Percival Richard Llewellyn Davies – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Wagtail

Fireman Percival Richard Llewellyn Davies – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Wagtail

Early Life

Percival Richard Llewellyn Davies was born in 1919 in Swansea, the son of David Davies and Florence Maud Jenkins.

Family Background

1921 Census

The 1921 Census records the family living at 4 Williams Place, Swansea, where Percival’s father, David Davies, aged 31, worked as a Fish Curer for A. E. Andrews, Fish Merchant, while his mother, Florence, aged 28, cared for their growing household. Their children—Alfred (10), Florence (8), and Christopher (8)—were all attending school, while Evelyn (2) and baby Percy (1) were at home. Also present was George Jenkins, aged 20, recorded as a brother, almost certainly Florence’s younger sibling. The family suffered a loss in 1930 when Florence died.

1939 Register

By the 1939 Register, David—then listed as an unemployed fish worker—was living with his son Percy R. Davies at 217 Danygraig Road, where Percy was recorded as serving in the Mercantile Marine as a Cook, marking the beginning of his seafaring career.

S.S. Empire Wagtail – Background and Loss

S.S. Empire Wagtail 
credit - wrecksite

The S.S. Empire Wagtail was a 4,893‑ton British steam merchant ship, built in 1919 by Todd Drydock & Construction Corp. in Tacoma, Washington. Launched as the Ossining for the U.S. Shipping Board, she was renamed Point Lobos in 1933 under the Gulf Pacific Mail Line of San Francisco. In 1941, she was transferred to the British Ministry of War Transport and renamed Empire Wagtail, operating under the management of Smith, Hogg & Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool. Measuring 380 feet in length and powered by a triple‑expansion steam engine, she carried vital wartime cargoes—on her final voyage she was laden with 3,857 tons of coal.

On 28^th December 1942, while sailing with Convoy ONS 154 in the North Atlantic, the Empire Wagtail came under attack by German U‑boats operating in coordinated wolf‑pack formation. She was torpedoed and sunk by U‑260, sinking rapidly due to her heavy cargo. All 44 men on board were lost, with no survivors. The sinking formed part of a series of devastating losses suffered by Convoy ONS 154 during one of the most dangerous phases of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths

Evan Basil Davies 
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - findagrave

The Merchant Seamen Deaths register records that Fireman Percival Richard Llewellyn Davies lost his life on 28^th December 1942 when the Empire Wagtail 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.