping Kennedy 1975-08-1515 August
1975 British British Rail Yes
Fusilier Derek Godfrey Kinne 1954-04-1313 April 1954
British Royal Northumberland Fusiliers No
Naik Kirpa Ram 1946-03-1515 March 1946 Indian
Frontier Force Regiment, Indian Army Yes
Captain Simmon Latutin 1946-09-1010 September 1946
British Somerset Light Infantry Yes
Sergeant Raymond Mayhew Lewin 1941-03-1111 March
1941 British Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve No
Private Horace William Madden 1955-12-3030 December
1955 Australian Royal Australian Regiment Yes
Major Cyril Arthur Joseph Martin 1943-03-1111 March
1943 British Royal Engineers No
Captain Dudley William Mason 1942-09-088 September
1942 British Merchant Navy No
Captain Lionel Colin Matthews 1947-11-2828 November
1947 Australian Royal Australian Corps of Signals
Yes
Dr Arthur Douglas Merriman 1940-12-033 December 1940
British Ministry of Supply No
Leonard John Miles 1941-01-1717 January 1941 British
Air Raid Precautions Yes
Sub-Lieutenant Richard Valentine Moore 1940-12-2727
December 1940 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
William Radenhurst Mosedale 1941-03-2828 March 1941
British City of Birmingham Fire Brigade No
Special Constable Brandon Moss 1940-12-1313 December
1940 British Coventry Special Constabulary No
Lieutenant John Stuart Mould 1942-11-033 November
1942 Australian HMS Vernon No
Squadron Leader Eric Lawrence Moxey 1940-12-1717
December 1940 British Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve Yes
Michael Joseph Munnelly 1965-06-2929 June 1965
British The People Yes
Captain Robert Laurence Nairac 1979-03-1313 February
1979 British Grenadier Guards Yes
Lieutenant Harold Reginald Newgass 1941-03-044 March
1941 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve No
Colonel Lanceray Arthur Newnham 1946-04-1818 April
1946 British Middlesex Regiment Yes
Brigadier Arthur Frederick Crane Nicholls
1946-03-011 March 1946 British Special Operations
Executive Yes
James William Nightall 1944-07-2525 July 1944
British London & North Eastern Railway Yes
Captain Peter Allen Norton 2006-03-2323 March 2006
British Royal Logistic Corps No
Lieutenant-Commander Patrick Albert O'Leary
1946-01-011946 Belgian Special Operations Executive
No
Wallace Arnold Oaks 1965-10-1919 October 1965
British British Rail Yes
Leading Aircraftman Albert Matthew Osborne
1942-07-1010 July 1942 British Royal Air Force
Volunteer Reserve Yes
Sergeant Graham Leslie Parish 1943-04-022 April 1943
British Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Yes
Lieutenant John MacMillan Stevenson Patton
1940-12-1717 December 1940 Canadian Royal Canadian
Engineers No
Constable Michael Kenneth Pratt 1978-06-044 July
1978 Australian Victoria Police No
Squadron Leader Rev. Herbert Cecil Pugh 1947-04-011
April 1947 South African Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve Yes
Flight Lieutenant John Alan Quinton 1951-10-2323
October 1951 British Royal Air Force Yes
Havildar Abdul Rahman 1946-09-1010 September 1946
Indian 9th Jat Regiment, Indian Army Yes
Bombardier Henry Herbert Reed 1941-09-2323 September
1941 British Royal Artillery Yes
Sergeant John Rennie 1944-05-2626 May 1944 Canadian
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada Yes
Superintendent Gerald Irving Richardson 1972-11-1414
November 1972 British Lancashire Constabulary Yes
Chief Petty Officer Jonathan Rogers 1965-03-1919
March 1965 Australian Royal Australian Navy Yes
Staff Sergeant Sidney George Rogerson 1946-10-1111
October 1946 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
Air Commodore Arthur Dwight Ross 1944-10-2727
October 1944 Canadian Royal Canadian Air Force No
Wing Commander John Samuel Rowlands 1943-08-1010
