Recollections: Index to Contents

Subject	Contributor	Content
Edward (Andy) Anderson	Chris Anderson	Member of the Maritime Royal Artillery recounts his experience as a DEMS gunner, the loss of Bandar Shahpour and other war experiences
Charles Arkcoll	Brian Watson	Charles Arkcoll (1853-1912) came to my attention as the first owner of the beautiful Edwardian steam yacht Stephanotis whose history is recorded on another part of the website HERE. This is my original research into the life of Arckoll who was from a family of Kent farmers and wholesale grocers with a large business empire and who lived at Chatham Intra. He added brewing to the family business which was also heavily into importing cheese.
Anthony Bernthal	Anthony Bernthal	Experiences of a British India Deck Cadet in the 1960s
Captain William Frank Bramhill	Will Bramhill	From deckhand to Master including distinguished service in WW2 and the rescue of passengers from the stricken Duke of York
Sam Bridgwood	Peter Haywood	Towards the end of his life, a Merchant Seaman recalls his wartime experiences including getting torpedeod.
Captain Carré	John Cole	An account of the British India ship Rohna caught in a cyclone in Madras harbour and a very narrow escape that the ship's Master put down to Divine Providence.
Clemens Leslie Cox	Margot Blackah	Just sixteen years old, and not even the youngest member of the crew, Clemens Cox was serving on the British hospital ship HMHS Glenart Castle when she was torpedoed by a German submarine near to Lundy Island leading to great loss of life. The U-boat captain Wilhelm Kiesewetter should have been tried for war crimes but evaded prosecution, even managing to return to become a U-boat captain again during WW2.
Richard Crow	Richard Crow	An account of a British India Officer and his experiences in the Far East over a long period.
John Hilton Davies	Brian Watson	John Hilton Davies (1871-1954) was the author of a diary describing a return voyage to India at the outbreak of WW1 which is documented on another part of the website HERE. He worked for a Liverpool insurance company and his diary gives a detailed account of the trip with many photos. The material includes my own research into the lives of John and the captain of the ship on which he journeyed.
Philip Dilworth	Philip Dilworth	Philip started his time at sea as a cadet with the British India Steam Navigation Co training ship Waroonga just before the start of WW2. Unfortunately a problem with his vision meant he could not become a Merchant Navy Officer and he completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering instead. In 1944 he joined the Royal Navy and served on HMS Cassandra and various other RN vessels.
Douglas William Graham	Brian Watson	Douglas Graham (1866-1936) came to my attention as the second owner of Edwardian steam yacht Stephanotis whose history is recorded on another part of the website HERE. This is my original research into the life of Graham who was from a family of Scottish mechants who made their fortune from spinning and weaving machinery and later founded the company that made Graham's Port. His mother came from a family of bankers with religious leanings. His maternal grandfather had been a key player in the development of South Australia and the town of Kingscote near Adelaide was named after him. Douglas Graham himself seems to have somehow combined being an army Major and a member of the legal profession and he inherited a large property in Monmouthshire from his father.
Fred Knaggs (1923-2008)	Geoffrey Bamford	A Merchant Seaman from Hebburn describes his War years including being torpedoed twice, and tells some of his favourite tales
Robert Godfrey Llewelyn	Brian Watson	Robert Godfrey Llewelyn (1893-1986) came to my attention as the sixth owner of Edwardian steam yacht Stephanotis whose history is recorded on another part of the website HERE. This is my original research into the life of Godfrey as he preferred to be known. He was born to a family with a long tradition of serving their country in the armed forces going back until at least the Battle of Trafalgar. Later family members were landowners and magistrates. Godfrey served in the Royal Navy for many years and then in the Army. He went on to become an organiser of the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958. He was awarded a cascade of honours over the years and has been described by a friend as 'a good egg'.
Donald Macfadyen	Donald Macfadyen	A long account of the life of a merchant seaman. He was a cadet on Training Ship HMS Worcester in 1916, sailed on Brecknockshire which was captured and scuttled by German raider Möewe on her maiden voyage, spent the remainder of WW1 in a German POW camp, had a long and varied career on Royal Mail ships until leaving the sea. His final account is of his work as a fireman in the worst day of the London blitz.
Stan Mayes	Stan Mayes	Details of the life of a Merchant Seaman whose career at sea started on Thames Sailing Barges, his war service including being torpedoed, and work after that as a ships rigger. He was a meticulous recorder of his life and kept many photos.
George Edward Milligen	Brian Watson	George Edward Milligen (1910-2004) came to my attention as the seventh and final owner of Edwardian steam yacht Stephanotis whose history is recorded on another part of the website HERE. This is my original research into the life of George who was a private man, a keen and successful farmer, and one of the UK's foremost collectors of top-quality veteran cars, model trains, and all kinds of other things mechanical. Little information has been forthcoming about his personality other that he has been described as 'eccentric'. I really have no idea whether that is a fair description or just a lazy cliché applied because of his interests. After he died most of his collection was sold and the collection is documented in a separate section of the website HERE.
