Arthur Mafeking Williams – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Sandhurst

Apprentice Arthur Mafeking Williams – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Sandhurst

Early Life and Family Background

Arthur Mafeking Williams was born in 1900 in Swansea, the younger son of David Williams and Elizabeth Jones.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Williams family were living at 1 Cromwell Street, Swansea. David, aged 41, was employed as a Railway Guard, and Elizabeth, aged 43, managed the home. Their children were Frank D., aged 3, and 11-month-old Arthur M. Also present in the household were Elizabeth’s widowed mother, Ann Jones, aged 69, and her brother John Jones, aged 46, a Carpenter. Elizabeth’s sister, Mary A. Alkins, was also staying with her children Doris M. (10), John G. (9) and Nelly M. (7).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 22 Belle Vue Street, Swansea. David, now 51, was working as a Railway Inspector, while Elizabeth, aged 53, remained at home. Their children were Frank David (13), Arthur M. (10), and Gladys Nellie (9), all attending school. Elizabeth’s mother, Ann Jones, now 79, continued to live with them.

Service at Sea – Apprentice, S.S. Sandhurst

As a young man, Arthur Williams entered the Mercantile Marine and became an Apprentice aboard the S.S. Sandhurst. Apprentices served as trainee officers, learning navigation, seamanship, and shipboard duties under the supervision of senior officers. Their roles were demanding and dangerous, especially during wartime, when merchant vessels sailed through U-boat-patrolled waters with little to no protection.

Arthur was serving aboard the Sandhurst during one of the most perilous years of the war at sea. On 6^th May 1918, the vessel was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UB-72. Arthur Mafeking Williams was among those who lost their lives.

S.S. Sandhurst

The S.S. Sandhurst was a British merchant steamship operating on coastal and near-continental routes during the First World War. Vessels like the Sandhurst carried vital cargoes, including food, coal, and wartime materials essential to Britain’s survival.

Most merchant ships of this type were unarmed or only lightly armed, leaving them exposed to German U-boat attacks, especially in the English Channel and Western Approaches.

In early May 1918, during a period of intensified submarine activity, the Sandhurst was intercepted by UB-72 and destroyed by a torpedo strike. She sank rapidly, leaving little opportunity for escape. The loss of the vessel highlights the relentless dangers faced daily by merchant seamen such as Arthur Williams.

German Submarine UB-72

UB-72 was a Type UB III submarine of the Imperial German Navy, commissioned in 1917 for long-range patrol and anti-shipping operations. She carried five torpedo tubes, one deck gun, up to ten torpedoes, and had a complement of around 34 men. Operating mainly in the English Channel and Western Approaches, UB-72 hunted merchant shipping in some of the busiest and most dangerous waters of the war.

Her sinking of the S.S. Sandhurst on 6^th May 1918 formed part of Germany’s intensified submarine campaign aimed at severing Britain’s maritime supply lines.

UB-72 met her own end just six days later, on 12^th May 1918, when she was torpedoed and sunk by the Royal Navy submarine HMS D4 near Cherbourg. All hands were lost.

Commemoration

S.S. Sandhurst
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources:
The Merchant Navy Memorial

With no known grave but the sea, Arthur Mafeking Williams is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, which honours the men and women of the Mercantile Marine and Merchant Navy who died in service during the World Wars and have no known resting place.

Legacy

Arthur Williams was only a teenager when he died, one of Swansea’s youngest merchant seamen lost in the First World War. His service as an Apprentice reflects the courage and determination of the many young men who entered the Mercantile Marine, often facing the same dangers as fully qualified officers. His death aboard the S.S. Sandhurst stands as a reminder of the heavy toll that the war at sea inflicted on coastal communities like Swansea and of the essential role played by the Merchant Navy in Britain’s wartime survival.