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Notable Old Conways
Four Conway's have been awarded the Victoria
Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry in wartime: Lieutenant Colonel Philip Eric Bent VC DSO (1910-12) Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 3 January 1891. Awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for service in the 9th Batallion, Leicestershire Regiment at Polygon Wood, Belgium, in 1917. He joined the army as a private soldier in 1914 with a friend. If the authorities had known he had a 2nd Mates ticket and was a qualified officer they would have put him in the Navy. He was only 23 years old when he won his VC but by then he was a Lt Colonel commanding his regiment. His exploits are described in Canada's V.C.s by Lt Col George Machum, McClelland & Stewart, Toronto, 1956. Lt. Charles Bonner VC (1899-1901) Awarded for action taken on the Q-Ship "Dunraven" whilst under attack from a German U-Boat. Lt Ian Fraser VC, DSC, RD, RNR (1936-38) Lt Fraser was awarded the VC for 'Special and hazardous duties' in midget submarines whilst attacking the Japanese heavy cruiser Takao the Johore Strait, Singapore in 1945. See also Conway Today Capt Edward Unwin VC CB CMG (1878 - 80) Received the VC for service at the Gallipoli landings. Under very heavy fire (estimated as 10,000 shots a minute over a period of several hours he twice went into the very cold water to try and consolidate the beachhead. He was wounded three times but still took a lifeboat to rescue other wounded soldiers. http://www.chapter-one.com/vc/awards/u/1245.html George Medal/George Cross Lt Cdr FH Brooke Smith GC RD RNR
(1934-36) One of the Brooke Smith dynasty Frances was awarded the GC in the second world war. He volunteered for mine disposal duties. Having previoulsy defused 16 mines he went aboard the fire float Firefly on the Manchester Ship Canal to defuse a parachute mine.He had never dealt witha similar mine before but with considerable difficulty he managed to defuse it. His medals are on display in the Imperial War Museum in London.
Lionel (Ken) 'Buster' Crabb GM OBE RNVR
(1922-24) A Royal Navy frogman, he disappeared in mysterious circumstances whilst diving in Porstmouth harbour near the USSR warship Ordzhonkidz. The book 'Commander Crabb is alive' by J Bernard Hutton proposed that he was captured and was taken to Russia where he became Capt Lev Lvovich Korablov in the Soviet Navy. The truth may be less controversial: http://www.divernet.com/history/crabb696.htm The list includes 24 Admirals, four Commodores, one General and three Air Marshalls. Navy
Army
Air Force
Other Notable Conways Many other Conways have gone to become well known names and international celebrities. We welcome suggestions and links for this section, please contact us with details using the Feedback link. Cyril Abraham (1928 - 30) Novelist and Playwright. Writer of the famous television series the "Onedin Line" and the "Blazing Ocean" dedicated to all Conways who lost their lives at sea during the 2nd World War http://ufo.simplenet.com/films/onedin.html Alfred Wright Adcock (1898-9) He was born in 1885 in Nottingham and joined the Conway at 13, and on leaving joined the Merchant Marine. A second officer of the Indrabarah (Tyser Line) he performed two rescues when the vessel went aground on the Rangitikei coast (NZ) in 1913, and as a result was decorated by King George V at Buckingham Palace, and also received rewards from the Royal Humane Society and the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society. During WWI he was First Officer on troop ships. He left the Merchant Navy in 1923 and emigrated to New Zealand, where he took up farming. He gave this up due to ill health, and subsequently worked for the City Council of Palmerston North. He retired in 1955, and died in 1957. Wing Commander Robert S Allen DSO, DFC (years not known)Born in Manchester in 1914, Robert Allen was educated at Westfield High School, Manchester and HMS Conway and joined the RAF as a pupil pilot in 1935. He was promoted to squadron leader in 1939. During June 1940 whilst en-route to bomb a target, he observed an He III and despite "bad weather conditions and intense darkness" he maneuvered his aircraft to enable Sergeant Williams (WOP/AG) to fire at the enemy aircraft and shoot it down. Soon after the same tactics were employed against a Ju87 with the same result. Squadron Leader Allen then continued to his objective and bombed the target successfully. He was flying Hampdens with No.49 Squadron at the time, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for this action. The award of the bar to his DFC followed in October 1940 while still with No.49 squadron. Following promotion to Wing Commander, he then went to No.106 Squadron at RAF Coningsby and on 24th July 1941, whilst flying AE19Wing Commander Allen led a daylight attack through heavy anti aircraft fire and fighter opposition against the German battle cruiser Gneisenau, which was in dry dock at Brest. For his leadership on this operation he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). After leaving No.106 squadron, he served on the Air Staff Mission in China between 8th July 1943 and mid August 1945. On 13th February 1945 he was awarded the Cloud and Banner decoration (Special Rosette) an award confirmed by the President of the Nationalist Government of China. After leaving the RAF, he became a publican. He died in 1982. Thomas Alington (approx 1898-90) Born
