All lost but one

This month we marked the centenary of the tragic loss of RMS Leinster, a Royal Mail mail boat, which was sunk by a German submarine during the First World War.

The death toll is the subject of ongoing research, but it’s believed more than 560 perished in what remains the greatest single loss of life in the Irish Sea, occurring just one month and a day before the signing of the Armistice that ended the war.

The 3,069-ton ship was sailing to Holyhead on 10 October 1918 and had just departed Dún Laoghaire when it was struck by two torpedoes outside Dublin Bay. Roughly 70% of the Leinster’s passengers were lost, including civilian passengers, military personnel and 21 of the 22 postal workers on board.

An official commemoration took place at the National Maritime Museum in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, a short distance from where the Leinster departed on its final voyage. It was attended by descendants of those who perished, many coming from as far away as Australia, New Zealand and the United States.

Sue Whalley, our CEO Post & Parcels UK, joined those paying their respects. ‘Royal Mail played an important role in the First World War,’ said Sue. ‘We not only handled mail between Britain and the forces abroad but coordinated communications between units at the front. We also had our own battalion – the Post Office Rifles – made up of 12,000 of our staff.

‘RMS Leinster was transporting hundreds of military personnel when it was struck with a torpedo directly hitting the post office.

‘It’s so important that this tragedy is known about and the loss of so many postal workers while on duty is remembered.’

Images courtesy of Odyssey Marine Exploration.