Tag Archives: master mariner

The Sea Captain’s bookshelf

Posted on September 19, 2014 by bookvolunteer

Anyone studying family history in the Dinas area or merely haunting the graveyards to read the tombstones will know that too many mariners died at sea. Board of Trade inquiries into maritime disasters in the 19th century showed that a ship … Continue reading →

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The Windrush

Posted on September 5, 2014 by bookvolunteer

Until a few weeks ago this canvas lay hidden, rolled up in a trunk in the attic of a Dinas cottage where it had probably lain undisturbed for 100 years or so. The painting belonged to Capt John Walters, known … Continue reading →

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Marie Elsie and the Man with the Golden Gun

Posted on August 11, 2014 by bookvolunteer

Capt. Joe Francis (of Eryl, Dinas) was captain of SS Marie Elsie in 1915 – a dangerous time to be a sailor. Fortunately, by the time the Marie Elsie was torpedoed and sunk on its way to Arkhangelsk in June 1917 … Continue reading →

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Perished at sea

Posted on February 18, 2014 by bookvolunteer

David Vaughan Clay fell overboard and was drowned at sea when his ship was off the River Plate in S America. His family’s gravestone in Ramah Churchyard, a few minutes’ walk from Tegfan, gives the bare facts. The wonderfully informative … Continue reading →

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The hard life and death of a Master Mariner from Dinas

Posted on January 10, 2014 by bookvolunteer

For such a small village, the number of sea captains buried in Dinas’ graveyards seems incredible. Just round the corner from Tegfan, in Ramah, is this headstone, inscribed in memory of Thomas Williams who died over a century ago on the … Continue reading →

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To Harrods for satin pantaloons

Posted on November 1, 2013 by bookvolunteer

In my role as  a book volunteer in Wilmslow’s Oxfam shop, I’m constantly delighted by the enormous range, quality and quantity of donated books.  When this wonderful book came onto my desk I lingered over it, remembering a childhood experience … Continue reading →

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