August 1943 British Royal Air Force Volunteer
Reserve No
Lance-Corporal David Russell 1948-12-2424 December
1948 New Zealand Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
Yes
Lieutenant-Commander Richard John Hammersley Ryan
1940-12-2020 December 1940 British HMS President Yes
Odette Sansom 1946-08-2020 August 1946 British
Special Operations Executive No
Staff Sergeant Olaf Schmid 2010-03-1919 March 2010
British Royal Logistics Corps Yes
Corporal James Patrick Scully 1941-07-088 July 1941
Irish Pioneer Corps No
Major Hugh Paul Seagrim 1946-09-1212 September 1946
British Special Operations Executive Yes
Private Joseph Henry Silk 1944-06-1313 June 1944
British Somerset Light Infantry Yes
Wing Commander Laurence Frank Sinclair 1941-01-2121
January 1941 British Royal Air Force No
Anthony Smith 1944-05-3030 May 1944 British Civil
Defence Rescue Service No
Signalman Kenneth Smith 1945-10-1919 October 1945
British Royal Corps of Signals Yes
Seaman Bennett Southwell 1941-01-2323 January 1941
British HMS Vernon Yes
Brian Spillett 1965-06-2929 June 1965 British Yes
Leading Aircraftman Kenneth Gerald Spooner
1944-01-077 January 1944 Canadian Royal Canadian Air
Force Yes
Constable Henry William Stevens 1958-10-2121 October
1958 British Metropolitan Police No
Chief Officer George Preston Stronach 1943-11-2323
November 1943 British Merchant Navy No
Major Stephen George Styles 1972-01-1111 January
1972 British Royal Army Ordnance Corps No
Subadar Subramanian 1944-06-3030 June 1944 Indian
Queen Victoria's Own Madras Miners & Sappers Yes
Charles Howard, 20th Earl of Suffolk 1941-07-1818
July 1941 British Ministry of Supply Yes
Lieutenant Hugh Randall Syme 1943-08-033 August 1943
Australian Royal Australian Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
Violette Szabo 1946-12-1717 December 1946 French
Special Operations Executive Yes
George Anthony Morgan Taylor 1952-04-2222 April 1952
Australian Commonwealth Bureau of Mineral Resources
No
Robert George Taylor 1950-08-011 August 1950 British
Yes
Sub-Lieutenant William Horace Taylor 1941-01-1414
January 1941 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
No
Captain Jenkin Robert Oswald Thompson 1945-02-022
February 1945 British Royal Army Medical Corps Yes
Able Seaman Stephen John Tuckwell 1941-01-1414
January 1941 British Royal Navy No
Norman Tunna 1941-01-2424 January 1941 British Great
Western Railway No
Lieutenant Geoffrey Gledhill Turner 1941-06-2727
June 1941 British Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve No
Constable Carl Walker 1972-11-1414 November 1972
British Lancashire Constabulary No
Lieutenant Terence Edward Waters 1954-04-1313 April
1954 British West Yorkshire Regiment Yes
Sergeant Michael Willetts 1971-05-2525 May 1971
British 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment Yes
Flight Sergeant Stanley James Woodbridge
1948-09-2828 September 1948 British Royal Air Force
Volunteer Reserve Yes
Corporal Mark Wright 2006-12-1515 December 2006
British 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment Yes
Sapper George Cameron Wylie 1940-09-3030 September
1940 British Royal Engineers No
Wing Commander Forest Frederick Edward Yeo-Thomas
1946-02-1515 February 1946 British Royal Air Force
Volunteer Reserve No
Lieutenant St. John Graham Young 1945-07-2020 July
1945 British Royal Tank Regiment Yes
Strange that she is reported to have been awarded a GC in a supplement to the London Gazette dated & January 1941.
See this URL:
http://www.cornishsurname.matthewcornish.info/articles/110.htm which reports Mary being awarded a GC.
Book about the sinking of SS City of Benares.
Regards,
Mac.
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