SWANSEA MAN DROWNED (1915)

Disgrifiad

Dyddiad: 10 Ebrill 1915

Trawsysgrif:

SWANSEA MAN DROWNED.
Sad Holiday News for His Family.

The torpedoing of the Port Talbot trader, City uf Bremen, by a German submarine on Sunday brought great sorrow to a Swansea home. The second

[llun William Waters]
Second Engineer
W. Waters [sic]

engineer was Mr. William Watters, whose, wife and two children live at 14, Stanley- terrace, Swansea. He was one of four members of the crew, and the only Britisher, drowned when the vessel was sunk by pirates. Mrs. Watters and her son and daughter, aged 15 and 11 respectively, spent the holiday out of towti, and on their return at about 8 p.m. on Monday discovered a telegram awaiting them. It had arrived earlier in the day, and was from Messrs. Palgrave and Murphy,thAe owners of the City of Bremen, and announced the death of Mr. Waters [sic]. Mrs. Waters fainted when she realised what the telegram conveyed, and kindly neighbours came in and sought to soothe her grief.

The son, Bert, is engaged as a telegraph messenger at the Swansea Post Office.

The vessel was torpedoed without warning off the Wolf Light. In addition to Mr. Waters [sic], three other members of the crew were drowned—H. Ylleborg, Norwegian sailor, and C. Garcia and A. Owria, Spanish firemen. One of the crew stated in an interview yesterday that it was his belief that the submarine followed the vessel during the night and waited until daybreak to make sure of her nationality. No warning was given to the crew of the City of Bremen, and the vessel sank five minutes after being struck by the torpedo. The submarine disappeared immediately. Half the crew were on deck at the time, and the vessel turned turtle, engulfing four men. The captain and twelve members of the crew were picked up after being in their boats four hours, and were landed at Penzance. The steamer was bound from Port Talbot with coals for Bordeaux.

An Appreciation.—(Contributed.)

The many friends of Mr. Will Watters, late of 14, Stanley-terrace, Mount Pleasant, Swansea, who was on the City of Bremen, which was torpedoed by a German submarine without any warning last Sunday morning, will always treasure the memory of his heroic death. They feel proud to have known and loved him. Down below in the engine-room gladly doing his duty, with no chance to escape when the deadly torpedo shattered his ship, he was as greast a hero as our brave soldiers in the trenches or our jolly Jack Tars on the North Sea.

Inscribed on the nation's roll of honour are no braver names than those of our sailors who, in this our hour of need, face the terrors of mine and submarine to bring us food from the ends of the earth.

Mr. Will Watters was a typical sailor, without fear, and with a happy knack of seeing the best in everybody, and looking on the sunny side of things. He was a great reader, and quite an authority on Dickens's works. Perhaps it was from Dickens that he learned that humour which was the delight of all his friends. His friends will always think of him as Dibdin's "Perfect Sailor."

His heart was kind and soft.
Faithful, below, he did his duty;
But now he's gone aloft.
Will never from his word departed.
His virtues were so rare.
His friends were many and true-hearted.
Yet shall Will find pleasant weather,
"When God, who all commands,
Shall give, to call life's crew together.
The word to pipe all hands.
Thus Death, who kings and tars despatches,
In vain Will's life has doffed:
For, though his body's under hatches
His soul has gone aloft.
The souls of heroes die not.

Young men of Swansea: if you could but know and realise what sorrow this terrible war has already brought into the homes of Swansea, you would rush to the recruiting station. Not only your King and Country need you, but the widows and orphaned children cry out to you to end this German devilry of torpedoing innocent non-combatants.

Who would not fight for England?
Who would not fling a life
I' the ring, to meet a tyrant's gage?
Gird thee with thine ancient might—
Forth! and God defend the right!



Fynhonnell:
Swansea Man Drowned.' Herald of Wales. 10 Ebr. 1915. 10.