23 October 1884, educated Haileybury and HMS Conway, was killed in action
on 20 April 1918 as a 2nd Lieut. RAF, and was buried in the military
cemetery at Toutincourt, France. Warrington Baden-Powell QC Admiralty Court (1861- 1864, cadet number 187), He was the brother of the more well know B-P and founder of the Sea Scouts http://www.scoutingmilestones.freeserve.co.uk/seascouts.htm His brother said of him: ? It was under his guidance that I, when a youngster, began my Scouting as a Sea Scout. He was himself both a sailor and a boy at heart and so his teaching told. I have never forgotten those breezy times and the things that I learned under him have had their life-long value for me. Since the first edition of this book its author has passed to Higher Service, but to the end he remained as he had lived-a sailor and a boy. It was largely thanks to his interest in boys and in seamanship that Sea Scouting became popular in the early days of our movement, so that when the Great War came suddenly upon the nation the Sea Scouts proved able at once to take over the duties of the Coastguards when these were called away to man the fleet. Thus the Scouts watched our Coasts from John O'Groats to the Land's End during the whole period of the War. Also they provided a considerable contingent of signallers, cooks and bridge boys to man the auxiliary fleet. They so acquitted themselves that at the end of the war they received the public thanks of the Admiralty and of His Majesty the King himself.? Warrington was also a great exponent of the sailing canoe or canoe yawl. W. H. Baker (years not known) Burning of the Volturno (extracted from the Liverpool Mercury, Oct 18th 1913) The awful tragedy in mid-Atlantic by which 136 persons lost their lives through the burning of the emigrant ship Volturno [3602 tons] has startled and horrified the public almost as much as did the awful Titanic, 18 months ago. The heavy death-toll is due to the fact that the fire broke out during a raging-tempest, so that although the Volturno had more than sufficient boats to carry those onboard, they could only launch with a grave risk of being dashed to pieces or swamped when in the water. That so large a proportion of those on board were rescued was due to the fact that she had wireless installation. Her pleas for help were heard widely over the Atlantic, and 11 liners immediately converged on her but heavy seas effectually prevented rescue work. Volturno launched 7 boats, the first boat swung under the stern and the propeller literally smashed her to matchwood, cutting the unfortunate occupants to pieces. 3 more were dashed to pieces as she rolled in the great seas, 2 reached the water safely but were swamped, killing all onboard. Under such terrible conditions rescue work seemed impossible. Many attempts were made to send rescue boats but all failed. Volturno's master became desperate and called for volunteers to show the other captains that it was not impossible to launch their boats. One got as far as the Gosser Kurfurst, but the boat was smashed and was almost lost. Volturno's master sent a final desperate message, ?My God, Can't stand this long. Our boat has gone. Send me some boats.? The Captains of the other boats replied, ?We have tried our best. The sea is too heavy and no boat could live in it.? Baker (2nd Officer of the Leyland steamer Devonian) lauched a boat and eventually managed to get a lifeboat alongside. He later frecalled: ?Early in the morning following our arrival on the scene of the disaster I determined to make an attempt to reach the burning vessel, ?Neck or nothing, let us go' I said to the men, and a crew of eight agreed to go out on the boisterous sea, and amidst perilous conditions. When we were near to the vessel we could see there would be a rush by those on board to escape. We called to those in charge to keep back the men, who were pressing forward, and to let us save the women and children first. Officers used their fists to drive the men back, and some of them went down like ninepins. The work was carried out with the most considerable danger. Sparks were flying, the heat on the sides of the vessel was intense, and the smoke was blinding. From time to time some relict of the fire, such as a disjoined