The Laconia Incident – John Newsham relates the involvement of his uncle in the wartime sinking of this Cunard Liner.

With the assistance of Peter Christopherson and the Medhurst family - submitted to us in January 2020.

(Please note: webmaster has added some additional details within this report)

In mid 1942 my uncle Peter Medhurst (Lt (A) RNZNVR) was stationed near Alexandria in Egypt. The war was stagnating in the region after Rommel‘s desert army, the DAK, had forced the British Forces back to Alamein.

He must have been a very competent pilot as it appears he once flew Sir Winston Churchill around in North Africa

Peter was disillusioned with the war’s progress and frustrated with his shore posting. Although temporary CO of his squadron for a time he managed to get frequent leave down to Cairo where he was seeing a Scottish girl.

Peter persuaded this girl to come back to the UK with him if he could arrange a posting and a passage.

This was done after considerable trouble, and the pair left the Middle East on the liner Laconia which was carrying some 1,800 Italian prisoners and 268 service personnel. Among the latter was a nurse called Doris Hawkins who became friends with Peter’s girl. Because the Mediterranean Sea was impassable at this stage of the war all shipping was routed South via the Horn of Africa and round the Cape of Good Hope.

As the Laconia was heading North towards the coast of western part of the African continent she was torpedoed by U-156 under the command of 34 year old, Kapitan-Leutnant Werner Hartenstein. He allowed the passengers and crew to escape into the ship’s lifeboats and proceeded, for four days, to tow a string of 4 ‘boats’ towards the coast some 800 miles away.

There were also 200 deck passengers on the U-boat. This humanitarian act may have been influenced by the number of surviving Italian prisoners. Unfortunately a US Liberator bomber attacked the U-boat while this towing operation was underway. (Cpt. Robert C. Richardson III ordered the attack by Lt. James D. Harden at 12:32). U-156 was flying the red cross flag at the time!

The submarine cast off the towline, crash dived, and left the lifeboats, and the deck passengers, to their own resources. This meant that all the boats were overcrowded.

John Newsham also published an article on the loss of Peter Medhurst in the New Zealand Memories magazine.

In one particular life boat were Peter, his friend and Doris with 65 others. The sinking took place on September 12 and after a few days of rowing it was decided to set up a jury rigged mast and sail. As Peter had previous yachting experience on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour he was one of the regular helmsman.

As there were only limited supplies of food and water severe rationing was introduced and this, combined with the effects of strong sun and wind, soon led to several deaths.

U-156 (foreground) and U-507 pick up Laconia survivors on 15 September, three days after the attack (courtesy Wikipedia)

Some sixteen days after the sinking Peter’s girl died and was committed to the sea. This had a profound effect on Peter and a few days later he jumped overboard after his mind had become unhinged. Peter had suffered terribly from the thirst. In case he did not survive he had given his silver cigarette case to Doris with his Mother’s Auckland address. Doris was later able to send this on to her from the UK with a letter describing what had happened.

About one day before reaching the Liberian coast it finally rained and their water problems were temporarily solved. After a total of 28 days in the boat the 16 survivors from the original 68 struggled ashore onto a lonely beach.

As result of U.156’s leniency U-boat Commander Admiral Doenitz issued what became known as “The Laconia proclamation”. This instructed all U-boat commanders to treat all survivors as enemies and to offer them no assistance whatsoever.

(Note: Admiral Karl Doenitz faced a War Crime trial for issuing this order, but the prosecution failed when Fleet Admiral Nimitz testified that in the war with Japan the United States Navy had followed the same general policy as was set forth in the German admiral's directive. Furthermore Cpt. Robert C. Richardson was also referred to the War crimes tribunal, but no trial ever took place)

It is a coincidence that the writer, like his Uncle Peter also trained as a Public Accountant, as a pilot and is a yachtsman.

Further reading: “One Common Enemy” by Jim McLoughlin and David Gibb ISBN-13: 978-0948065774 Published by National Maritime Museum (15 Sept. 2006) 220 pages.

26 year old, Lt. Peter Thurston Medhurst Pilot, RNVR - previously served with 775 squadron Fleet Air Arm.

Lee-On-solent Memorial. Bay 3. Panel 7. Born on the 25th October 1916 at Wanganui, the son of George Richard and Gertrude Dagmar Gould Medhurst, of Auckland, New Zealand. An accountant prior to enlisting on the 19th February 1940.

Another NZ pilot was also lost:

25 year old, Fl/Lt. Gilbert McLean Hayton DFC 42503 Pilot, RAF - previously served with 89 squadron. Alamein Memorial. Column 247. Born on the 12th May 1917 at Hawera, the son of Ernest Colin Hayton and of Lilian May Hayton (née Dickson), of New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand. A metal finisher for the Ford Motor Company prior to enlisting on the 12th June 1939. Credited with 5 enemy aircraft destroyed - making him an ace.

KTY 2025-03-28 Page updated