John Edgar Rema Legg – Merchant Navy, M.V. Arthur F. Corwin

Third Officer John Edgar Rema Legg – Merchant Navy, M.V. Arthur F. Corwin

Early Life and Family Background

John Edgar Rema Legg was born in 1918 in Swansea, the son of George Legg and Margaret Lewis, who had married in 1907, also in Swansea.

1921 Census

By the time of the 1921 Census, the family was living at 1 Harbour View, St Thomas, Swansea, a location later closely associated with John’s wartime service. Although George Legg was absent from the census return, Margaret, aged 37, was recorded at home with their children: Thomas George, 14; Kathleen Margaret, 12; Prudence May, 6—all attending school—and John Edgar Rema, then 3 years old. Also present in the household were Margaret’s brother‑in‑law, Rees Stephen Davies, aged 25, and Susy Mary Davies, aged 29.

Merchant Navy Service

Merchant Seaman Deaths

John pursued a career at sea, serving with the Merchant Navy and rising to the rank of Third Officer, a responsible junior officer position involving navigation, watchkeeping, and the supervision of deck operations. His service placed him among the many Swansea men who sailed through dangerous waters during the Second World War, when merchant ships were prime targets for German U‑boats.

The M.V. Arthur F. Corwin

M.V. Arthur F. Corwin
credit - wrecksite

The M.V. Arthur F. Corwin was a British motor tanker of 10,516 tons, built in 1938 and owned by Standard Transportation Co. Ltd. / Oriental Tankers Ltd. Designed to carry large quantities of fuel, she played a vital role in transporting petroleum products essential to the Allied war effort.

The Final Voyage and Loss of the Ship

John Edgar Rema Legg
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

On 13 February 1941, the Arthur F. Corwin was on passage from Aruba to Avonmouth, carrying approximately 14,500 tons of aviation spirit, one of the most volatile and strategically important cargoes of the war. During this voyage, she was torpedoed by the German submarine U‑96 and sunk.

The attack was devastating and left no survivors. All 46 crew members perished, including Third Officer John Edgar Rema Legg, whose duties placed him at the heart of the ship’s operations during the final moments of the vessel.

Commemoration

With no known grave but the sea, Third Officer John Edgar Rema Legg 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 Swansea’s maritime heritage and reflects the sacrifice made by families across the city whose sons served at sea in Britain’s hour of need.