William John Evans – Merchant Navy, S.S. Oswestry Grange

Fireman & Trimmer William John Evans – Merchant Navy, S.S. Oswestry Grange

Early Life and Family Background

John William Evans was born in 1906 in Pembroke Dock, the son of John Henry Evans and Maud Selina E. Heath, who married in 1899 at Devonport, Devon. 

1911 Census

The 1911 Census records the family living at 48 High Street, Pembroke Dock, where John Henry, aged 41, was a Naval Pensioner working as a general labourer, and his wife Maud, aged 34, was recorded as being born in Devon. Their only child present in the household was five‑year‑old William John.

In 1933, William married Cora Gladys Rees in Swansea, establishing his home and future in the city.

Service in the Merchant Navy

William later joined the Merchant Navy, serving as a Fireman and Trimmer, a physically demanding and essential role aboard steam‑powered vessels. Working deep in the ship’s stokehold, he was responsible for feeding the boilers, managing coal supplies, and ensuring the vessel maintained the steam power required for propulsion. At the time of his final voyage, his recorded address was 45 Westbury Street, Danygraig, Swansea.

He served aboard the S.S. Oswestry Grange, a British merchant ship operating during the early and perilous years of the Second World War.

Sinking of the S.S. Oswestry Grange – 12^th February 1941

S.S. Osestry Grange
credit - wrecksite

The S.S. Oswestry Grange was a British steam merchant ship operating during one of the most dangerous phases of the Battle of the Atlantic, when German surface raiders were actively hunting Allied merchant vessels far out in the Atlantic.

On 12^th February 1941, the Oswestry Grange encountered one of the most formidable German warships of the war—the heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper. Under the command of Kapitän zur See Wilhelm Meisel, Admiral Hipper was conducting a raiding mission in the mid‑Atlantic, targeting unescorted merchant ships to disrupt Britain’s supply lines.

Off the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, the cruiser intercepted the Oswestry Grange. Vastly outgunned and unable to outrun the German warship, the merchant vessel stood no chance. Admiral Hipper opened fire, and the attack was swift and overwhelming. Shells tore into the unarmed ship, causing catastrophic damage. The Oswestry Grange was soon ablaze and sinking.

The crew had little opportunity to escape. The vessel went down with heavy loss of life, including Fireman and Trimmer William John Evans, who was working deep in the stokehold when the attack occurred.

The sinking formed part of Admiral Hipper’s destructive Atlantic operations of early 1941, which demonstrated the immense dangers faced by the Merchant Navy—civilians sailing under military conditions, often without escort, yet essential to Britain’s survival.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths

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

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths register, William John Evans lost his life on 12^th February 1941 in the sinking of the S.S. Oswestry Grange. 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.