A family at war: Evan Desmond Davies - part two

Last week, we posted the wartime story of Evan Desmond Davies, known as Desmond. Desmond’s first ship, the Lottie R, was a motor vessel built by Burntisland Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. in 1937 for S & R Steamships Ltd., in Llanelli. She was captained by Captain Brodigan. As well as being a friend of Desmond’s father and Desmond’s first captain, Brodigan was a man who was to have a distinguished naval career.  He lived in Spring Gardens Trefechan. Having served in the Royal Navy in the First World War he was put in charge of one of the first convoys to sailing to Dunkirk on D Day, with the Lottie R leading a group of 12 ships carrying medical supplies for the American troops who had landed on Omaha beach. He was awarded an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List 1943.

Captain Brodigan

 

Serving in the Merchant Navy in wartime was an extremely important but very dangerous role. The country depended on civilian cargo ships to import food and raw materials, as well as to transport soldiers overseas, and keep them supplied. The title 'Merchant Navy' granted by King George V after the First World War  recognised the huge contribution made by merchant sailors.

During both world wars, Germany operated a policy of 'unrestricted submarine warfare', or sinking merchant vessels on sight. During the Second World War, 4,700 British-flagged ships were sunk, and more than 29,000 merchant seamen were lost.  source: https://www.iwm.org.uk)

The terrible dangers faced by all men at sea were illustrated by the fate of Desmond’s cousin, Oswald James Hughes, who lived at 25 South Road, Aberystwyth. Oswald served with the Royal Navy and was posted to the SS Walnut, a merchant steamer. On 27 October 1941, the Walnut left Liverpool for Newry carrying a cargo of coal. She was never seen again and Oswald lost his life at only 18 years of age. 

Oswald Hughes on 11 January 1941, just a few months before his death

 

Another cousin of Desmond’s, David Mann, also died at sea during the war. David was from Pwllheli and married to Florence Parry of Aberystwyth. David was an engine man in the Royal Naval Patrol Service  and was lost at the age of 23. At the time he was serving on an anti-submarine trawler HMS Birdlip which was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine while patrolling off Greenville, Liberia, on 13 June 1944.

A third cousin of Desmond’s, Gwynfor Jones, was not a naval man but a pilot officer in the Royal Air Force. He was shot down in his Avro Lancaster III plane whilst bombing railway yards at Aachen, Germany, and died on 25 May 1944, aged 22.

All three of Desmond’s cousins are commemorated for their bravery on war memorials.  They tragically reflect the terrible impact of the war on the life of so many families.  Desmond himself, luckily, survived the war and was discharged in July 1953. The photograph below shows him at Aberstwyth in later life, wearing his WWII medals.

Blog by Frances Foley

With thanks to Desmond's son, John Evan Davies, for loaning his collection of family papers to the project.