大象传媒

Captain C.J. HARRIS, a further tribute to brave men

How the Welsh Rees family spent the war

I told the story of young Einon Rees who survived the sinking of the Roxburgh Castle in World War 2. An
elder brother, Evan Alcyn Rees, was already sailing in Union Castle ships; the main reason for Einon being
persuaded to join the same company. Evan had been serving for some 18 months in the intermediate steamer
Gloucester Castle. She had been withdrawn from service in 1939, but re-employed due to the exigencies of
war. She was old and slow, and her passenger licence, formerly catering for two classes, had been revoked,
thereby reducing her complement to only 12 berths. In view of what hap\-pened this was perhaps just as well.

On the night of July 15 1942 she was off Ascension Island when she was attacked without warning by the German
raider Michel. The first shell crashed into the bridge killing the radio operators and most of the ship's
deck officers. The second demolished tile dining saloon and petrol stowed on deck went ~ip in flames. Within
minutes the Gloucester Castle sank and of the 154 on board 93 perished, including her captain and all the
senior officers but one. Of her 12 passengers only four survived. A woman, a girl of 18 and two young boys.
Those rescued by the raider were later transferred to a German supply ship, Charlotte Schljemanli. In her
they were taken to Singapore where some 40 of their number, including Evan Rees, were landed. The remainder
were taken on to experience further humiliation in Japan. Back home again, bearing the physical and
psychological scars of ill-treatment, it was a full two years before he was able to resume work with Union-
Castle Line, where he was to serve as quartermaster in the mail ships, with his younger brother, Emon, as a
fellow crew member.

The four Rees brothers certainly saw their share of war. We have seen how Einon survived the sinking of the
Roxburgh Castle and Evan the shelling and sinking of the old Gloucester Castle. The eldest, Louis, was taken
prisoner by the Italians in the Abyssinian campaign early in the war and was later transferred to a German
prisoner of war camp. Another brother, Tommy, was captured whilst serving in the RAF.

The dreaded wartime telegrams, "Missing, believed killed In action", were received by the sorrowing family
with regard to both Evan and Tommy and a joint memorial service was held for them. However, they both
survived to return home.

They must surely have been vastly entertained on learning of the eulogies delivered at the service - a
privilege granted to very few of us!

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