James Winning – Merchant Navy, S.S. Cabenda

Chief Engineer Officer James Winning – Merchant Navy, S.S. Cabenda

Merchant Seamen Deaths Register

James Winning, serving as Chief Engineer Officer aboard the S.S. Cabenda, was one of the Merchant Navy deaths recorded during the early months of 1941. The Merchant Seamen Deaths Register notes that his body was found on a raft on 28 February 1941, though his death likely occurred earlier, almost certainly through drowning or exposure, both tragically common among merchant seamen lost at sea during wartime emergencies.

James was the son of James and Jean Winning, of Glasgow, part of a long Scottish maritime tradition that supplied skilled engineers to Britain’s merchant fleet.

S.S. Cabenda – Elder Dempster’s West African Trader

James served aboard the S.S. Cabenda, a merchant vessel operated by Elder Dempster Lines, one of Britain’s major shipping companies engaged in West African trade. Elder Dempster ships regularly sailed between Liverpool, Swansea, and ports such as Lagos, Accra, Freetown, and Cabinda—the likely source of the vessel’s name. Ships of this type were medium‑sized cargo steamers, built for long‑distance colonial trade and crewed by British officers and mixed British/West African ratings.

During the Second World War, vessels like Cabenda became part of Britain’s essential wartime lifeline, carrying food, raw materials, and military supplies. They operated under constant danger: U‑boat attacks, air raids, winter storms, and the hazards of convoy duty with limited escort protection. Elder Dempster ships were heavily involved in these perilous routes.

James Winning
Morriston Cemetery
credit - findagrave

Circumstances of Death

The fact that James’s body was found on a raft indicates that the Cabenda may have been involved in a maritime emergency—possibly abandoning ship or losing crew overboard during severe weather or enemy action. Merchant Navy losses were often poorly documented, especially when ships were struck suddenly or survivors were scattered. His remains being brought ashore and buried in Swansea suggests the raft was recovered off the South Wales coast, or landed by a vessel entering Swansea Docks, a busy wartime port handling merchant shipping and rescue operations.

Burial

James Winning was laid to rest at Morriston Cemetery, where his grave stands among the Merchant Navy and military casualties commemorated in Swansea.