derrick, or piece of the funnel would tumble into the water, and might have easily injured rescuers and rescued alike. We could see the smoke coming up between the beams of the deck, and the men were almost standing in flames. During the night the scene was horrible. Shrieking was continuous and several of the women held up their babies and outlined them in the blaze, and begged of us to come and rescue them.? Although Baker made several more rescue trips no other boats dared make the same journey until a tanker appeared and spilled oil onto the raging waters. He was awarded the Marine Medal of The Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society, the Board Of Trade Sea Gallantry Medal and the medal of 'The Life Saving Benevolent Association of New York'. He was also presented with a solid silver tea service by Leyland Line. Earl of Balfour (1941-44) The 4th Earl of Balfour, who died on June 27 aged 77, was once the only viscount to be an able seaman in the Merchant Navy. In the pre-1999 House of Lords, he was also known as the bane of the parliamentary draftsmen. This was because, being dyslexic, and hence often having to consult a dictionary, he scrutinised each bill with absolute objectivity, detecting mistakes that skilled proofreaders had missed. On one occasion he raised 53 objections to a government housing bill, chiefly on grounds of misspellings and typographical errors, but also citing graver flaws such as transposed sentences. Fifty of his objections were accepted - believed to be a record - and the Bill withdrawn. The government minister who had introduced the Bill remarked that, though he congratulated His Lordship, it was through gritted teeth. Gerald Arthur James Balfour, the son of the 3rd Earl of Balfour, was born on December 23 1925. The earldom was created in 1922 for the former Tory Prime Minister Arthur Balfour, Gerald's great-uncle. Arthur Balfour had succeeded his own uncle, the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, in the premiership in 1902 and held it till 1905. The Balfours before that had been lairds for generations of Balbirnie, in Fife. Gerald was educated at Eton and the training school HMS Conway. Gerald's father had also hoped to join the Royal Navy but, he too being dyslexic, had misspelled his forename and surname on his entrance paper, and was not admitted. During the Second World War Gerald served in the Merchant Marine. On his first voyage he was torpedoed by the Japanese, and spent a week in an open boat in the Indian Ocean before being rescued. On the death of his grandfather four months before the war's end, Balfour inherited the courtesy title of Viscount Traprain. He continued in the Merchant Navy after peace came, serving as deck-hand aboard the four-master 3,200-ton barque Pamir in a voyage carrying tallow, wool and clothes from well-wishers in New Zealand to Britain's "Displaced Persons" - as the homeless were then called. At that time he wore a beard and was known to his shipmates as "Gerry". Among his later distinctions, Balfour was President of the Cape Horners, originally an association exclusively of people who had rounded Cape Horn before the mast, that is to say as ordinary crew members of tall ships. (Latterly, yachtsmen have been admitted.) In his Merchant Navy days Balfour was a member of the New Zealand seamen's union. By the late 1960s, he was more sympathetic to capitalism, and was chairman of a Scottish bottled water company exporting to places as far away as South America. In June 1969 he became chairman of Bruntons, a Musselburgh steel wire manufacturer, but resigned eight months later after a boardroom dispute. He also farmed in East Lothian, where lay the family estate of Whittinghame, near Haddington, and during the 1960s and early 1970s sat as an East Lothian County Councillor. In later life Balfour turned increasingly to public debate. In the House of Lords he spoke on soil erosion in the Middle East, urging the government to enlist Israeli politicians and Zionist funds to fight it. There was a dual family element in this: his aunt, Lady Evelyn Balfour, had founded the Soil Association; moreover, that Israel existed at all was largely due to his great-uncle, the 1st Earl, who as Foreign Secretary in Lloyd George's Coalition Government had, in 1917, issued the Balfour Declaration, announcing support for a Jewish national state. Gerald Balfour also aired his views in The Telegraph's letters' page. These opinions were so wide-ranging as would provoke today the charge "unfocused"; yet they were largely sensible. In the 1970s he criticised the Wilson government's public housing policy. He argued that the 1965 and 1974 Rent Acts had deliberately reduced the availability of privately rented accommodation, obliging tenants increasingly to take what was offered by local authorities and housing associations, yet with no security of