Lancastria disaster 85th anniversary

The worst loss of life in British maritime history has been marked at a ceremony in Clydebank.

This year sees the 85th anniversary of the HMT Lancastria disaster, when a liner, converted into a troopship and sent to rescue British civilians and service personnel from advancing enemy forces in Nazi-occupied France, was sunk by German bombers.

One of the guests was Fiona Symon, whose father lost in the disaster. She addressed the ceremony and spoke emotionally about what happened and the impact it had on her and other families.

It's estimated between 4,000 and 7,000 people were lost in the tragedy.

The ceremony took place at the Golden Jubilee Hospital, the site of the Beardmore ship building yard, where the vessel was launched in 1920.

The tragedy accounted for around a third of the deaths of the British Expeditionary Force at the start of World War Two.

Wreaths were laid at the ceremony, among them one from Dunbartonshire's Lord-Lieutenant, Mrs Jill Young MBE.

The ceremony was attended by victims' families, serving military personnel and military veterans.