Barnes, Kenneth John, 15, 28th March 1941, Merchant Navy, S.S. Koranton,  Galley Boy, John Henry Barnes Florence May Barnes, of Newport, Mon., TOWER HILL MEMORIAL, Panel 62.

Information: By kind permission of Mr Billy McGee from his book "They Shall Grow Not Old"

Cargo ship Koranton,, 6,695grt. (R. Chapman & Sons) had loaded with a cargo of pig iron at Philadephia for Hull and sailed to Sydney, Cape Breton where the ship joined up with the 40 ship Convoy SC-25 which left Halifax, Nova Scotia on 10^th March 1941. During the crossing two ships were forced to return due to bad weather and the Koranton found herself straggling the main convoy and was soon sailing alone and vulnerable and was last sighted on 24^th March.

After failing to arrive the ship was recorded in May 1941as missing/untraced and a Joint Arbitration Committee considered the loss 40% “Marine Cause”, 60% “War Cause” around the 28^th March.

The ship had actually been intercepted by U-98 South West of Reykjavik and hit in the stern by a single torpedo and sank almost immediately before any distress message could be sent taking all thirty four men with her in approximate position 50’ 00N 27’ 00W

STAR OF AUSTRALIA on the 1st August 1918 was in collision with and sank Hugh Roberts & Son's, North Cambria some 70 miles west of Ushant, 48.57N/6.47W 1.8.18

Local memorial - All Saint's church, Brynglas

Broderick, Stephen, 17, 30th November 1917, 25th (Montgomery and Welsh Horse Yeomanry) Bn., Royal Welsh Fusliers, 355947, Private, Son of John and Amelia Broderick, JERUSALEM WAR CEMETERY, E.187.

Clemes, Norman Terence, 17, 27th February 1942, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Jupiter, D/JX 177473, Boy 1st Class, Son of Alfred Donald and Elizabeth Alice Clemes, of Malpas, Mon., PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL, Panel 67. Column 3.

Denning, Jack Vivian, 17, Merchant Navy, S.S. Port Hunter, TOWER HILL MEMORIAL, Panel 83.

Donovan, Dennis Lewis, 17, 23^rd October 1943, Royal Marines, H. M. S. Charybdis, PLY/X 107819, Marine, Son of Mr. and Mrs. William Donovan, of Newport, Monmouthshire, PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL, Panel 83, Column 3.

Duggan, Reginald Arthur, 17, Merchant Navy, S.S. Koranton,  Mess Room Boy, Son of Reginald Samuel and Evelyn Sylvia Duggan, of Newport, Mon., TOWER HILL MEMORIAL, Panel 62.

Fitzgerald, Patrick Richard, 17, 8th June 1940, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Glorious, D/JX 160532, Boy, Son of Mr. and Mrs. R. Fitzgerald, of Newport, Mon., PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL, Panel 39, Column 2.

Local memorial - General Post Office, Newport

Information: By kind permission of Mr Billy McGee from his book "They Shall Grow Not Old"

Cargo ship Woodtown, 794grt. (Comben, Longstaff & Co. Ltd.) had loaded a cargo of granite at Newlyn for London. On the 15^th November 1939 off Margate two and half miles from the Tongue Light Vessel the ship detonated a mine, which tore the bottom out of the ship and sank thirty seconds killing eight of the thirteen crew. The survivors were picked up by local lifeboat crew. The mine barrage had been laid by German destroyers between the 12^th & 13th November 1939.

James, Noah, 17, 27^th June 1915, 2^nd Bn. South Wales Borderers, 13768, Lance Corporal, Son of James James, of 8, Tymelin Terrace, Rogerstone, Newport, Mon., TWELVE TREE COPSE CEMETERY, Sp. Mem. C. 317.

Information: By kind permission of Mr Billy McGee from his book "They Shall Grow Not Old"

Cargo ship Mill Hill,4.318 grt. (Countess Ship Management Co. Ltd.) haveing loaded a cargo of pig iron and steel for Middleborough at Boston Massachussetts, the Mill Hill joined up with the Liverpool bound 52 ship Convoy HX-66, which leftHalifax, Nova Scotia on 16th August 1940. On the 30th August 1840, U-32 attacks the convoy 58 miles Nort West of Cape Wrath and within less than a thirty minute spell sinks three merchant ships. The Mill Hill is hit in the stern and sinks rapidly  within minutes taking the captain and all thirty three crew with her in position 58' 48N 06'4W

Local memorial - St Michael's church

O'Shea, Richard, 14, 6th May 1917, Mercantile Marine, S.S. "Alfalfa", Son of Mr. and Mrs. J. O'Shea, of 4, Trinity Place, Newport, Mon., TOWER HILL MEMORIAL

Steed, Raymond Victor, 14, 26th April 1943, Merchant Navy, S.S. "Empire Morn",  Galley Boy, 20 Christchurch Road, Newport, Mon., Wilfred and Olive Steed (nee Bright), BEN M'SIK EUROPEAN CEMETERY, Plot 59A. Row 1. Grave 1.

Local memorial - Grandparents grave in Bettws church graveyard.

Photo's above courtesy of Mr Billy McGee and the Rev. Canon Henry Davies

Information: By kind permission of Mr Billy McGee from his book "They Shall Grow Not Old"

Raymond Steed was born Monday, 1^st October 198 at 2 Kimbely Terrace, Malpas, St Mellons Road  and was at the time youngest recorded  service death of WWII who died aged 14 years & 207 days.

