The Merchant Navy Association (Wales) attended the annual Remembrance Service on Saturday 8th November 2025 . The Service was held under the canopy of the Senedd Building, Cardiff Bay.

The Mission to Seafarers

Alexandra Docks,

Newport,

NP20 2NP followed by a BBQ

The service will commence at 11.30 hours and will be led by the chaplain to the branch the Rev Rufus Noy. All standards and members are most welcome

THE CITY OF NEWPORT BRANCH Of THE MERCHANT NAVY ASSOCIATION

Chairman Alan R Speight Telephone 01633 279638; e.mail: alan.speight2@ntlworld.com

All other Correspondence to; 32 Aberthaw Circle Newport South Wales NP19 9QD,

His funeral will take place at Barry Crematorium on Friday 4th July 2025 at 1200.

Family flowers only. Donations may be sent to the RNLI

SATURDAY 24^TH MAY 2025

The Merchant Navy Association (Wales) held their Annual Remembrance Service at the Seafarers Memorial, Cardiff Bay at 1100 on Saturday 24th May 2025. The event was held under the canopy of the Senedd Building. We were honoured to have a contingent from H.M.C.S Montreal, which was visiting Cardiff at the time, join us at the event together with invited dignitaries. Fr Dean Atkins Honorary Chaplain to the Port of Cardiff officiated and music was provided by Symphonic Brass Cardiff. Photographs taken at the event are attached.

Remembrance Service will be held on Saturday 24^th May commencing at 1100

Under the canopy of the Senedd Building.

All are welcome

Lord Elis-Thomas was appointed our Patron in 2006 and was a tremendous supporter of MNA (Wales) through the years. He was instrumental in building a close relationship between MNA (Wales) and the Senedd, which allows us to hold our Services under the canopy of the Senedd Building. He regularly attended these services and in the early days gave readings in Welsh. He also laid a wreath as our Patron up to the time of his passing. It was my privilege to lay his wreath at the November 2024 Service which he was unable to attend due to ill health. He very recently stood down as Patron due to deteriorating health. He will be dearly missed. Our thoughts are with his family.

Captain Edwards joined the Association in 1995 with a Membership Number of 66. He spent 37 years at sea commanding ships trading worldwide. He first went to sea at the age of 17 as a cadet with Clan Line. After the war he served with Palm Line on the West African trade and spent 14 years in command of ships of the United Arab Shipping Company. His knowledge of the sea and ships enabled him to become one of the most popular authors. Sadly photograph not available.

Our next General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 8th January 2025 at 1400 hrs. in the Conservative Club, Bartlett Street, Caerphilly.

It was very well attended with Byron Jones and Standard Bearer Dave Richards, and Barry Branch member Mike Spear and Standard Bearer Andy Lloyd, representing MNA (Wales).  Byron laid a wreath on behalf on MNA (Wales).

The Service was followed by refreshments in TRBL Club.

I was on Guard of Honour, waiting for the King of Saudi Arabia, on Horse Guards.

Right flank: Scots Guard (100 guardsmen), a gap, then H.M. the Queen, mounted in full uniform, alongside Colonel Gerald, a gap, then left flank was the Queens Company Grenadier Guards (100 guardsmen).

We were stood at ease waiting.

Colonel Gerald’s charger erupted with horse farts (full volume) for two minutes.

Colonel Gerald says “ Sorry about that, your Majesty!”

She replies, in a wonderful voice, “That’s alright, Gerald, I thought it was your horse!”

200 guardsmen silently cried with laughter and tapped their rifles butts on the gravel.

From that moment, every man there adored her!

On joining Baron Elgin at Barry Dock, I was a little perturbed to find that sailors and the Arab firemen were berthed under the foc’sle head, sailors to starboard, firemen to port. As my first three ships, two Forts, and one Park Type, were wartime built and only three/four years old, the state of the accommodation was disheartening.

Eight bunks, a long mess table and a Bogie stove (good for making toast), plus a number of lockers for your personal belongings. The bathroom, entered from the foredeck, was just a steel box, no showers or freshwater taps, with a shelf to slot your new galvanised bucket into. The one toilet was similar, and quite dangerous to use on the homeward leg of the voyage, when loaded. Probably a towel was provided, but no bed sheets or pillowcases.

As a three island type vessel, her only redeeming feature was her well formed cruiser stern. In my time onboard there was no accommodation block on the poop. The Chippie bunked there in the still remaining DEMS gunners quarters. In bad weather the lookout was kept on the bridge wings. These were also wartime fittings, being previously built as gun tubs. They were only waist high, therefore very exposed to the wind and rain.

