Post by Administrator on Nov 27, 2022 3:30:10 GMT
VIA: Billy McGee FB.
3 October 2018
The loss of three Sons in three years. Heart breaking beyond imagination. By the time the third son had been reported missing, he was already dead.
HARRIES, Chief Steward, HOWARD LEVY, S.S. British Monarch (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 19th June 1940. Age 25. Son of Mrs. A. Harries, of Newport, Pembrokeshire. Tower Hill Memorial Panel 20.
Cargo ship British Monarch, 5,661grt, (Raeburn & Verel Ltd) loaded a cargo of iron ore at Bougie for Glasgow joined the 15 ship Convoy HG-34F, which departed Gibraltar on the 13th June 1940. On the 19th June about 160 nautical miles North-West of Corunna, Spain the ship was torpedoed and sunk by U-48 in position 45’ 00N 11’ 21W. It is not known if anyone survived the initial sinking, but her forty-man crew were never heard from again.
HARRIES, Third Officer, DAVID GLYN, S.S. Empire Stream (Greenock). Merchant Navy. 25th September 1941. Age 24. Son of Mrs. A. Harries, of Newport, Pembrokeshire. Tower Hill Memorial Panel 46.
Cargo ship Empire Stream, 2,922grt, (MOWT, J. S. Stranaghan & Co. Ltd) loaded a cargo of potash at Huelva, Spain for Dundee joined up with the 25 ship Convoy HG-73, which departed Gibraltar on the 17th September 1941. On the 25th September about 450 nautical miles North, North-East of the Azores the ship was struck by one torpedo from U-124. The torpedo exploded in the ships deep tank under the bridge deck causing a massive explosion, blowing men off the bridge onto the lower decks. The man at the wheel was found later still holding part of the wheel in his hands and the ships Master was knocked unconscious. When he came too he found the ship was being abandoned. Helping to lower one of the lifeboats, two cleared away leaving only the ships Master and Chief Engineer on-board as the ship took a sudden lurch and sank within five minutes in position 46’ 03N 24’ 40W, with the loss of two crewmembers, two DEMS gunners and two Spanish stowaways. One of the lifeboats capsized as the ship sank and the Master and Chief Engineer who had managed to get away in time, spent the next two hours searching amongst the wreckage, pulling men from the sea. The ships Bosun and one of the ships Stewards, who after being picked up both died about ninety minutes later and were committed to the deep. The twenty-seven survivors were eventually picked up by the Corvette HMS Begonia two hours later and landed at Milford Haven five days later.
HARRIES, Third Engineer Officer, KENNETH GEORGE, S.S. Garlinge (London). Merchant Navy. 10th November 1942. Age 21. Son of Mrs. A. Harries, of Newport, Pembrokeshire. Tower Hill Memorial Panel 51.
Cargo ship Garlinge, 2,012grt, (Constants, Halford Ltd) loaded with a cargo of coal for Algiers sailed independently from Gibraltar on the 7th November 1942. On the 10th November about 26 nautical miles North of Gouraya, Algiers the Garlinge who had been having trouble keeping up with the convoy due to the adverse weather, even when the convoy had reduced speed, eventually fell astern as a straggler. Suddenly the ship was struck by a single torpedo from U-81 between the engine room and stoke hold. Within sixty seconds the ship rolled over on her beam ends and disappeared in position 37’ 00N 02’ 00E along with eighteen crewmembers and seven DEMS gunners. Three rafts had been cut free and fourteen survivors managed to scramble on board the rafts before drifting apart. The following afternoon, the raft in charge of by the ships Master holding nine survivors were rescued by HMS Minna, where it was found five men from the other two rafts had been picked up. Four hours later, the ship’s Chief Officer was found clinging to a couple of hatch boards and all the survivors were eventually landed at Algiers.
John Anzevino
Thanks for posting, how sad. My great uncle Claude Melvin was also killed aboard the SS 'British Monarch', coincidentally, his cousin William Melvin was in the same convey and was killed a day later aboard the SS 'Otterpool'. My mother always remembered Claude with great fondness, a happy and friendly sort of chap, and she was till saddened by his death many years later.
