A WOMAN who survived a Nazi torpedo attack by clinging onto a life raft in the freezing Atlantic has died at the age of 88.

Elizabeth Mary Williams, of Bentham, was one of just 147 people - including 13 children - who survived the 1940 sinking of the SS City of Benares, and before her death last week was believed to be the last one still alive.

"She was 88 when she died which is a good age," said her god-daughter Jackie Bailey.

"We don't know whether she was the last survivor but we know that a lot of the other survivors have passed away so she certainly could have been.

"We know she was the only child from Liverpool to survive at all."

Mrs Williams, known as Beth, spent the last three decades of her life in High Bentham, where she moved following her retirement in 1986.

She grew up in Liverpool with her parents and two elder brothers and when war broke out was one of 90 children who boarded the Benares to be evacuated to Canada.

The attack from a German U-boat, in the north Atlantic, killed 77 children and 183 adults.

In 2004 Mrs Williams contributed to a book about the Benares and as a result came face to face with the U-boat's radio controller, who by then was living in Windermere.

She died last week, just a day after the 74th anniversary of the incident.

"She was very strong and she was a very forgiving person," continued Ms Bailey.

"The fact that she shook hands with the radio operator and said she didn't bear any grudge, and understood it was war, shows how forgiving she was. She forgave him for what he'd done."

She added: "I don't think my parents could have picked a better person to be my godmother."

As an adult Mrs Williams worked as a welfare officer for Royal Insurance and married husband Glyn, a merchant seaman, in 1963.

Mrs Williams 'lived life to the full' and travelled widely and, in a twist of irony, found she particularly enjoyed taking cruise holidays in later years.

She travelled around Scotland, Ireland, Iceland and Norway.

In Bentham she was a member of the WI before ill health got the better of her, and in her later years she gave talks about the Benares in local schools and at WI meetings around the UK.

She died on September 19 after a short spell in hospital with illness.

Her funeral will be held today (Thursday) at St John the Baptist Church, Bentham, at 2pm.

Factfile:

* The SS City of Benares was built by Barclay, Curle and Co, Glasgow, in 1936

* It had a propulsion of 15 knots, powered by steam, turbines and a single screw, with a tonnage of 11,081

* It was first launched on Wednesday, August 5, 1936

* The ship - a passenger cargo vessel - was 486.2 feet in length and 62.7 feet in breadth

* It was torpedoed and sunk sometime overnight between September 17 and 18, 1940, in the north Atlantic, travelling between Liverpool and Quebec and Montreal

* On board the liner were 90 children being evacuated to Canada, of whom just 13 survived

* In total only 147 people survived out of 407 passengers and crew