Monday 22 October 2012

No body - no tomb

Less than a month after being 'adopted' by the people of Stafford during World war Two, the submarine Perseus was sunk off Cephalonia (later famous as the site of the book Captain Corelli's Mandolin). Only one man survived - the rest perished with the vessel, which was not re-discovered until divers found it in 1997.

This tribute to the crew can be found in the churchyard of St Mary, Stafford's parish church. Though it looks like a flat tombstone, and is placed alongside tombstones, it is better described as a memorial - because no one is interred there.

This post has been featured on Taphophile Tragics (the cemetery-enthusiasts' website)   

3 comments:

  1. Beautiful memorial. So sad that nearly all the men lost their lives.

    Beneath Thy Feet

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  2. I wonder if the survivor was still alive when the ship was re-discovered?

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    Replies
    1. Ha ha...
      The story of the survivor is, strangely enough, very singular. He managed to escape the submarine when it was damaged and when it was at a very great depth. When he surfaced, he was washed ashore, and picked up by some patriots at Cephalonia - and was hidden by them for months.
      The funny thing is that no one believed his story, as it was thought impossible for anyone to survive an ascent from so deep in the sea. However, when the sumarine was re-found and examined in the late 1990s, it turned out from the evidence there, that he had been telling the truth all along...

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