Soogying was only carried out when it was raining, the galley pump being locked up most of the voyage. Another antiquity was the icebox alongside number three hatch. It was fortunate we were only away for five weeks, otherwise some of the edibles would be smelling a little.

Our loading port (just the end of a bay) was Springdale, Hall Bay, Newfoundland and consisted of three log cabins and a motor launch. We dropped anchor, swung, with help from the launch, and four stern lines were secured on tree stumps on the shore.

I believe the name of my fellow SOS was Gordon Wilson of Cadoxton. I sailed with Gordon and one of his brothers again in 1951 aboard Palestinian Prince. One AB from the Valleys had brought his weightlifting equipment, and would be out on number one hatch practicing his lifts at every opportunity.

We loaded wood pulp, with some fifteen feet of deck cargo and proceeded to Rochester, Kent where we tied up to the buoys, paying off the following day, weights as well.

It was a further eight years before I had the misfortune to sail on a vessel that also suffered with similar deficiencies. Another story, another time.

John Filer
Mem. No. 24

On the Houston City watches were doubled up. At about 2300 hours moonlight showing through the fog, sea conditions calmed by ice the lookout on the forecastle head reported iceberg blink ahead. From the bridge through the fog the grey outline of a berg was sighted and there was a noticeable drop in the temperature, the Master, Captain H. Paul ordered hard a starboard and sounding her whistle, on the ship steadying on her new course the lookout reported an object, possibly a vessel close to port, suddenly from ahead in the fog a klaxon screamed, simultaneously there were alarm bells ringing, German voices shouting. On our bridge the Captain, Officer and Apprentice , whilst on the monkey island the DEMS gunner sighted at the same time very close to our port bow a U-boat which passed down our port side within feet so close that on our bridge we were looking down into the U-boat’s conning tower and its Captain and Officer apparently endeavouring to steer clear.

Captain Paul shouted out “give me a shackle to throw and I will brain the B—d”. On the monkey island the port side oerlikon gun could not be depressed far enough to be of any use and there was insufficient time to alert the 4 inch gun on the poop house before the U-boat disappeared from sight into the swirling fog. Visibility at the time estimated at approximately 200 feet.

For whatever reason the U-boat was operating on the surface one can only surmise, she was obviously as surprised as we were on the Houston City.

A very brief encounter.

Eventually the visibility improved and most of the ships from the dispersed convoy proceeded to a predetermined rendezvous and the convoy reformed and proceeded to Halifax N.S. arriving there without incident on the 29th April 1943.

Commodore O.J. Lindsay
Mem. No. 4

“In 2006 I had just come back from a Heroes Return visit to the Adriatic staying 14 days in Dubrovnik. It brought back memories of the day the crew of HMRT Frisky was asked to make up a football team to play the locals. We obliged and saw the opposing team marching down the road towards the football ground with a large brass band at its head all in step and looking very smart.

I will not go into the finer details of the game except to tell you that we lost 64 - 0! The victorious team marched back to town again with the band playing loudly. It only came to light the next day when a shopkeeper told us that the team we had played was a crack Yugoslavian army team, and being a Communist Country it must have been the National team as well. But, what the hell! How many crews of the Rescue Tugs boys do you know that have played international football. I can tell you that the boys of HMRT Frisky dined out on that story for a few years.”

Colston Hicks
Mem. No. 191

On Tuesday June 6th 1939 Norman Jenkins was offered a berth as Cabin Boy on the S.S. Graig. The vessel was berthed at the coal hoist on the south side of Roath Dock Cardiff loading coal for Santa, South America for the Argentina Railway Company. He reported to the Shipping Federation, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff for a medical and was passed fit by Dr Mitchell, and had a photograph taken for his Argentine passport. Later that day he went onboard the Graig to let the Chief Steward know he would be joining the ship the next day. On completion of loading the vessel was moved from the Roath Dock to the west end of Queen Alexandra Dock. These are his own words describing some of his experiences on his first trip to sea.

“On Saturday 10 June we sailed on the afternoon tide and my thoughts were of my chums going to the places we use to go after finishing work. So down we sailed not knowing what to expect. My first encounter with the Chief Officer Mr Owen Thomas from Cardigan, West Wales was when I was shaking the coconut runners of coal dust on the deck as the deck crew washing down the coal dust off the deck and paintwork. I got a few words from him which was a telling off and I just looked at him in surprise as a few grains of coal dust from the runners was not going to make much difference to the washing down. The look of surprise must have come under the military law (silent contempt) which was not my intention only surprise. I was then told by Mr Thomas “Don’t you sulk at me”. I apologized and hung the runner over the side and all was well. Going down the channel was an eye opener to me seeing the Welsh coast, Somerset coast and Devon coast slipping by. By late evening I had my first feeling of what a ship does when it gets clear of land and starts to test my stomach. In the morning we were out in the Atlantic Ocean and I was settling into my new job. The Chief Steward was a nice person and I took to him right away as he was a human being and treated me as my first trip knowing shipboard life was new to me. Unfortunately he paid off in the Barry Roads and his replacement was not a nice person so I was sad to see the change and things were not so happy. But I was getting on with my job as best I could but a bit down in the dumps as the Chief Steward was forever finding jobs to do. No let up, no time off to do anything until the mess-room boy Les Davies said I should have a few hours off until afternoon tea at 1500 hrs.

