Edwin Davies – Merchant Navy, S.S. British Premier

Fireman Edwin Davies – Merchant Navy, S.S. British Premier

Early Life

Edwin Davies was born in 1896. Very few early records survive for him, but by the time of the Second World War he was serving at sea with the Merchant Navy, part of the civilian fleet that played a vital role in sustaining Britain during the conflict.

Service in the Merchant Navy

S.S. British Premier
credit - wrecksite

Edwin served aboard the S.S. British Premier, a British tanker operating during a period when merchant vessels were under constant threat from German U‑boats. Tankers were especially vulnerable targets due to their flammable cargoes and strategic importance, and the work of a Fireman—maintaining the ship’s boilers and engine‑room operations—was both essential and hazardous.

Loss of the S.S. British Premier – 24^th December 1940

The S.S. British Premier, a 5,872‑ton British steam tanker carrying crude oil from Abadan, had joined Convoy SLS‑60 at Freetown but soon fell behind due to her slow speed, becoming a straggler in waters heavily patrolled by German U‑boats. On 24^th December 1940, she was attacked approximately 200 miles southwest of Freetown by the German submarine U‑65, which fired two torpedoes that struck the vessel with devastating force. The tanker exploded almost immediately and sank rapidly. Although a number of crewmen survived the initial attack—nine being rescued after nine days at sea, and four more after an extraordinary forty‑one days in an open boat—Fireman Edwin Davies was among the 31 men who lost their lives when the ship went down during one of the most dangerous phases of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Edwin Davies
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

Death and Commemoration

Fireman Edwin Davies lost his life on 24^th December 1940 when the S.S. British Premier was sunk. As he has no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, which honours the thousands of Merchant Navy personnel who died at sea during both world wars.