Llewellyn Gwyn Jones – Merchant Navy, S.S. Aracataca

Chief Steward Llewellyn Gwyn Jones – Merchant Navy, S.S. Aracataca

Early Life and Family Background

Llewellyn Gwyn Jones was born in 1907 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, the son of Thomas Jones and Mary Anne Jones.

1911 Census

At the time of the 1911 Census, the family were living at 2 Thornleigh Road, Horfield, Bristol. Thomas, aged 41 and born in Cardiganshire, was employed as a Horse Collar Maker, while his wife Mary Ann, aged 43 and born in Lampeter, kept the home. Their children were John, aged 18, also working as a Horse Collar Maker; Annie, 13; Daniel T., 10; Aelfyn, 5; and Llewellyn Gwyn, then 4 years old. The census reflects a Welsh family settled in Bristol, maintaining traditional rural crafts within an urban setting.

The Family in 1921

1921 Census

By the 1921 Census, the Jones family were still residing at 2 Thornleigh Road. Thomas, now 51, continued his trade as a Horse Collar Maker, employed by Ackland & Clark, Sadlers and Ironmongers. Mary Ann, aged 54, remained at home. Several of their children were still present: Ann, aged 22, employed in the Trimming Shop of The Bristol Aeroplane Company Ltd; Aelfryn, 15, working as an Apprentice Shop Fitter with Plamers Jubilee Works; Llewellyn Gwyn, aged 14, employed as an Office Boy with Salisbury Griffiths & White, Solicitors; and Nellie, aged 8, who was attending school. The census captures a family whose younger generation was entering the modern industrial workforce of post‑war Bristol.

Merchant Navy Service

Merchant Seamen Deaths

As an adult, Llewellyn Gwyn Jones entered the Merchant Navy, rising to the rank of Chief Steward, a senior position responsible for the organisation of the ship’s catering, accommodation, and domestic services. According to Merchant Seamen Deaths, Llewellyn—by then of 21 St. Leger Crescent, Swansea—lost his life following the sinking of the S.S. Aracataca on 29 November 1940, during the height of the Battle of the Atlantic, when merchant ships were under relentless attack from U‑boats and aircraft.

The Sinking of the S.S. Aracataca

S.S. Aracataca
credit - wrecksite

The S.S. Aracataca was a refrigerated vessel operated by Elders & Fyffes, engaged in the transport of bananas and other perishable cargoes from the Caribbean to Britain. Commanded by Captain S. Browne, she was on passage from Port Antonio, Jamaica, bound for Halifax and Avonmouth, carrying 1,600 tons of bananas. On 29 November 1940, while in the North Atlantic, she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U‑101. The attack resulted in the deaths of eight crew members, while Captain Browne was among those who survived. Among the men who perished was Chief Steward Llewellyn Gwyn Jones, whose service ended in the cold waters of the Atlantic.

Llewellyn Gwyn Jones
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

Commemoration

With no known grave but the sea, Chief Steward Llewellyn Gwyn Jones 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. Though the surviving details of his life are limited, his service and sacrifice form part of Swansea’s wider maritime story and the enduring contribution of Welsh seafarers to the national war effort.