Agnes Harris WALLACE. Nurse, Stewardess 164096, Merchant Navy on S.S. City of Benares
Born 1915 to David and Mary J. Wallace, of Ullapool, Ross Ross-shire
S.S. City of Benares was part of convoy OB-213 and was being used as an evacuee ship in the overseas evacuation scheme organised by CORB. She was carrying 90 child evacuee passengers who were being evacuated from wartime Britain to Canada. The ship was sighted by U-48, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Bleichrodt, who fired two torpedoes at her at 23.45 hours. Both torpedoes missed, and at 00.01 hours on 18 September, the U-boat fired another torpedo at her. The torpedo struck her in the stern, causing her to sink within 30 minutes, 253 miles west-southwest of Rockall.
She and many others died at sea 17 September 1940 she was aged 25
She is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.
She is also commemorated along with her brother on a memorial at Ullapool Museum Telford Churchyard
(Brother of Flying Officer John Douglas Wallace who died May 1943 aged 21)
Studio portrait of one of Dr Wallace's daughters. Dr Wallace was for a long time the GP in Ullapool. His daughter was a nurse who was lost at sea when the SS 'City of Benares' was torpedoed in September 1940 while evacuating British children to Canada. She was aged 25. Her sister is shown in...
ehive.com
