Alexander Caffry Herbert – Merchant Navy, S.S. Edwy R. Brown

Pumpman Alexander Caffry Herbert – Merchant Navy, S.S. Edwy R. Brown

Early Life and Family Background

Alexander Caffry Herbert was born in 1891 in Stafford, Staffordshire, the son of Harry Herbert and Elizabeth Herbert.

1891 Census

At the time of the 1891 Census, the family were living at 87 Peel Terrace, Stafford. Harry, aged 23 and Stafford‑born, worked as a Knife Cutter, while his wife Elizabeth, aged 24 and born in Worcester, kept the home. Their only child at this time was Alexander, then eleven months old.

The Herbert Family in 1901

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, the family had moved to 4 Rowley Street, Christchurch, Stafford. Harry (recorded as Henry), now 33, continued his work as a Knife Cutter, and Elizabeth, aged 34, remained at home with their children: Alexander (10), Frances (9), and Charles (7). Also present were two visitors, Victor Herbert (22) and Julia Macrone (21).

Marriage and Early Adulthood

In 1914, Alexander married Caroline L. George in Leicester.

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, the family were living at 16 Great Holme Street, Leicester. Alexander, aged 31, was employed as a Boiler Fireman by W & J Smith, Lambs Wool Spinners, while Caroline, aged 29 and born in Bedfordshire, was at home with their young son, Charles, aged two.

In October 1922, Caroline died. Alexander later remarried in 1927, taking Sarah Jane French as his wife in Swansea.

Service in the Merchant Navy

Alexander went on to serve with the Merchant Navy, holding the position of Pumpman aboard the S.S. Edwy R. Brown, a large British motor tanker operating in the increasingly dangerous waters of the North Atlantic during the Second World War.

The S.S. Edwy R. Brown: Construction and Wartime Role

S.S. Edwy R. Brown
credit - wrecksite

The S.S. Edwy R. Brown was a 10,455‑ton British motor tanker, completed in March 1938. Built for Oriental Tankers Ltd (Standard Transport Co. Ltd) of Hong Kong and registered in London, she was a modern vessel of her era—490 feet long, with a beam of 70 feet, and capable of carrying more than 14,000 tons of petroleum products.

By 1940, she was regularly engaged in Atlantic convoy operations, transporting vital fuel supplies from Aruba, Halifax, and New Orleans to Britain. Photographs from 1940 show her anchored in Bedford Basin, Halifax, awaiting convoy assembly.

Tankers like the Edwy R. Brown were indispensable to the Allied war effort, yet among the most vulnerable ships at sea. Their flammable cargo meant that a single torpedo could turn them into blazing infernos within seconds.

Attack and Sinking – 17^th February 1941

In February 1941, the Edwy R. Brown was a straggler from Convoy HX‑107, having fallen behind in heavy weather—an extremely perilous situation during the height of the U‑boat campaign.

On 17^th February 1941, she was attacked by the German submarine U‑103, southeast of Iceland. The assault unfolded over nearly two hours, making it one of the more prolonged tanker sinkings of early 1941.

Sequence of the Attack

• 06:15 – U‑103 fired its first torpedo, which missed.
• 06:33 – A second torpedo struck amidships, causing severe damage.
• 06:40 – Two more torpedoes hit behind the bridge, igniting the tanker.
• The ship was soon engulfed in flames, the fire spreading across the surrounding sea.
• 07:58 – A fourth torpedo struck amidships; the tanker, though burning fiercely, remained afloat.
• 08:33 – A final torpedo was fired but failed to detonate.

The crew attempted to abandon ship in two lifeboats, but the surrounding waters were already ablaze. The tanker eventually succumbed to the damage and flames.

All 50 men on board were lost—the master, 47 crew, and two gunners. There were no survivors.

Death and Commemoration

Merchant Seamen Deaths

Alexander Caffry Herbert
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

According to the Merchant Seamen Deaths records, Pumpman Alexander Caffry Herbert, of Swansea, lost his life on 18^th February 1941 following the sinking of the S.S. Edwy R. Brown. Like so many Merchant Navy men who died at sea with no known grave, he is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial in London, which honours the thousands of merchant seafarers who gave their lives during both world wars.