David Maurice Glyn Lewis – Merchant Navy, S.S. Amakura

Second Radio Officer David Maurice Glyn Lewis – Merchant Navy, S.S. Amakura

Early Life and Family Background

David Maurice Glyn Lewis was born in 1921 in Swansea, the youngest child of John Evelyn Lewis and Ethel Mary Webb, who had married in 1913, also in Swansea.

1921 Census

The 1921 Census records the family living at 9 Eden Avenue, Swansea, where John Evelyn, aged 38 and born in Pontardawe, was employed as a Wholesale Draper, while his wife Ethel Mary, aged 40 and born in Pembrokeshire, undertook the household duties. Their children were John Cecil Wynn, aged 6, attending school; Eira Marguerite, aged 2; and David Maurice Glyn, then six months old. Also present were two servants, Gwen James, aged 20, and Nellie Kathleen Moss, also aged 20.

1939 Register

By the time of the 1939 Register, the Lewis family had moved to “Windy Ridge,” Southgate, Gower. John Evelyn continued his work as a Wholesale Draper, while Ethel Mary remained at home. David, now a young man, was employed as a Draper’s Apprentice, and Margery was recorded as a General Servant.

Merchant Navy Service

Merchant Seamen Deaths

David later served with the Merchant Navy, rising to the rank of Second Radio Officer, a skilled and responsible position involving the operation and maintenance of radio equipment, distress signalling, and communications essential to a ship’s safety. His service placed him among the many young men from Swansea and Gower who went to sea during the Second World War.

The S.S. Amakura

S.S. Amakura
credit - wrecksite

The S.S. Amakura, commanded by Captain Thomas Orford, was operating in the Caribbean Sea during the summer of 1942. She was on passage from Liverpool (13 July) to Hampton Roads (10 August), Key West (18 August), Trinidad, and Demerara, carrying 2,260 tons of general cargo, including acids and mail.

The Final Voyage and Loss of the Ship

On 25 August 1942, while approximately 90 miles south‑east of Morant Point, Jamaica, the Amakura was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U‑558. The attack was sudden and devastating. Fourteen men were killed and three wounded in the explosion and subsequent sinking. Among those who lost their lives was Second Radio Officer David Maurice Glyn Lewis, whose duties placed him at the heart of the ship’s communications during the attack.

David Maurice Glyn Lewis
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

Commemoration

With no known grave but the sea, Second Radio Officer David Maurice Glyn Lewis is commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, where his name stands among those of thousands of Merchant Navy personnel who gave their lives during the Second World War. His story forms part of the wider maritime heritage of Swansea and Gower, reflecting the sacrifice made by families across the region whose sons served at sea in Britain’s hour of need.