Sealink-Holyhead: Masters of the Railway Era 1921

Masters: 1921 - 1978

On one of the early mailboats, back row; Capt Richard Woodall, Capt Borthwick, Capt Horspool, Capt N Lloyd Williams, Capt Robert Sherwood, Holyhead's Station Master and Capt Dick Thomas. In front are (L) Capt Aderne, Capt Manning, Jack Gibson Supt Eng & Capt Meade.

Captain Aderne

Captain John Bakewell

John Bakewell joined the Thames Nautical College "HMS Worcester in January 1946 after passing the entrance exam from King Edward VI High School, Birmingham where he had been for five years. Leaving "Worcester" at the end of 1947 obtaining First Class Extra Certificates in school work and seamanship. On January 16th 1948 John joined Shaw Savill's MV Coptic as one of three cadets. At the end of three years apprenticeship he took his 2nd Mates Certificate and stayed on with Shaw Savill's to join Dominion Monarch as Junior 4th Officer. Having stayed with Shaw Savill for nearly ten years he left them as 2nd Officer with a Master's certificate.

John Bakewell then joined HMS Worcester as 3rd Officer, staying there for six months before joining British Railway ships in Holyhead in 1958, his first ship being the Slieve Bloom. His first command was the Slieve Donard. Captain Bakewell retired as Senior Master of the St Columba in 1991. Enjoying further education Capt Bakewell took a BA degree in mathematics whilst with Sealink.

Captain Borthwick

Bio Needed

Captain William Carroll

Capt Carroll succeeded Capt Len Evans as Senior Master of the St Columba in 1986. He retired in 1988.

Captain Bob Crane

Capt Bob Crane flanked by RTE Radio 2 DJ Jimmy Greely and Miss Sealink 1983 Yvonne McKinney during a live broadcast from the bridge of the St Columba.

Captain George Davey

Capt Davey first went to sea as an apprentice with Blue Funnel in 1937, aged 16. Two years later, in 1939 he volunteered for the Royal Navy, and was assigned as a midshipman to HMS Kimberley, which was still being built. Once HMS Kimberley was commissioned, he was involved in convoy and defence duties in UK waters, including patrolling the North Atlantic between Britain, Iceland and Norway, on the lookout for returning German ships. He was involved in action at the second battle of Narvik in April 1940, and suffered permanent hearing damage during this engagement. He became a Sub Lieutenant in 1940. HMS Kimberley transferred to the Red Sea, where the ship was involved in convoy escort duty and in containing the Italian navy squadron based in North East Africa. In October 1940, HMS Kimberley was involved in the sinking of an Italian destroyer Francesco Nullo in the Red Sea, and was damaged by shore batteries at Massawa. After repair in Bombay, HMS Kimberley was again involved in convoy escort duty in the Red Sea, in the evacuation of Crete, and in support duties to the army fighting in North Africa. She was eventually torpedoed by a German/Italian?? submarine off Tobruk and towed to Bombay for major repair.

George Davey returned to the UK where he was assigned to the Aircraft Carrier HMS Unicorn, being built in Belfast. He was able to obtain his Mates certificate during delay in building. After a period commissioning and training with HMS Unicorn, he was transferred to a Q ship PC 74. This ship was attached to North Atlantic convoys to act as a decoy for submarines.

A short spell on the sloop HMS Black Swan followed, doing convoy escort work between UK and Gibraltar. In 1943 he was assigned to the corvette HMS Sweet Briar, on North Atlantic convoy duty. By late 1944 the naval war was winding down, and he was offered the chance to return to the merchant navy. He joined the McAndrews line sailing between UK, Spain, Portugal and North Africa. He recalls VE day happening as he was sailing in a convoy through the Bay of Biscay, and the ship leaving the convoy and going on alone.

He obtained his Masters certificate at the Liverpool School of Navigation in 1948, and left McAndrews to join British Rail in Holyhead as a Third Mate, just as London Midland Scottish Rail was nationalised. He served on the old Slieve Donard as 3rd Mate. He remembers that the ship was frequently breaking down. On one occasion the Chief Engineer rang the bridge as the ship was coming towards Holyhead, to say that the fire bars had melted, and the furnace had fallen into the ash pit. The advice was to go very cautiously, as the engine room could only raise a little steam, and stopping might have been problematic!

He served on the old Cambria and Hibernia, and on Princess Maud as second mate. He gained his first command on board Slieve Bloom in 1962.

He recalls being in charge of the Slieve Bloom on leaving Holyhead, when the ship inexplicably stopped responding to the helm. He managed to take the ship out of the harbour under the engines alone. The ship was anchored in the outer harbour to investigate. It became apparent that the rudder had fallen off, probably as a result of metal fatigue in the shaft! The missing rudder was recovered some years later during dredging operations in the harbour and can now be seen at Holyhead's Maritime Museum.

