St. Cattwg's church, Port Eynon

Following on from Bay’s Ian Bateman’s Gower Pilgrimage Walk (Part IV), – see last month’s magazine – his rendezvous was St Cattwg’s church, Port Eynon. 

The memorial situated in the corner of the churchyard commemorates the life-boat crew, who lost their lives on 1st January 1916. The lifeboat Janet had a crew of 13, and whilst attempting to assist the Glasgow steamer SS Dunvegan, the lifeboat capsized twice and those lost were William Eynon, George Harry and William Gibbs. Only the bodies of 2nd Cox Eynon and lifeboat man Harry were recovered and later buried at St. Cattwg’s. The sea is the resting place of Cox Gibbs.

William Gibbs

William Gibbs is said to have been the person the statue is modelled on and is the work of Mr Brown, sculptor and Mr C. E. Schenk, artist and engineer employed by Swansea Harbour. Schenk was one of the founding members of Swansea Arts Society, which was established in 1886 and is one of the earliest societies in Wales. The statue was unveiled in August 1918.

Everyone likes a little mystery, and in December 1914, The Cambria Daily Leader published an article regarding the burial of a veteran of the Indian Mutiny, 1857-59 at St. Cattwg’s. After scouring the records with help from the West Glamorgan Archive Service, there certainly doesn’t seem to be a said burial at that time. The mystery of the veteran remains.

Copyright - Bay Magazine, June 2022