When the Chief Steward got wind of this he spoke to me in front of the Second Officer Edwin Morgan from Penarth as if I was a dog. I then wished I was one with rabies I would have bitten him. So more downheartedness. Still some happiness was to come. One morning the Captain Jack Bowen from Victoria Park, Cardiff, informed me he was going down the stoke hold to do a bit of shoveling to keep fit and loose some weight and would not want any breakfast. But would like his bath ready when he came up after an hour or so stoking. Between making bunks, scrubbing cabin decks (as there were no carpets or polished decks in the Graig), polishing the panels in the saloon to make them shine “like silver dollars on a sweeps arse” as the Captain would say, there was not much free time. Anyway back to the Captains bath. No hot running water for baths. Water had to be carried up from the engine room in a bucket. So I had to go up from the engine room, along the deck, through the alleyway, through the saloon, down the other alleyway to the Captains bathroom then back to the engine room and the same journey until the bath was full. If the Captain had done this chore he would have been as fit as I was. So after his bath the buzzer went from his cabin. I answered the call and he asked me for his breakfast. I told him you told me you wanted no breakfast. He said he meant with the other officers. I told him you said you did not want any breakfast only a bath. He asked what had happened to his breakfast. I told him I did not want to waste it so I ate it. The air was not too blue when he said “I worked my way up from the focsle to the bridge and no one ever ate my breakfast”. I made my way to the cabin door and said there is always a first time and beat a hasty retreat off the lower bridge. I don’t know if any first trip cabin boy can boast of eating a Captains breakfast and still is on the planet. I’ve passed his last resting place at the Western Cemetery, Ely, Cardiff and pause for a few moments and think after doing another trip with Captain Jack Bowen OBE that he never had a repeat of the first trip as World War 2 had broken out after leaving Rio de Janeiro on Sunday September 3rd 1939 and he never went below again.”

On the 4th May 1940 the S.S. Graig went ashore on Flint Ledge Egg Island Nova Scotia in fog and was wrecked. All the crew survived with only one injury to the Royal Marine Gunner.

“Our last port of call in South America was Rio de Janeiro then we headed north to our discharge port of Limerick, stopping only at Dakar where we loaded bunkers and also picked up a DBS (Distressed British Seaman). The trip north was uneventful except that after leaving Rio we had a “pampero” a gale force wind which resulted in small birds, which had been blown out to sea, landing on the deck. I picked them up and the only place I could think of putting them was in the Captains bathroom which was rarely used. However he soon found out. On another occasion I fancied some marmalade on my bread and butter but the steward said I would have to ask the Captain. I went up to the bridge just as they were about to take sights. On hearing my request the Captain was not pleased and ordered me off the bridge. As I was repeating my request the steward arrived and the Captain told him to give me the marmalade and never to send me to the bridge again. I enjoyed my bread and butter.

After discharging at Limerick we proceeded to Barry Dock to dry dock as the ship had struck an obstruction and damaged one of the blades of the propellor.. We laid on the buoys and I worked by her, then we loaded cargo for Rosario. We sailed on Friday November 13th 1939 in a strong wind to join a convoy from Milford Haven. We lost the convoy first night out so proceeded to Rosario on our own. Whilst off Rio we heard that the German pocket battleship Graf Spee was doing battle with three H.M. cruisers. My elder brother had left Newport for Buenos Aires in the Trekieve two days before us and was able to witness the fate of the Graf Spee. We arrived later to see the burning wreck.

My last trip in the Merchant Navy was in S.S Elmdene which I joined in London with Leslie Somerset who lived near me in Canton, Cardiff. I joined as Galley Boy and Leslie as Cabin Boy. We sailed May 1940 at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation and were bound for Malta via Gibraltar with a cargo of coal which we loaded at Blyth. With the fall of France we were unable to sail directly to Malta and had go via the Cape of Good Hope. We called in Capetown and Durban then headed north towards the Suez canal. When we were about 800 south of Aden there was an explosion in Number 1 hold followed by a fire. When this was extinguished we proceeded to Aden where a decision was made to discharge the cargo as it was deemed too risky to go through the Suez Canal. After discharging the cargo we sailed for Columbo where we loaded a cargo of monkey nuts which were brought out to the ship by small boats. It took us 10 days to load. We then proceeded to Durban then Capetown and on to Freetown for convoy back to the UK. On the way back I went down with malaria and was happy to get back to Hull in the UK where I paid off the Elmdene on June 2nd 1941.”

