@Flippyferloppy
Wondering if any of you have heard about the Lancastria disaster during WW2? It is the United Kingdom's greatest maritime disaster, yet few have heard of it.
I am the descendent of a survivor and I am sure the government is covering something up. Basically they refused to reveal any information for years stating official secrets act, then when that had lapsed said that all available information had already been released.
I'd heard of it. It's fairly well documented and mentioned in many places; children's books, BBC that sort of place and there's a memorial at Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank though I've never seen it. I think it's mentioned on the back of a certificate type thing that was given out by the government on the anniversary of Dday to all the children.
At the time news was suppressed, because it was thought to be bad for morale, as many other items were. Just as other things like Dunkirk were turned round from being what basically was a tremendous blow to the Allieds, to sound like an amazing victory.
It was a huge disaster, but at a time when the ordinary people were struggling with day to day personal issues, I suspect it had less impact than it would today.
On a similar vein, I remember reading about an air disaster that was claimed to be covered up so "almost no one knew about it". An American plane landed on a English village school in WWII, wiping out almost the entire infants and many other people as well.
Only thing was it wasn't covered up at all because I grew up in that village. It was reported in papers, it was very much known about-including there being a memorial playground maintained by the Americans that is still there today, we grew up knowing all about it-you couldn't help it.
Just at the time, from talking to survivors, people were expected to pick themselves up and keep "their peckers up". No cover up intended, simply so many people knew people who were killed that the disaster didn't have the impact that it would today unless it directly effected you.