Simon Davies – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Amethyst

Sailor Simon Davies – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Amethyst

Early Life and Family Background

1921 Census

Simon Davies was born in 1917 in Llanon, Cardiganshire, the son of Owen Thomas Davies and Ann Davies. The 1921 Census records the family living at Sunny Villa, Llanon, near Aberystwyth, where Owen, aged 63, worked as a baker on his own account, while his wife Ann, aged 41, managed the household. Their children at the time were Simon (4), Margaret (2), and David James (9 months). 

1939 Register

The family suffered a significant loss in 1931 when Owen died, but by the 1939 Register, Ann and her children were still living at Sunny Villa. Ann was employed as a dressmaker machinist, Simon was working locally as a milk roundsman, and another family member, Richards, was listed as a master tailor.

Service in the Merchant Navy

Simon later joined the Merchant Navy, serving as a Sailor aboard the S.S. Empire Amethyst, a British tanker operated by the Ministry of War Transport. Tankers such as the Empire Amethyst played a crucial role during the Second World War, transporting fuel supplies essential to Allied military operations across the globe. Their cargoes made them among the most dangerous and vulnerable vessels at sea.

Sinking of the S.S. Empire Amethyst – 14^th April 1942

The S.S. Empire Amethyst was sailing independently from New Orleans to Freetown when she came under attack in the South Atlantic on 14^th April 1942. The German submarine U‑154 fired a torpedo that struck the tanker with devastating force. The explosion ignited her highly flammable cargo, and within moments the ship was engulfed in flames.

The crew had almost no chance to escape. The burning tanker sank rapidly, and many of those on board were lost, including Sailor Simon Davies. The attack was one of many inflicted on unescorted merchant ships during this period, illustrating the extreme dangers faced by Merchant Navy personnel throughout the Battle of the Atlantic.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Death

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

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths register, Sailor Simon Davies, of Sunny Villa, Llanon, lost his life on 14^th April 1942 when the Empire Amethyst was sunk. Like so many Merchant Navy men who died at sea with no known grave, his name is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, ensuring that his service and sacrifice are remembered.