In August 1964, the Slieve More was involved in the salvage of a yacht 'Wild Venture', which had been stolen from the Menai Straits. The theft followed the escape of one of the Great Train Robbers from prison and there was speculation that the yacht was being used in the getaway. The naval destroyer sent to capture the yacht broke down. The Slieve More spotted the yacht, and preparations were made to come alongside the Wild Venture, which was motoring west with no crew apparent. Chief Engineer Jack Sharp, who had yachting experience, was nominated to take charge of the boarding party, and he selected his team from the many volunteers in the crew. As the Slieve More went alongside the yacht, the lookout alerted Capt Davey to the submarine that had surfaced astern! It had apparently been monitoring the situation from periscope depth, but had been unable to board the moving yacht because of the submarine's hull shape. With careful manoeuvring the boarding party from the Slieve More was able to jump aboard the yacht from the cattle doors in the side of the ship. Rather than heavily armed bank robbers, they found two sleeping teenagers below deck! The Wild Venture sailed back to Holyhead under Jack Sharp’s command, and the two young men were handed over to the police. The incident caused some amusement in the national press, as can be seen from the cartoon. The crew of Slieve More eventually received a small amount in salvage from the insurers of the yacht.

Through the 1970s Capt Davey was regularly in command of the "new" Cambria and Hibernia and then latterly the Holyhead Ferry 1, operating from the new terminal at Salt Island. He retired from British Rail in 1978, and moved to the Highlands of Scotland. He built his own house for the fourth time in Ullapool, and later moved to Gairloch. In 1992 he moved to Nairn on the Moray Firth, to escape the rain and midges, where he still lives happily.

Captain Dai Davies

Bio Needed

Captain Len Evans

Capt Evans began his seagoing career in 1938 as a midshipman with Blue Funnel Line, joining British Railways at Holyhead ten years later. His first command was on the Slieve Bloom, one of four cargo vessels operating to Dublin. His first passenger command came in 1966 when he became master of the Hibernia. In April 1977 he commanded the St Columba on her delivery trip from Denmark to the Irish Sea. Retiring in 1986, Capt Evans enjoyed a happy retirement before crossing the bar in July 2005. See A Life at Sea.

Captain Ivor Griffiths

Bio Needed

Captain Ron Howells

Bio Needed.

Captain Jessie Hughes

Bio Needed.

Captain Hubert Hughes

A Holyhead man, Hubert Hughes first went to sea at the age of 15 and served four years as a cadet officer with P. Henderson & Co., Glasgow before taking his Second Mate's certificate in 1942. He was appointed Third Officer on the Hensada. After gaining his First Mate's ticket he joined Ellerman Line where he got his Master's ticket. Capt Hughes joined the LMS ship's at Holyhead, initially sailing on the Slieve Bloom and all Railway vessels at the port before being appointed as Holyhead's Marine Superintendent after command of the cargo vessel Harrogate. Retiring in 1981 Capt Hughes worked closely with Capt Len Evans, both ensuring the successful entry into service of the new St Columba in 1977.

Captain W.H. Hughes

Bio Needed.

Captain Cyril Jones

Bio Needed

Captain Geraint Jones

Bio Needed

Captain Walter Lloyd-Williams

Bio Needed

Captain Manning

Bio Needed

Captain Albert Marsh

A young Albert Marsh served as a Sub-Lieutenant on the S.S. Hibernia, requisitioned by the Royal Navy and re-named H.M.S. Tara early in 1914. The vessel was sent to patrol the Northern Coast of Libya in October 1915, where she was torpedoed and sunk by the U-35 commanded by Waldemar Kophamel. He survived the sinking and was one of the 98 men that initially survived. He along with the rest of the Officers and Crew were handed over to the Senussi tribe and marched out into the desert. After 364 days they were rescued by the Yorkshire Yeomanry, led by The Duke of Westminster. They eventually returned to Holyhead where he continued working for the London & North Western Railway Company.

During World War Two he commanded the S.S. Cambria and escaped the attention of U-boats patrolling the Irish Sea. His vessel was bombed and shot at by the Luftwaffe on his way back to Holyhead, but out manoeuvred the aircraft. He continued working for the Railway Companies up to his retirement.

Captain John Mason

Bio Needed

A lovely man, who sadly passed away in 2004.

Captain Meade

Bio Needed

Captain Jack Milburn

Bio Needed

Captain Gwilym Owen

Bio Needed

Captain John Peters

Bio Needed

Captain Cyril Powell

Bio Needed

Captain Evan R Pritchard

Bio Needed

Captain Glynne Pritchard

Glynne Pritchard went to sea as a midshipman with Blue Funnel in 1956 and obtained his Master's certificate in 1966. The son of the late Capt Evan R Pritchard and younger brother of Idwal Pritchard, Glynne followed family tradition when he joined British Rail at Holyhead in 1968. As a junior officer on the Harrogate on £17.00 a week he soon wondered what he had done! Nevertheless, Capt Pritchard stayed at the port and having sailed in many ships of British Rail, Sealink and Stena, he retired as Senior Master of the St Cybi in October 1991.

