Frederick John Evans – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Sandhurst

Steward’s Boy Frederick John Evans – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Sandhurst

A Young Swansea Casualty of the Sandhurst

Among those lost in the sinking of the S.S. Sandhurst on 6^th May 1918 was Steward’s Boy Frederick John Evans, aged only 17 years — another young life from Swansea claimed by the war at sea.

Early Life and Family Background

Frederick John Evans was born in 1902, in Swansea, the son of John William Evans and Sarah Evans.

1911 Census

At the time of the 1911 Census, the Evans family were living at 9 Charles Street, Porth, in the Rhondda Valley. John William, aged 47, was born in Carmarthenshire and worked as an Agent for a Tobacco Manufacturer, while Sarah, aged 42, managed the family home. Their household was a busy one, shared with their seven children: Esther Gwendoline (19), Mary Louise (15) — a Dressmaker’s Apprentice — Frederick John (9), Dorothy Linda (7), Thomas (3), David Henry (2), and baby Sarah Lillian (4 months).

Frederick grew up in a close-knit South Wales family whose life reflected both the industrial drive of the Rhondda and the seafaring spirit of Swansea. Like many boys from the area, he was drawn to the sea — a path that promised adventure but also brought grave risk during wartime.

Service and Sacrifice

By his mid-teens, Frederick Evans had joined the Mercantile Marine, serving as a Steward’s Boy aboard the S.S. Sandhurst — the same vessel on which Cook’s Boy Edwin Cox, also from Swansea, was serving.

As a Steward’s Boy, Frederick’s duties would have included assisting the stewards with meal service, maintaining officers’ quarters, and supporting daily operations aboard ship. For a young man of 17, it was demanding work carried out under the shadow of submarine warfare that threatened every merchant voyage.

The Loss of the S.S. Sandhurst

On 6^th May 1918, the Sandhurst was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-72 while on a voyage from Bilbao, Spain, to Ardrossan, Scotland, carrying a cargo of iron ore. The attack occurred approximately six nautical miles northwest of Corsewall Point, off the coast of Scotland.

The vessel sank rapidly, leaving the crew no time to escape. All hands were lost, including Frederick John Evans, aged 17, and his fellow Swansea shipmate Edwin Cox, aged 15. Their deaths, so close in age and circumstance, represent the tragic loss of Swansea’s youth to the dangers of war at sea.

The German Submarine U-72

The U-72 was a Type UE I minelaying submarine of the Imperial German Navy, commissioned in 1916. Measuring 56.8 metres in length, with a displacement of 755 tons surfaced and 832 tons submerged, she was designed for long-range operations and fitted with both torpedo tubes and mine-laying gear.

These dual-purpose submarines were among Germany’s most dangerous naval weapons, capable of directly attacking ships or silently laying minefields along vital trade routes. The sinking of the Sandhurst illustrates the devastating effectiveness of such vessels against Britain’s merchant shipping during the First World War.

The U-72 operated successfully in European waters, sinking several ships before meeting her own end late in the war. In October 1918, as Germany’s naval bases in the Adriatic were evacuated, U-72 was scuttled or destroyed by explosion at Cattaro (modern-day Kotor, Montenegro) to prevent her capture by Allied forces.

Commemoration

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

Steward’s Boy Frederick John Evans is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, which honours the men and boys 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 just seventeen years old, Frederick Evans was one of Swansea’s youngest wartime seafarers to perish at sea. His story, alongside that of Edwin Cox, reflects the bravery, endurance, and sacrifice of the many young men who served aboard Britain’s merchant ships — the unsung heroes who kept the nation’s lifelines open during the war.

Though their lives were short, the names of Frederick John Evans and his crewmates of the S.S. Sandhurst endure — engraved upon the Tower Hill Memorial and remembered as part of Swansea’s proud maritime heritage and the enduring story of sacrifice at sea