3 October 2018
The loss of three Sons in three years. Heart breaking beyond imagination. By the time the third son had been reported missing, he was already dead.
HARRIES, Chief Steward, HOWARD LEVY, S.S. British Monarch (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 19th June 1940. Age 25. Son of Mrs. A. Harries, of Newport, Pembrokeshire. Tower Hill Memorial Panel 20.
Cargo ship British Monarch, 5,661grt, (Raeburn & Verel Ltd) loaded a cargo of iron ore at Bougie for Glasgow joined the 15 ship Convoy HG-34F, which departed Gibraltar on the 13th June 1940. On the 19th June about 160 nautical miles North-West of Corunna, Spain the ship was torpedoed and sunk by U-48 in position 45’ 00N 11’ 21W. It is not known if anyone survived the initial sinking, but her forty-man crew were never heard from again.
HARRIES, Third Officer, DAVID GLYN, S.S. Empire Stream (Greenock). Merchant Navy. 25th September 1941. Age 24. Son of Mrs. A. Harries, of Newport, Pembrokeshire. Tower Hill Memorial Panel 46.
Cargo ship Empire Stream, 2,922grt, (MOWT, J. S. Stranaghan & Co. Ltd) loaded a cargo of potash at Huelva, Spain for Dundee joined up with the 25 ship Convoy HG-73, which departed Gibraltar on the 17th September 1941. On the 25th September about 450 nautical miles North, North-East of the Azores the ship was struck by one torpedo from U-124. The torpedo exploded in the ships deep tank under the bridge deck causing a massive explosion, blowing men off the bridge onto the lower decks. The man at the wheel was found later still holding part of the wheel in his hands and the ships Master was knocked unconscious. When he came too he found the ship was being abandoned. Helping to lower one of the lifeboats, two cleared away leaving only the ships Master and Chief Engineer on-board as the ship took a sudden lurch and sank within five minutes in position 46’ 03N 24’ 40W, with the loss of two crewmembers, two DEMS gunners and two Spanish stowaways. One of the lifeboats capsized as the ship sank and the Master and Chief Engineer who had managed to get away in time, spent the next two hours searching amongst the wreckage, pulling men from the sea. The ships Bosun and one of the ships Stewards, who after being picked up both died about ninety minutes later and were committed to the deep. The twenty-seven survivors were eventually picked up by the Corvette HMS Begonia two hours later and landed at Milford Haven five days later.
HARRIES, Third Engineer Officer, KENNETH GEORGE, S.S. Garlinge (London). Merchant Navy. 10th November 1942. Age 21. Son of Mrs. A. Harries, of Newport, Pembrokeshire. Tower Hill Memorial Panel 51.
Cargo ship Garlinge, 2,012grt, (Constants, Halford Ltd) loaded with a cargo of coal for Algiers sailed independently from Gibraltar on the 7th November 1942. On the 10th November about 26 nautical miles North of Gouraya, Algiers the Garlinge who had been having trouble keeping up with the convoy due to the adverse weather, even when the convoy had reduced speed, eventually fell astern as a straggler. Suddenly the ship was struck by a single torpedo from U-81 between the engine room and stoke hold. Within sixty seconds the ship rolled over on her beam ends and disappeared in position 37’ 00N 02’ 00E along with eighteen crewmembers and seven DEMS gunners. Three rafts had been cut free and fourteen survivors managed to scramble on board the rafts before drifting apart. The following afternoon, the raft in charge of by the ships Master holding nine survivors were rescued by HMS Minna, where it was found five men from the other two rafts had been picked up. Four hours later, the ship’s Chief Officer was found clinging to a couple of hatch boards and all the survivors were eventually landed at Algiers.
John Anzevino
Thanks for posting, how sad. My great uncle Claude Melvin was also killed aboard the SS 'British Monarch', coincidentally, his cousin William Melvin was in the same convey and was killed a day later aboard the SS 'Otterpool'. My mother always remembered Claude with great fondness, a happy and friendly sort of chap, and she was till saddened by his death many years later.
