The granddaughters of two sailors who survived a shipwreck off Cornwall over 109 years ago have met in Malta for the first time to share the details of the story of survival they were brought up hearing. “The meeting was very emotional on many different levels,” said Ute Lassen Poechman whose German grandfather, August Lassen, survived the wreck of the Hera. He clung on to the ship’s mast for hours along with another four men who included Maltese Joseph Cauchi, the grandfather of Rita Agius. Only those five men emerged alive. Nineteen crew members died in the freezing waters. It was Ute, 69, who sparked the search for Rita, 53, after learning about her while on holiday in Malta. Last week, Ute contacted Times of Malta for help to find the granddaughter of the only Maltese survivor. The two families were reunited after Rita’s daughter, Michaela spotted the Times of Malta article and reached out. “The Agius family is a very warm and friendly family. We had an instant rapport. It was very successful. We will see if we can meet again in the future,” said Ute. Rita added: “I was looking forward to meeting Ute. Malta was the place to reunite us. I want to tell the story my grandfather...
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