Raymond’s official service record (CRS10) shows he joined the Merchant Navy Reserve Pool (MNRP) 29^th December 1942, just two months after his 14^th birthday, joining his first ship as a Stewards boy at Newport the same day. The ship being the former Royal Mail Line, 15,629grt., SS Atlantis which had been converted into a Hospital Ship in 1939. He left this ship 13^th March 1943. After taking his leave Raymond joined the Empire Morn at Newport on 4^th April 1943.

Catapult Aircraft Merchant Ship, Empire Morn, 7,092grt. (MOWT, Headlam & Son-Whitby) had loaded with a cargo of naval, military and RAF equipment for Casablanca & Gibraltar left Milford Haven sailing to the Barry Roads anchorage while waiting to join up with the combined 69 ship convoy OS-46/KMS-13 which sailed from Liverpool on 15^th April 1943.

On 24^th April the convoy split into two and continued to their individual ports of call. On the evening of Monday 26^th April at 9.45pm an explosion rocks the ship followed by a secondary explosion in the ships magazine seriously damaging the stern of the ship and blowing out a greater portion of the crew accommodation. At 10.05pm the captain decides to temporarily abandon ship until daybreak to assess the situation further. A thorough search and head count reveals twenty-one men are missing before the ships lifeboats are launched. The following morning at 5.30am the ships Captain, all his Officers and three crew members, re-board the ship and assisted in working the vessel into Casablanca with the assistance of the salvage tug USN Cherokee.

On 28^th April at 2.30pm during a further search through the wreckage of the crew accommodation, the remains of of two crew members were found and extricated and immediately recognised as that of Raymond Steed and John W Gardner, an 18year old Ordinary Seaman. Identity papers found on both the bodies confirmed without doubt who they were and it has was stated that both men had been killed instantly in the explosion. The remains of the other nineteen killed were never found  either being blown over board or incinerated. On 29^th April 1943 at 2.00pm the bodies on Raymond and John were laid to rest at the Ben M’Sik Cemetery about six kilometres from Casablanca town centre which lies between the main road to Marrakech and the road known as Oulad Zianc. Present at the service was the Captain, all Officers and surviving crew who could be spared from duty.

German records show that the Empire Morn had detonated a mine laid earlier on 10^th April 1943 off Casablanca by U-117

Local memorial - St Julian's High School

Cargo ship Anglo Saxon, 5.596 grt, (Nitrate Producers SS Co.) had loaded a cargo of coal at Newport for Bahia Blanca and joined up with the outward bound 27 ship Convoy OB-195, which departed Liverpool on the 8^th August 1940. On the 12^th August the convoy disperses and the Anglo Saxon sets course for Argentina. On the 21^st August about 800 miles West of the Canary Islands the ship was intercepted by the German commerce  raider Widder who proceeded to shell and machine gun tp destruction both the ship and the crew.  

Six crew and one DEMS gunner from a compliment of forty one finally got away from the burning ship in an 18ft jolly boat as the ship sank in position 26’ 10N 34’ 09W. The gunner would later die of his wounds, while another crewmember passes away in the boat after 11 days. The Chief Officer and Third Engineer would commit suicide by stepping over the boats gunwhale into the sea after 15 days and the following day the ships cook would go insane and die.

The two survivors Roy Widdicombe and Robert Tapscott would have to endure seventy days adrift in this jolly boat before reaching land, surviving on seaweed, the occasional flying fish and rain water and at one point in desperation drinking the alcohol content of the boats compass.

Widdicombe would be dead within three months of surviving their epic feat while returning home  when his ship the SS Siamese Prince was sunk by U-69 with all sixty nine crew lost. Tapscott recovered more slowly and in the summer of 1941 went to Canada. Initially he enlisted in the Canadian army but rejoined the Merchant Navy in March 1943. He arrived back in the United Kingdom in late May 1943. Tapscott continued to serve at sea until his early death at the age of forty two in September 1963.

Williams, Albert Ronald, 15, 25th February 1940, Merchant Navy, S.S. Castlemoor, Galley Boy, Son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert Samuel Williams, of Newport, Mon., TOWER HILL MEMORIAL, Panel 24.

Information: By kind permission of Mr Billy McGee from his book "They Shall Grow Not Old"

Cargo ship Castlemoor, 6,574grt (Runciman Shipping Co.) had loaded a cargo of steel ingots in Philadelphia as well as 2,403 barrels of apples for Middlesbrough and sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia where she joined up with the Liverpool bound 55 ship Convoy HX-20 which left Halifax on the 16^th February 1940.

The ship was sighted by the SS Dalemoor on the 23^rd February in position 46’ 14N 36’ 04W and again by the SS Royal on the 25^th. Nothing more was ever of the ship and her forty man crew.

The ship was officially reported missing/untraced April 17^th and a Joint Arbitration and Missing Ship Committee considered her lost 25^th February wholly from “Marine Peril”. No U-Boat ever claimed to have sunk this vessel. However the ship’s loss must have happened very quickly as no distress signal was ever transmitted

Wyatt, Wilfred Sydney, 15, 26th February 1918, Mercantile Marine, Hospital ship "Glenart Castle", Fireman Steward, Son of Thomas and Elizabeth Wyatt, of 73, Stockton Rd., Newport, Mon., TOWER HILL MEMORIAL