These fascinating photo's show the shelling and sinking of the SS British Strength
on the 15th March 1941 by the battlecruiser Scharnhorst.
The others are of the rescued crew on the Scharnhorst and at the Milag Nord prison camp.
I apologise to whoever sent them to me but I lost all the associated documentation during a recent hard drive failure.

The Captain & 2nd R/O were killed in the attack on the British Strength.
The remaining 44 crew were taken prisoner and eventually interned at the MN PoW camp Milag Nord,
there they remained until the camp was liberated in April 1945.
The ships carpenter William Bateman was repatriated in 1944.
The ships cook John R. Towse died in the camp in June 1944 and is now buried with full war grave status in the Becklingen War Cemetery.
My thanks to Billy McGee for the history details.

These fascinating photographs were kindly sent to me by David Sutton
They are from his late fathers collection, he is front row 3rd from right, John Sutton 6th eng at the time
He stayed with BP and became chief, then commodore engineer, then finally engineer superintendant in Nagasaki.





The young man being questioned by the Captain of the Scharnhorst is Lewis McMahon
Click here for a brilliant website with much more about Scharnhorst,  Lewis and his life.


I am also looking for more photographs which are of a simliar interest.
If you have any and would like them included into this new section of the website please send me scans.
Click Here