Gerald Glyndwr Davies – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Gold

Able Seaman Gerald Glyndwr Davies – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Gold

Early Life

Gerald Glyndwr Davies was born in 1925 in Swansea. Although few early records survive, he later moved to Southampton, where he began his service at sea.

Service in the Merchant Navy

Gerald served with the Merchant Navy as an Able Seaman, a skilled deck rating responsible for watch‑keeping, seamanship, and the day‑to‑day running of the ship. The Merchant Seamen Deaths register records his home address as 4 Oxford Avenue, Southampton, reflecting where he was living at the time of his service.

Loss of the S.S. Empire Gold – 18^th April 1945

The S.S. Empire Gold was an 8,028‑ton British steam tanker carrying over 10,000 tons of motor spirit when she sailed with Convoy HX‑348 from North America to Antwerp in April 1945. Although the war in Europe was only weeks from ending, German U‑boats remained active in the western approaches. On 18^th April 1945, the German submarine U‑1107, fired a spread of torpedoes at overlapping ships in the convoy. The Empire Gold was struck and fatally damaged, sinking, about 70 miles west of Brest. Of her 47‑man crew, 43 were killed, including Able Seaman Gerald Davies. Only four survivors were rescued. The sinking occurred just three weeks before Victory in Europe Day, a stark reminder that Merchant Navy crews faced deadly danger until the very last days of the war.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths

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

The Merchant Seamen Deaths register records that Able Seaman Gerald Glyndwr Davies lost his life on 18^th April 1945 when the Empire Gold 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.