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Single shot of Bill Elcock at his home as he answers questions about what happened on 17 June 1940 when the Cunard liner Lancastria was sunk five miles from Saint Nazaire as it embarked personnel who were being evacuated from France at the beginning of World War Two. Between 7,000 and 9,000 people were on board when it sank and it is estimated that only 2,500 survived.
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The Lancastria was a Cunard liner that was anchored five miles off the French coastal town of Saint Nazaire on 17 June 1940 to help in the evacuation of soldiers from the British Expeditionary Force as well as civilians fleeing the advancing German armies in the first summer of the Second World War. With approximately 7,000 people on board, the exact number is not known, the ship was bombed and sunk by German aircraft. Less than 3,000 survived. This was the largest single loss for the British during World War Two and Churchill, the prime minister at the time, decided to suppress the information believing that its release would damage the nation's morale too severely.