Ronald Griffiths Johns – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Tiger

Sailor Ronald Griffiths Johns – Merchant Navy, S.S. Empire Tiger

Early Life and Family Background

Ronald Griffiths Johns was born in 1910 in Swansea, the son of William Johns and Mary Jane Griffiths, who had married in 1909 at Swansea.

1911 Census

At the time of the 1911 Census, the Johns family were living at 5 Bigfield Terrace, Dunvant, Swansea. William, aged 21 and born in Carmarthenshire, was employed as a Collier (Hewer), while Mary Jane, also 21, was at home caring for their infant son, Ronald Griffiths, then seven months old. The census reflects a young mining family at the beginning of their life together in the growing community of Dunvant.

The Family in 1921

1921 Census

By the time of the 1921 Census, the family had moved to Laburnham Terrace, Dunvant, Swansea. William, now 30, was still working as a Coal Hewer, previously employed by Killan Collieries Co., Dunvant, and W. W. Holmes, although he was recorded as out of work at the time of the census—a common hardship in the post‑war coal industry. Mary, also 30, remained at home, caring for their children. Present in the household were Ronald G., aged 11; Grace M., aged 6; and William Osmond, aged 5, all of whom were attending school. The census captures a family shaped by the rhythms and uncertainties of mining life in the Swansea Valley.

Merchant Navy Service

Merchant Seamen Deaths

As an adult, Ronald Griffiths Johns entered the Merchant Navy, serving as a Sailor during the Second World War. According to Merchant Seamen Deaths, Ronald—by then of 46 Bond Street, Swansea—lost his life following the sinking of the S.S. Empire Tiger on 27 February 1941. His death occurred during one of the most perilous phases of the Battle of the Atlantic, when merchant ships faced constant danger from U‑boats, mines, and air attack.

The S.S. Empire Tiger

S.S. Empire Tiger
credit - wrecksite

The S.S. Empire Tiger was a 4,886‑ton cargo ship, built by Todd Drydock & Construction Corp., Tacoma, Washington, and completed in 1919 as the Orcus for the United States Shipping Board. In 1923, she was sold to the Grace Steamship Company, New York, and in 1927 renamed Coya. Transferred to the Ministry of War Transport (MoWT) in 1940, she was renamed Empire Tiger and entered service on the vital but hazardous wartime supply routes. Her final report came on 27 February 1941, when she was last sighted in the Atlantic, bound for the Clyde. She did not arrive, and her loss—together with all hands, including Sailor Ronald Griffiths Johns—was one of many wartime disappearances attributed to enemy action during the height of the U‑boat campaign.

Ronald Griffiths Johns
Tower Hill Memorial
credit - Benjidog Histroical Research Resources.
The Merchant Navy Memorial

Commemoration

With no known grave but the sea, Sailor Ronald Griffiths Johns 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, rooted in the mining communities of Dunvant and carried across the world’s oceans, forms part of Swansea’s enduring maritime heritage and its profound contribution to the national war effort.