Vera Milligen and Tex McLeod	Brian Watson	This is the story of the lives of two people from very different backgrounds: Vera Milligen, the daughter of a shipping company owner, and Texan cowboy Alexander 'Tex' McLeod. Tex had been in showbusiness for many years before they met and had lived a very colourful life. They married in 1939, performed together for many years at shows and in theatres across the UK, and continued separate showbusiness careers after they parted company. The link will take you to a separate part of the Benjidog website entitled The Heiress and the Cowboy.
Norman Clark Neill	Brian Watson	Norman Clark Neill (1884-1934) came to my attention as the third owner of Edwardian steam yacht Stephanotis whose history is recorded on another part of the website HERE. This is my original research into the life of Neill who was the descendent of two Scottish business families - the Neill family of Greenock who had extensive sugar-refining interests and the Clark Family of Paisley who founded a huge cotton making company. It is not clear whether Norman ever did anything with his early start in the law but probably not. He served his country well during WW1, the only time in his life he came close to doing what most people would regard as a 'proper' job, and went on to fill a role in the forefront of competitive sailing.
William Frothingham Roach	Brian Watson	William Frothingham Roach (1877-1940) came to my attention as the fifth owner of Edwardian steam yacht Stephanotis whose history is recorded on another part of the website HERE. This is my original research into William who I believe was born in Canada and qualified as a surgeon there before coming to the UK and marrying. He practiced as a surgeon in London and served in that capacity in WW2, sadly losing his life when the vessel he was on struck a mine. During his life he was a keen sailor and before acquiring Stephanotis had a high-class schooner name Magnet which he raced on at least one occasion. He is commemorated on the memorial at Halifax Nova Scotia.
"Ron"	Peter Haywood	A Merchant Seaman late in life recounts the dreadful experiences at Dunkirk that haunted him all his life.
Bill Ross	Bill Ross	The experiences of an Edinburgh Seaman who started his career in Ropners in 1953 and went on to become a ship's Master on the Great Lakes
Malcolm Salter	Malcolm Salter	An account of time at King Edward VII Nautical College and subsequent sea experiences.
Alick Sangster	Alick Sangster	The experiences of a DEMS gunner on three very different ships in WW2 and his subsequent career.
Duque de Tarifa	Brian Watson	Carlos María de Constantinopla Fernández de Córdoba y Pérez de Barradas, II Duque de Denia y Duque de Tarifa (1864-1931) came to my attention as the fourth owner of Edwardian steam yacht Stephanotis whose history is recorded on another part of the website HERE. This is my original research into the life of this Spanish aristocrat who I found utterly alien and unpleasant. He had a higher status than virtually everyone in Europe and seems to have purchased a beautiful vessel to chug around his estate on the way to or from killing animals for pleasure and delivering the carcasses of his latest slaughtering episode to the poor - with the occasional use for entertaining the King and members of the aristocracy including some of the British Royal Family.
John Tayler	John Tayler	An account of the sinking of Tuscan Star (see also the account by Jack Wells)
Bill Taylor	Brian Watson	Experiences of a Merchant Seaman who finds himself a prisoner of the Japanese after his ship was attacked near Singapore.
William Oliver Tyers	Brian Watson	This is my original research of the life of Captain William Oliver Tyers (1871-1940) and his family. Orphaned at the age of 12 in Victorian England his family was broken up by the harsh treatment of the poor at the time. I traced the fate of his siblings - many of whom were in effect transported to Canada. He made good but sadly was killed in a bombing raid on Wallesey during WW2. John was the ship's Captain referred to by the author of a diary describing a return voyage to India at the outbreak of WW1 which is documented on another part of the website HERE.
Jack Wells	Alan Wells	An account of the sinking of Tuscan Star (see also the account by John Tayler)
Captain Vivian Lockyer Wiles	J.B. Hollingworth	Captain Wiles career reconstructed by his grandson from letters he sent home. It includes his service with British India starting with sailing ships, and his experiences during WW1 during which he served on various ships including seaplane carrier and kite balloon ship HMS Campania.
George Winter Witten	Phil Witten	An account of a marine engineer who served in two world wars and perished when Cape St Andrew was torpedoed.
John Wouters	Al Wouters	A Canadian pilot coming to the UK to assist the war effort who was on Amerika when she was torpedoed. The account includes his later service after being rescued.
HMS Rodney vs Bismarck	The family of Charles D. Hagerty	An account of the engagement of Rodney and Bismarck from a mysterious source.