´óÏó´«Ã½

My aunt Janie worked as a ship’s stewardess, and during the war was aboard the liner Rangitane, when it was attacked by a German torpedo in 1940. The passenger numbers were about one hundred, including women, children and many RAF ratings to swell the fighting forces, and a crew of 200 officers and men, and they were 600 miles out from Auckland when it happened.
The liner, of the New Zealand shipping company, captain H L Upton, was intercepted and sunk by a German commerce raider from 320m off East Cape New Zealand on Nov 26th 1940. The attack took place at 3.47am and the first intimation of the enemy’s presence came when shells began to fall on the liner, blowing away her bridge and destroying communication with the engine room. This was followed by a torpedo which set the vessel on fire, despite which good discipline was maintained, although many persons had been killed or injured.
In the meantime the wireless operator had succeeded in getting through a message, giving the ship’s position before the aerial was destroyed. The abandonment of the liner was conducted in great haste, as the Germans had become aware that aircraft from New Zealand were searching the area, in response to the wireless messages. Finally, everyone was taken on board the raider and she made off.
The survivors spent several weeks aboard the German vessel, before being landed on the small island of Emerau, whence they were rescued later. The total number killed was 16, of whom 6 were passengers. My aunt, Miss Jessie Balding, known to the family as Janie, was one of the survivors, she was a stewardess on the ship and went on to tell us how the Germans were very kind to them, they looked after them on the ship; it was actually a supply ship that they were put onto which was supplying two other raiders, but they were given medical attention by the raiders, and they found out that the name of the prison ship was Kulmerland; someone had seen that on one of the charts. They had the best of medical equipment, including x-ray apparatus. She saw many of her friends beside her killed by the torpedo, but the survivors were taken off the boat and put into dinghies to be taken over to the other boat. She got severely sunburnt legs, and when she arrived on the German ship they took care of them all very well.
I suppose the Germans looked upon it that the survivors were all family belonging to somebody and they were very kind to them, the doctor was in attendance all the time and really busy looking after people. One person needed an amputation and they did their best for them. They were doing their job trying to stop this particular ship loaded with food stuff heading for a British Port.
Eventually, when they were due to come off, Captain Upton actually wrote a petition thanking the Germans for their kindness and supplying them with clothing and other luxuries. They were put onto a tropical island, and there were only two white men who lived on the island, the rest were natives. The island was Emirau Island, and it’s in a place called The Admiralty Group, and it’s a few miles south of the equator. It was a copper and timber plantation that these two Australian gentlemen were running — they lived there with their families. Four hundred and ninety five survivors landed on the island. They weren’t on the island very long before they were rescued and sent back to Australia — I can remember my aunt telling me they received a civic welcome in Sydney, so they were taken through the streets with ticket tape and eventually my aunt came back home to Newcastle, I think it would have been about April or May in 1941.
There were pieces in the local paper all about her, it was a very interesting story.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.