Charles Clement Furby – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Gower Coast

Steward Charles Clement Furby – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Gower Coast

Early Life and Family Background

Charles Furby and Mary Ann Beynon
marriage certificate
St. Mary's church

Charles Clement Furby was born in 1889, in Swansea, the eldest son of Charles Furby and Mary Ann Beynon, who were married in September 1886 at St Mary’s Church, Swansea.

1891 Census

At the time of the 1891 Census, the Furby family were residing at 34 Lamb Street, Swansea. Charles Furby Sr., aged 38, was born in Sussex and employed as a Tiller, while Mary Ann, aged 34, was from Swansea. Their son Charles Clement, aged two, was the only child recorded.

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, Charles Sr. was absent—working away at sea—while Mary Ann, aged 47, was head of the household at 4 Port Tennant Road, Swansea, with her two children, Charles (12) and Beatrice (9).

1911 Census

In the 1911 Census, the family were living at 1 Danygraig Road, St Thomas, Swansea. Mary Ann, aged 57, kept the home, while Charles Clement, aged 22, was employed as a Tinworker, and Beatrice, aged 19, worked as a Dressmaker. Charles Sr. continued to work at sea, maintaining his long career in maritime service. Also living in the home were George Furby (50), a Marine Engineer, and two boarders, Stephen (32) and Edgar Campbell (22), both Gas Fitters.

Marriage and Service

Charles Clement Furby and Hilda Florence Payne
marriage certificate
Holt Trinity church, Swansea

In September 1912, Charles Clement Furby married Hilda Florence Payne at Holy Trinity Church, Swansea. Following in the family tradition of maritime work, Charles later joined the Mercantile Marine, serving as a Steward aboard the S.S. Gower Coast during the First World War.

The S.S. Gower Coast

The S.S. Gower Coast was a British steam cargo vessel, owned by Houlder Brothers & Co., operating on vital coastal and near-continental trade routes during the First World War.

On 4^th April 1917, the Gower Coast was lost off Le Tréport, on the French coast of the English Channel, after striking a mine laid by the German submarine SM UC-71. The explosion caused catastrophic damage, and the ship sank rapidly with heavy loss of life, including Steward Charles Clement Furby.

Her destruction took place during the height of Germany’s unrestricted submarine and mine-laying campaign, when merchant vessels—even those close to home waters—were constantly endangered. The loss of the Gower Coast stands as one of the many tragedies suffered by Britain’s merchant fleet during 1917, a year that saw the highest toll of shipping casualties in the war.

The German Submarine SM UC-71

The SM UC-71 was a Type UC II minelaying submarine of the Imperial German Navy, commissioned on 28 November 1916. Built by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, she measured approximately 50 metres in length and displaced 427 tons surfaced and 508 tons submerged. She carried six mine tubes capable of deploying 18 mines, along with three torpedo tubes and an 8.8 cm deck gun.

During her operational career, UC-71 completed several patrols and was credited with sinking 63 ships through torpedo and mine attacks. The submarine’s mines were responsible for the sinking of the S.S. Gower Coast in April 1917.

After Germany’s defeat, UC-71 was en route to surrender when she was lost on 20^th February 1919 in the North Sea. All crew survived, and evidence suggests she was scuttled deliberately to avoid capture by the Allies. Her wartime record exemplifies the destructive reach of the German U-boat fleet, whose operations brought constant peril to the men of the Mercantile Marine.

Commemoration

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

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

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

Steward Charles Clement Furby is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, which honours the men and women of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who died at sea during the First World War and have no known grave but the ocean.

Legacy

At 28 years old, Charles Clement Furby was a husband, son, and Swansea seafarer who shared the fate of countless merchant sailors who kept Britain’s sea-lanes open during wartime. His courage and quiet service are part of Swansea’s enduring maritime story.

His name, carved on the Tower Hill Memorial, stands as a lasting tribute to the men of the Mercantile Marine, whose sacrifice and steadfastness sustained Britain through the darkest days of the Great War