Ernest George Lewis – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Algiers

 Fireman Ernest George Lewis – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Algiers

Early Life and Family Background – Swansea

Birth and Parentage

Another Swansea victim of the sinking of the S.S. Algiers was Ernest George Lewis, born in Swansea in 1879, the son of George Lewis and Mary Morgan.

Lewis Family in the Census Records

1881 Census

The 1881 Census shows the Lewis family living at 27 Record Street, Swansea. George Lewis, aged 30 and born in Pembrokeshire, was employed as a coal trimmer, while his wife Mary, aged 32, managed the household. At this time, they had four children: Margaret A., aged 5; Thomas J. H., aged 4; Ernest G., aged 2; and Brinley S., aged 1. This census presents a picture of a young working-class family in a busy industrial area of Swansea, with George supporting his wife and young children through demanding dockside labour.

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 18 Danygraig Road, Swansea, and had grown both in size and independence. George, now 50, continued his work as a coal trimmer, and Mary, aged 52, remained at home. Several of their children were now adults contributing to the household. Margaret, aged 26, still lived at home, while Thomas, aged 24, and Rees M., aged 19, worked as dock labourers. Ernest, aged 22, was employed as a coach trimmer, and Brinley, aged 21, was recorded as a soldier on furlough. The two youngest sons, George, aged 15, and John, aged 10, also lived in the family home. This census portrays a large, hardworking family strongly connected to Swansea’s docks and the wider maritime labour force.

Adult Life of Ernest George Lewis

Legal Difficulties and Marriage

Swansea Prison Records

In 1903, Ernest was convicted of debt and served 14 days in prison. 

Ernest George Lewis and Mary Jane Evans
marriage certificate
St. Mark's Church

Swansea Prison Records (1907)

Swansea Prison Records (1908)

Following his release, he married Mary Jane Evans in 1904 at St. Mark’s Church. Ernest faced further periods of imprisonment in 1907 and 1908 for matters related to wife maintenance.

Occupation and Service

Despite these difficulties, Ernest worked in Swansea and later served as a Fireman aboard the S.S. Algiers, a role involving hard manual labour in the ship’s boiler rooms.

S.S. Algiers 

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

The S.S. Algiers was a British steam cargo ship of 2,361 tons, built in 1896 by William Gray & Co. of West Hartlepool for R. Ropner & Co. Employed as a tramp steamer, she carried coal, grain, and general cargo on routes across Europe and the Mediterranean. During the First World War, she continued this work transporting essential supplies despite being unarmed and vulnerable to attack. On 26^th February 1917, while carrying coal through the English Channel, the Algiers was torpedoed without warning by the German submarine UC-65, sinking rapidly about three miles south of the Owers Light Vessel. The ship went down quickly, resulting in the loss of 24 crew members, including Fireman and Trimmer John Flynn and Fireman Ernest George Lewis. The attack demonstrated how perilous British coastal waters had become during the height of the German U-boat campaign, and the men who died have no known grave but the sea, their names commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial.

German Submarine UC-65 

UC-65 was a Type UC II minelaying submarine of the Imperial German Navy, launched in 1916 and built by AG Vulcan of Hamburg. Commanded during her service by Oberleutnant zur See Otto Steinbrinck, she became one of the most successful submarines of her class, sinking numerous Allied vessels through torpedo attacks and mine warfare. Operating mainly in the English Channel and Western Approaches, UC-65 was responsible for the sinking of the S.S. Algiers in February 1917. Her own career came to an end later that year when she was sunk near Zeebrugge on 28^th October 1917, with all hands lost.

Legacy and Commemoration of Ernest George Lewis

The loss of the Algiers serves as a solemn reminder of the immense dangers faced by merchant seafarers during the First World War. Ernest George Lewis, like thousands of men of the Mercantile Marine, carried out essential but perilous work, ensuring that vital supplies continued to reach Britain and her allies. Though he had no military rank and served on an unarmed vessel, his contribution was no less significant than that of any soldier or sailor on the front lines. Ernest’s name is proudly commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, where the sacrifices of merchant sailors with no known grave are honoured. His memory endures as part of the collective heritage of Swansea and the wider maritime community, reminding us of the courage, endurance, and quiet heroism of those who kept Britain supplied in its darkest hours.