Captain Idwal Pritchard

Idwal Pritchard went to sea in 1942 at the age of 18. His father was Chief officer of the Scotia at Dunkirk. He served on deck with Blue Funnel and sat the examination for second mate whilst ashore recuperating from an accident he suffered on the Talthybius. He then joined Lamport & Holts for a short while, later transferring to Clan Line, with whom he obtained his Master FG certificate. Following in family tradition he joined British Railways at Holyhead in 1952. He was the NUMAST Liaison officer for many years. Latterly he was Senior Master of the St David which he delivered from the yard in August 1981. Retiring in 1982 Capt Pritchard was a co-founder and Chairman of the then new Holyhead Maritime Museum. Capt Pritchard passed away in March 1995.

Captain Lewis Pritchard

Bio Needed

Captain Richard Roberts

A native of Llanddeusant, Anglesey, Richie Roberts was born in 1907. He went to sea in 1922, aged 15, working as a deck boy on one of Sir R.J. Thomas’s ships, the Glenearn. His first voyage was round the Horn to Valpariso, Coronel, Callum returning via Montevideo, Dunkirk to Hull. The ship was manned mainly by Anglesey men and the master was Capt Jones from Newborough.

By the time he was 20, Richie had gained his Second Officer’s Certificate. After this, in 1926 he joined Strick Line, sailing to the Persian Gulf and up the Euphrates to Basra. Later again, he joined Furness Withy as Fourth Officer on the London Merchant, and sailed many times for the company between the UK and West Coast of America until in 1937 he gained his Master’s Certificate.

In 1939 he came to Holyhead joining the London, Midland and Scottish Railway as Second Officer. During the war years, he was primarily on the Hibernia. In 1947 he was transferred to Heysham -Belfast route. He returned to Holyhead as First Officer on the Slieve Donard in 1949, and in 1954 became a master in the cargo ship Service. In 1960 was gained his first passenger command - the Princes Maud.

In 1965, after 43 years at sea, Capt Roberts became the first master of the Holyhead Ferry 1 - the first drive on-drive off passenger car ferry at Holyhead. In 1970, when the Britannia Bridge was destroyed by fire, he went with the Hibernia to Heysham, until the bridge was rebuilt.

Capt Roberts retired at the end of 1971. He passed away in June 1986.

Captain Will Roberts

Will Roberts started his seagoing career as an apprentice on a tramp steamer in 1928 and finished it as Commodore of Sealink's Holyhead fleet in 1973.

He joined the Holyhead ships as a Master in 1940 - his first command being the Slieve Donard. His favourite ship was the Princess Maud, but speaking on retirement from the Cambria he remarked "the last ship is always the best ship!"

Capt Roberts spent 12 years in command of the Cambria and carried many famous celebrities including Taylor and Burton (together), James Mason, James Cagney and Laurel and Hardy.

From the Irish Press 6 November 1963: Capt W.J. Roberts is a Welshman from Amlwch and is the quiet man whom you will see on the bridge of one of the British Railways mailboats plying between Dun Laoghaire and Holyhead. Cadet, deep sea tramper for 12 years, known in Australia, Japan, China, the U.S., Africa and even in Russia, he has worked up through all the grades to his captaincy. He has been on the cross-channel service for 23 years now and has two boys who are also at sea. Like most sailors he is useful with this hands and is a do-it-yourself man when he has a spell ashore. A gardener at home, he says he has no ambitions about prize vegetables or flowers, being content to garden for enjoyments. He keeps up professional studies and reads widely on current affairs, relaxing with books on sport.

Captain Alex Robertson

Bio Needed

Captain John Rowlands

Born in 1917 John Rowlands went to sea aged 16 and served four years apprenticeship with Hall Line. In 1937 he was appointed as 4th officer on Ellerman Line's City of Baroda, following in his father's footsteps as he had been a Master with Ellerman's for many years.

During the war he was appointed 3rd officer on the City of Johannesburg and also the City of Eastbourne before being appointed 2nd officers on the City of Rangoon in September 1942. This was then followed by the Empire Irving and the City of Khartoum on which he was promoted to Chief Officer in October 1946.

In December 1946 John Rowlands resigned from Ellerman's to join the Holyhead railway steamers where he again had to work his way up from the bottom!! He sailed on all the ships at that time including the Slieve Bloom, Slieve Donard, Slieve Donard, Slieve League and Slieve More, the Princess Maud and many other passenger steamers. Eventually he was promoted to Chief Officer on the Hibernia and a few years later as master of the Cambria.

In 1976 Capt John Rowlands retired as Master of the Holyhead Ferry 1. During his time with British Rail at Holyhead he had entertained many important guests sailing to and from Ireland including such well known names as Jayne Mansfield, Alma Cogan and the trumpeter Eddie Calvert.

Capt Rowlands passed away in January 1994.