On leaving the Elmdene Norman joined the Royal Navy and served with distinction in the minesweeper HMT Finesse. On 30th November 1942, HMT Finesse, whilst on mine clearing duties in the English Channel, was attacked by a Focke-Wulf 190 fighter bomber. The FW190 could fly at 300 miles an hour and was with the latest cannon and machine guns which had a range of 1000 yards. Finesse, on the other hand couldn’t manage more than 6 knots and was equipped with a selection of largely obsolete weapons. As the German pilot swooped down to attack Norman waited tensely for the aircraft to come within range of his ancient Hotchkiss machine gun. When in range Norman was able to get two bursts of five rounds as it passed the ship. The CPO on the ships wheel watched as the tracer bullets from the Hotchkiss hit the speeding plane which pulled out of the dive, faltered and hit the sea a short distance away, the pilot having been fatally wounded. H.M.T. Finesse suffered neither casualties nor damage. For this action Norman was mentioned in a Despatch for distinguished service. He left the R.N. in 1946.

That morning the attending Marine Superintendent instructed one of the apprentices to go into the pantry where the Chief Steward was waiting with a carton (rationing was still on) and place the carton in the unlocked boot of his car, a black Austin which was parked on the far side of the quayside rail tracks and safely clear of any rail track operations. The apprentice did exactly as instructed. After lunch the lad was approached by an Irate Superintendent who on checking the boot of his car found no carton. The lad insisted that he had taken the carton ashore and stowed it in the boot of a black Austin car. They both went to the gangway and looked across at the car, the lad looked at the Superintendent and said “ Sir you have shifted your car a little, When I placed the carton in the boot it was parked abreast of the gangway” Christmas arrived early in 1952 for the unknown owner of a black Austin car whose boot also happened to be unlocked.

Later in the afternoon, the superintendent having past the risk of apoplexy but now with greasy hands, sought out the same apprentice again, whose day aboard it happened to be, to obtain some paraffin from the lamp locker. Whilst they were in the locker getting the paraffin the superintendent noticed there were a surprising number of full two gallon cans of Esso. Petrol being rationed and his car petrol tank low he told the apprentice to take one of the cans and pour it into his car’s tank and he would inform the Mate so he will be aware of the matter, and then added “make sure you get the right car this time. The apprentice said “aye aye Sir”.

About an hour later the superintendent disembarked to motor home - you may have guessed it - the car would not start. The can contained paraffin. The air became blue but not by car exhaust smoke. The ship having stored in Barry the paraffin tanks had been filled and the surplus placed in the empty Esso petrol cans.

I will leave it to your imagination what was said to the humble apprentice. It was just not the superintendent’s day.

Commodore Oliver Lindsay
Mem No. 4

The second day of loading opened sunny and mild, a beautiful winter morning and a promise of a good loading day. At about 0740 hours the stevedores led by their foreman and his son descended the cliff face by means of the steel stairway on the cliff face and strolled the 200 yards or so to the ship’s accommodation ladder. The foreman accompanied by his son started climbing the ship’s ladder followed by the stevedores. One of the stevedores standing on the wharf shouted up to the foreman ”have you ordered extra stitchers for repairing the broken bags containing expellers?”. The foreman with a wave of his hand dismissed the question, for which he paid with his life. In the hand of the stevedore on the wharf appeared a pistol, he fired two shots, the first struck the foreman in the head and he died instantly on the gangway, the second shot fatally wounded the foreman’s son who fell from the gangway onto the wharf and died two hours later in hospital. The murderer turned and ran to the cliff and ascended the stairway and disappeared. Soon police, doctor and ambulances arrived and attended to the incident formalities.

At the time of the incident I was standing at the top of the gangway waiting for the foreman to board to discuss stowage, rather too close to the victims for comfort.

Normality was soon restored. The gangway seacunny for the second time within an hour scrubbed the accommodation ladder down to remove the blood etc. The ensign was lowered to fly at half mast. The butler beat the gong for a late breakfast. No loading was performed for the next two days out of respect for the two men who had died.

Up to the time of sailing the murderer had not been found, however I learnt from officials that twelve months previously he shot and killed another man. Apparently he was a member of a wealthy family who paid a very substantial fine in lieu of a long jail sentence for homicide.

Some readers may well remember Rosario and the berths under the cliffs.

Commodore Oliver Lindsay
Mem No. 4.