John Cody – Merchant Navy, S.S. Aviemore

Boiler Attendant John Cody – Merchant Navy, S.S. Aviemore

Early Life

John Cody was born in 1913. Little is recorded about his early years, but he later entered service with the Merchant Navy, joining the ranks of the civilian seafarers who kept Britain supplied during the most dangerous years of the Second World War.

Service in the Merchant Navy

S.S. Aviemore
credit - wrecksite 

John served as a Boiler Attendant, a demanding and physically intensive role essential to the operation of steam‑powered vessels. Working deep within the ship’s boiler rooms, he was responsible for maintaining steam pressure, managing fuel, and ensuring the engines remained operational—work that was both exhausting and hazardous.

He served aboard the S.S. Aviemore, a British steam merchant ship built in 1920 by Irvine’s Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool, and operated by Furness, Withy & Co. Ltd., Liverpool. At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Aviemore was engaged in long‑distance trade routes, carrying vital cargoes across the Atlantic.

Sinking of the S.S. Aviemore – 16^th September 1939

The S.S. Aviemore, a 4,060‑ton steam merchant vessel, became one of the earliest British merchant ships lost to German U‑boat action during the Second World War. On 16th September 1939, only two weeks after the war began, she was sailing from Swansea to Montevideo and Buenos Aires, carrying 5,105 tons of tinplate and black sheets.

At 08:15 hours, while in the Atlantic, the ship was torpedoed by U‑31. The explosion was devastating, breaking the vessel in two and causing her to sink rapidly. Of the 34 men on board, 23 were lost, including Boiler Attendant John Cody. Only 11 survivors were rescued.

The sinking of the Aviemore was an early indication of the heavy toll the Battle of the Atlantic would exact on the Merchant Navy throughout the war.

Death and Commemoration

John Cody
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

John Cody lost his life on 16^th September 1939 when the S.S. Aviemore was sunk by enemy action. 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.