Robert Jones Pritchard's time in The Merchant Navy and WW1

Disgrifiad

My grandfather Robert Jones Pritchard born 1864 South Penrallt, Caernarfon, he was the fifth of seven children.After his 9th birthday, his father passed away at the age of 43. Unfortunately, the family split up, and Robert was sent to a maritime academy. My late mother, his daughter, told me he was sent to sea in that year, his first voyage took him around the Cape Horn, and it was six years before he came home and was still able to speak Welsh fluently.By the age of 26, he had qualified as a master mariner and six years later qual. As master of foreign-going ships, most of his voyages were on the Atlantic runs. He Captained ships for Cunard lines- Saxonia, Pannonia, and Laconia, and the S.S. Dwinkst in 1918, when then it was requisitioned by the Admiralty for the war, my grandfather stepped down to 1st Officer, and the Captains position was by H. Nelson R.N.On the 18th June at 9.20a.m. the ship was torpedoed, the Master decided to abandon ship, and this was done in 7 boats. The sub then surfaced and attacked by gunfire; one round hit the magazine which exploded, the ship sank about 11.15a.m. The second Officer's boat, with 22 of the crew, went missing, and one man drowned in the Chief Officers Boat. The other boats were picked up by various ships. R.J. Pritchard's boat was adrift for ten days, and boatswains mate, Larbalestiers' boat for eight days. The attacking Submarine was U boat 151. My grandfather R.J. Pritchard and Larbalastiers were awarded the silver medal for saving lives at sea.