Dock Records

Introduction

This work is in memory of the men and women who served this country to ensure its survival in WW11.Especially the men who sailed to and from Newport’s Alexandra docks through the dark times of 1939 and the early 1940’s, to the final victory in Europe in May 1945. From this port, the local and youngest Merchant Sailor to lose his life in WW11 sailed to serve his family and country. Many of the men were in their sixties and one or two seventy. The cruel war at sea lasted almost five-year’s and took men, women and children of all ages to a terrible place, which if only nature could be blamed would be a human tragedy.

These records are the surviving records of the Alexandra GWR Docks and nowadays the property of AB Ports for which we owe grateful thanks especially the last Port Director Mr John Fitzgerald and the current Director Mathew Kennerley in allowing the records to be photographed and used for the benefit of all. It should be added that to date the records for 1943 and 1945 have not been recovered and remain inaccessible at the present time but it is hoped that they will become available at some time in the not too distant future.

I am also grateful to the following. Firstly Keith Greenway without whom this site would not exist. Keith and his brother answered my request for help in tracing the Dock records and with an effort of magnitude beyond me, his long time dedication and family link to the SS Tregenna (a ship sunk enroute to Newport) and the mercantile cause paid dividends. He reduced my local and countrywide search of about a year to one of days before AB Ports answered his call. Our thanks to both and AB Ports. At AB Ports I would also like to say a personal thanks to Sue King and Tracy, who endured my random visits and gave kind assistance at all times.

Beyond these - thanks are due to many for their kind and continued assistance and I hope I’ve missed no one. John Tilling and Tony Jones who were very helpful with the SS T.P.Tilling photo and story. Billy McGee a wealth of knowledge and dedication to this field. Henk Muirs, who has been of immeasurable assistance with records and photographs from Holland. Charles Lloyd and Tom Bowerman of the unsung American Armed Guard Association, who have been a fountain of knowledge and inspiration. Tom continued to help people even when gravely ill. Both are an outstanding credit to their country and represent salvation to ours. It will remain a lifelong memory to have known both of you. And to the many more in America and Britain who helped.

Thanks are also due to my son Paul and the IT Dept in Crosskeys College (especially Clair Rhodri and Alan) for help in getting this website up and running. It is hoped that with time the Website will improve grow and mistakes and omissions corrected. I offer my sincere apologies if I have omitted anyone.

It may be of some interest to record how I came to this project.

Because of my research and interest in WW11 a lady asked me if I could find her father. He was a US Navy sailor and his ship visited Newport about April 1944 and again about September. I thought it would be easy, find the records, note the American ships that arrived twice and contact the ships veterans association for contact.

If I had known then that he arrived on a Dutch ship conscripted by the US Government and his return visit must have been to Cardiff docks and that he was not on a military vessel but as a detachment of about 30 men of a little known unit in America called the Armed Guard. I would have given up at the beginning. The Royal Navy called their units DEMS Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships, and my family have links to both services. With the help of many after three years we did find him and although her dad had passed away in 1994 the lady has a new family in America. This website is a legacy of that search.

For myself it has been a fascinating voyage of discovery through the pages of Maritime history in WW11 where nature was neutral and as malevolent as ever, and the enemy cold and at times too efficient. It would seem fate either sailed with you or sought you out. It is interesting and sobering to think that some seventy years ago this information would have been invaluable to the enemy and a hangmans noose awaited anybody who passed on information this sensitive to the nations survival.

The first and only ship to sail into the Alexander docks on September 3 rd ,the day war was declared, was the SS T.P Tilling. She survived the war and did sterling work. I hope the people of Newport remember her and her crew, and all that followed.

With respect to the ships arriving and leaving in 1939 it has been fascinating to see how through the 'Phoney war' period ships names destinations and traffic to and from mainland Europe gradually changed until the Germans completely overran France in 1940. Although not included at present it is hoped ports of destination and origin can be added at some future date. It should also be borne in mind that at times it is difficult to read some of the entries. Tonnages of ships also seem lighter than recorded on other sites. Perhaps Keith or Billy can tell us why this is so.

Not all ships have been identified. Adopt one of the ships that visited in 1939-45, as the men did. Then see if you can find out the fate of the ship. The losses were dreadful. We all owe them an immeasurable debt of gratitude.

Since this introduction was written Tony Dyer has been generously giving me his time and expertise in this field to correct any errors and provide assistance with the development of the site. Many thanks Tony.

Peter Hackling September 2009

On the 1 st of September the British Embassador handed the German Government a note stating that unless Germany ceased her attack on Poland and withdrew her forces by 11 am September 3 rd a state of war would exist between the two countries.

From the address by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain September 3 rd 1939, the saddened PM concluded.

‘That was the final note. No such undertaking was received by the time stipulated and consequently this country is at war with Germany.’