Victor Kellec was the only one out of eight New Zealander's who survived the Slamat Disaster in 1941.(Source: To Greece by W.G. Clymont, page 430)

The 11,636 ton Dutch passenger liner was taken over for service as a troop transport and while engaged in the evacuation of British and New Zealand troops from Crete, she was attacked for the second time by German aircraft of Luftwaffe JG-77 and sank with the loss of 193 men on the 27th April 1941. Of the troops on board, around 700 were rescued by the destroyers HMS Diamond and HMS Wryneck, both of which were later bombed and sunk, drowning most of the survivors of the Slamat. There was one officer, 41 seamen and 8 soldiers saved from this triple disaster, leaving a death toll of 843 men. (Source: http://members.iinet.net.au/~gduncan/maritime-1.html#maritime_disasters_1941 ) AWMM