Johannes Hendrik Kempff – Merchant Navy, S.S. Stonepool

Boatswain Johannes Hendrik Kempff – Merchant Navy, S.S. Stonepool

Early Life and Family Background

Johannes Hendrik Kempff was born in 1899 in the Netherlands, the son of Gerardus Adrianus Kempff and Jannetje Vrooland. Although little is recorded about his early years, his later life reflects the journey of a man who built a new home far from his birthplace.

Marriage and Life in Swansea

In 1937, Johannes married Lily Grace Clear in Swansea, establishing his life within the community that would become his home. His move from the Netherlands to Wales mirrors the wider story of European seafarers who settled in British ports during the early twentieth century.

Merchant Navy Service

Johannes served with the Merchant Navy, rising to the rank of Boatswain, a senior deck rating responsible for supervising deck crew and maintaining the ship’s equipment. His service placed him at the heart of the dangerous wartime supply routes during the Second World War.

The Loss of the S.S. Stonepool

S.S. Stonepool
credit - wrecksite

The S.S. Stonepool was a British cargo steamer of 4,803 tons, built in 1928. On 11 September 1941, while sailing in Convoy SC‑42 from Montreal to Sydney (30 August) and onward to Avonmouth, she was carrying a cargo of 7,000 tons of grain, 528 tons of oats, and 115 tons of trucks. East of Cape Farewell, the ship was torpedoed by the German submarine U‑207 and fatally struck.

The attack was devastating. The master, Albert White, along with 33 crew members and eight gunners, were lost when the Stonepool went down. Among them was Boatswain Johannes Hendrik Kempff, whose duties placed him at the heart of the ship’s operations during the attack.

Johannes Hendrik Kempff
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

Only six crew members and one gunner survived, rescued by HMCS Kenogami (K125) under Lt. P. J. B. Cook, and later landed safely at Loch Ewe.

Commemoration

With no known grave but the sea, Boatswain Johannes Hendrik Kempff 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 war. His story forms part of Swansea’s wider maritime heritage and reflects the international character of the Merchant Navy during the conflict.