Benjamin Thomas Jones – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Amethyst

Cook Benjamin Thomas Jones – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Amethyst

Early Life and Family Background

Benjamin Thomas Jones was born in 1919 at Monington, Pembrokeshire, the son of Elias Jones and Phoebe Annie Davies.

1921 Census

At the time of the 1921 Census, the Jones family were living at Rhydyfandwin Mill, Moylgrove, Llantood, Cardiganshire, a rural setting characteristic of the small farming communities of north Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire. Elias, aged 36 and born in Carmarthenshire, was recorded as a Farmer, while his wife Phoebe A., also 36, managed the household. Their two sons were J. W., aged 6, who was attending school, and Benjamin Thomas, then 2 years old. Also present in the home were Anne Jones, aged 77, recorded as mother‑in‑law, and Willima John Blake, aged 20, employed as a servant. The census captures a multi‑generational farming household rooted in the traditions of rural West Wales.

Merchant Navy Service

As an adult, Benjamin Thomas Jones entered the Merchant Navy, serving as a Cook, a vital role responsible for preparing meals for the crew and maintaining the galley—an essential part of shipboard life, especially during long wartime voyages. According to Merchant Seamen Deaths, Benjamin lost his life following the sinking of the S.S. Empire Amethyst on 14 April 1942, during one of the most dangerous periods of the Battle of the Atlantic, when merchant ships were under constant threat from U‑boats and air attack.

Benjamin Thomas Jones 
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

The S.S. Empire Amethyst

The S.S. Empire Amethyst was a British steam tanker of 8,023 tons, built in 1941 to support the Ministry of War Transport’s urgent need for fuel carriers during the Second World War. On 23 January 1942, the Empire Amethyst rescued five survivors from the Norwegian motor vessel Innerøy, which had been sunk by U‑553, and landed them safely at Halifax—a reminder of the constant dangers faced by merchant ships and the solidarity shown among seafarers.

On 13 April 1942, while on passage from New Orleans to Freetown, carrying 12,000 tons of clean oil, the Empire Amethyst was torpedoed by the German submarine U‑154 and sunk in the South Atlantic. The attack was catastrophic: all on board were lost, including the Master, 40 crew members, and six DEMS gunners. Among those who perished was Cook Benjamin Thomas Jones, whose life ended in the service of the vital wartime supply routes that kept Allied forces operational.

Commemoration

With no known grave but the sea, Cook Benjamin Thomas Jones is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, where his name is inscribed among those of thousands of Merchant Navy personnel who gave their lives during the Second World War. Though the surviving details of his life are limited, his service and sacrifice remain part of the wider maritime story of Pembrokeshire, Cardiganshire, and the communities whose men served at sea.