Sir, – I was pleased to see David Child’s piece (NR Vol 106/4) on the loss of HMY Iolaire, a tragedy that should be more widely known about even though it does not reflect well on the Royal Navy. I have some observations on David’s piece. There were 320 liberty men in all of whom 290 embarked on the Iolaire. While clearly there was insufficient lifesaving apparatus onboard, given the circumstances – families waiting in Stornoway on New Year’s Day at the War’s end – I think that if we had been in command most of us would have done the same. The idea of falling in astern of the Sheila, wise thou…
