Empire Endurance

[Brian Probetts (Site Admin)]

Just a short story, I had a uncle not much older than I, sailed in a shipcalled the "Empire Endurance", She had left Liverpool approx April1941, heading for the States, she was torpedoed and sunk, George Gibbons washis name, he was on deck, he had an old school mate aboard, working as aTrimmer, his name was Owen McCartney, Owen never had a chance being below deck,I had heard George felt so bad he was shouting for Owen, He had to be draggedinto the Skippers boat, He lasted for 16 days, but being delirious, he dranksea water, he died on the 16th day, which was his 21st birthday, my grandmotheralong with thousands of other mothers received a 6inx4inch certificate from theKing, being sunk his wages ceased right a way, People today, should know whathappened to seamen when their ship sank. A line was drawn across the pay-offbook, which meant the ship was no more.
Just a great coincident to this story, many years later, My son-in- lawsfather, happened to be the Boson of the "Empire Endurance" during thetime George was sailing in her, His name was John Connolly, I never found outabout him being on that ship, till after he died, my son-in-law shown me his pay-offbook, and yes, it had the line drawn across the book, to denote the sinking ofthe ship. what a bloody way to treat men.
yours sincerely Jack Stamper

[Tony Wilding]

a photo of Empire EnduranceEMPIRE_ENDURANCE.jpg

[Tony Wilding]

empire_endurance-ex-alster.jpgphoto from uboat . Net

[DeepSea]

Brian,

I have two survivors reports from the Empire Endurance, I used for research in my latest book. I will resize them and send to you by email. Sad tale as twenty-three men died in one boat in the twenty days they were adrift, three of them on the day they were rescued. The ships Chief Steward having developed gangrene poisoning affecting his spine died in hospital five days after landing ashore and one other crewmember had all his toes amputated due to frostbite.

[Laurie Ridyard]

Brian

For the fullest information on this ship - see http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/881.html and http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchant...s/ship881.html

Regards


Laurie

[DeepSea]

Like I mentioned, I have two Survivors Reports from this ship and unlike the U-boat.net, which is a great source of reference, a lot of the detail is taken from A.J. Tennent's book and not all entries on British losses give the fullest information from this book as do the original reports.

I once believed all books written were gospel, until I started doing research myself and this why it is taking so long to finish my own latest work.Until I can eradicate the same mistakes many authors have done by believing what they have read as fact and turns out to incorrect. Will not be 100% perfect, but it will bloody close as possible to the official recorded facts.

[david haisman]

Empire Grace, 13, 478 tons, Built 1942 for Shaw Saville and commissioned by the government for troop transportation. 1946, re named ''Wairangi'' 1963, scrapped Faslane.
No doubt many have reported over the years about their first experience of going to sea and of course it's something you never forget. I first went to sea on the Empire Grace in 1944 at the age of seven! We were to travel as a family to Cape Town to join our father who had been sent there by the Admiralty a year before and was sent to Simonstown naval base. Our mother, Edith Haisman, (nee Brown, a fifteen years old Titanic survivor in 1912) was to take us, her six children, to Swansea to join the ship there. I was can remember almost being trampled under foot on the station platform as hundreds of factory girls rushed to board our train as we arrived at Cardiff. On arrival at Swansea some time later, we spent half the night during black out looking for lodgings with the help of a policeman as I remember. We joined the Empire Grace before day break and sailed up the Irish Sea for Greenock to embark 500 troops for St. Helena. I believe we were the only children on board and can't remember any other passengers on board at that time. We had quite a convoy to accompany us down the Irish Sea and as kids, we were quite fascinated to see how they had continually changed their positions over night.
One morning on rising early, my brother and I were surprised that our convoy had left us and had apparently headed for the Mediterranean Sea. Some 24 hours later, we were on alert at night and were told to sleep with our clothes on and on two occasions had to muster by the lifeboats with blankets and life jackets. Apparently there had been U-Boat activity reported and with a sizable troop contingent on board we were no doubt a valuable target. We had made many friends with the troops on board and were sad to see them go ashore in St. Helena. Whilst anchored off of the island I tasted my first banana with my elder sister grabbing it out of my hands and telling me that I should take the skin off first! On arrival in Cape Town several days later before disembarkation a ship's officer had said to my mother that she had nothing to worry about as a soldier on board ship had been allocated to each member of our family in case of ship wreck. Her reply apparently was, ''Why the hell didn't you tell me that before?'' The elder members of our family had always said how calm she was throughout the blackouts and alerts on board despite her facing another ship wreck this time with six of her children.

[Captain Kong]

Thanks for the story David,
Very interesting.
Cheers
Brian

[Des Taff Jenkins]

HI David.
Your Mum must have been a brave woman to have taken her and her six children all that way after her trauma on the Titanic as a fifteen year old, you would be very proud of her. Thanks for sharing your story.
Cheers Des

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[gray_marian]

#7, Thank you David for sharing your story. Social history, such a privilege to read, your mum must have been a stoic individual indeed.