Soldier’s Survival Account from Sinking World War Hospital Ship Auctioned

A nurse aboard HMHS Anglia uttered the words, “Well, lads, good old Dover is well in sight”, a phrase vividly recalled by one of the wounded soldiers she was assisting. The ship carried him and 390 other injured comrades returning from war, and the men began to sing joyfully. However, as it neared its destination, the hospital ship hit a German U-boat mine. HMHS Anglia subsequently failed to reach its port, and its remains were later designated an official war grave. The wounded soldier, identified as C. Gordon of the 9th Battalion of King’s Royal Rifle Corps (KKR), documented his survival narrative in an album of collected stories. This album was compiled by a different nurse who had served in Derby and Leicester throughout World War One. Mr. Gordon recorded on 17 November 1915 that the vessel departed from Calais harbour for a “swift passage” homeward. He recounted: “At about 12:30, an orderly came down to our ward. ‘[She said] Well, lads, good old Dover is well in sight’, so we started to sing. ‘Bang’. What is that? ‘Bang’, Submarine?’ What is it. ‘Come out, come out quick, come, the ship is sinking. Oh, the rush I shall never forget, all to the stairs in our sleeping quilts, no time to dress. I was knocked down the steps twice owing to my being so weak,” Mr. Gordon stated. This incident marked the injured soldier’s initial time out of bed in 16 days. He further detailed: “All the lifeboats were full of men, the men from below. No one seemed to give any instructions. No one seemed to know what to do. The ship’s crew were not to be seen anywhere. The men in the lifeboats didn’t know how to lower the boats.” The vessel submerged within 15 minutes; however, despite his weakened state, Mr. Gordon successfully swam to safety and was subsequently transported to Leicester Base Hospital. His narrative was among numerous others gathered by Maude Alice Lineham, who had been a teacher before serving as a voluntary aid detachment nurse during the war. Throughout her service in Derby and Leicester during the 1914-18 conflict, she prompted soldiers to share their stories. Some contributions detailed pain and sorrow, while others expressed gratitude and peace, including a first-hand report of a Christmas Day football match played with the enemy. These recollections were preserved in an album, which was later thought to have been discovered during a professional house clearance. This past Wednesday, the album was sold at auction for £3,400 to a purchaser located in Canada.