tenure. He had a knack of anticipating the future. In the early 1980s he was urging that telephones be metered, so that users could judge how big a bill they were running up. In the mid-1980s he called for reform of the rates, arguing that the local authorities' role in providing services should be reduced and central government's increased. A few years later, along with erosion of councils' powers by Whitehall, came the Poll Tax. In the late 1990s Balfour was on a four-man Parliamentary Commission in Scotland that had to adjudicate in a dispute between Glasgow's Burrell Collection trustees and Glasgow Council's museum director. The latter wanted to be able to exchange items from the Collection with those of other places to boost falling attendance figures. The trustees feared that breaking the terms of the bequest, which forbade such dispersals, would put off potential future donors. All four Commissioners were hereditary peers, which enraged progressives. That the 4th Earl of Balfour was also a Freemason, and had called the handgun ban after the 1996 Dunblane Massacre a "news-media-inspired panic", damned him further in liberal circles. Balfour was, in fact, far from a diehard Conservative. The Bill he caused to be withdrawn was one put forward by the John Major administration. Nor was he opposed to the people's will: in one of the last debates in the old House of Lords before most hereditaries were ejected, he stated that it was not for their lordships to oppose Scottish devolution since it had been voted for. Yet he was certain the Bill needed amendments and improvements.
Kyrle Bellew (1866-67) Actor and playright. He spent some time at sea after Conway, joined the Austrian Army for a while (perfectly logical career moveŠ), a lecturer in Australia, gold miner in New South Wales, a journalist in Melbourne, before returing to England where he became an actor. Played the lead in Hugh Conways first production of the Scalded Back. He toured the world and the last years of his life were spent in the USA. He died on November 2 1911 in Salt Lake City. More details are here.
Lt Col WH Brinkley (1929-31) Green blindness prevented a naval career so Bill Brinkley entered Sandhurst in 1932 and was commissioned to the Norfolk Regiment in August 1932, joining the 2nd Battalion in Devonport prior to 6 years service with the 1st Battalion in India. He served during Northwest Frontier operations, then in Delhi and Bangalore. After attending Staff College Camberley he rejoined the 1st Battalion in Scotland and trained for the D-Day landings in Normandy. He was wounded on a patrol in Normandy and was evacuated to England. He trained recruits at the Regimental Depot Norwich and became a GSO II Instructor at the Staff College, Quetta in March 1945. His peacetime service took him to less peaceful places. Evacuated from India on Independence in 1947, he rejoined the Battalion for service during the airlift of Berlin, followed by a period in Hong Kong when the New Territories were threatened by the Chinese Army. When this threat receded, he was posted to Seremban, Malaya for anti-communist operations! He became 2IC of 1st Battalion The Suffolk Regiment in Trieste and led its families during the evacuation to Wuppertal due to trouble between Yugoslavia and Italy. Later he moved to the Headquarters of the British Commonwealth Force Korea in Kure, Japan. He was appointed to command 1st Battalion The Royal Norfolk Regiment for anti-Eoka operations in Cyprus. At the end of Eoka activity the Battalion moved to Iserlohn, Germany where he relinquished his tour of command. Vice Admiral Sir David Brown KCB RN (1941-45) A gifted and incisive RN staff officer who twice played a crucial background role in making the 1982 victory in the Falklands war possible. Deep defence cuts made by the secretary of state Denis Healey, during Harold Wilson's Labour administrations of the late 1960s, had effectively confined the Royal Navy to the north Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Under Edward Heath's Conservative government of the early 1970s, Brown, as Director of Naval Operations and Trade, successfully argued the case for annual naval forays to such areas as the far east and the south Atlantic. This revival of the old custom of "showing the flag" would remind the world of Britain's abiding foreign interests, such as the Falkland Islands. It also meant that recruits could once again be attracted by the slogan, "Join the navy and see the world". The future Admiral of the Fleet Lord Lewin, who was chief of the defence staff at the time of the Falklands war, was then vice chief of naval staff, and pushed Brown's idea through the Ministry of Defence. A series of deployments a long way east (and south) of Suez ensued. Ironically, it was under Margaret Thatcher's first administration that another massive defence cut - including slashing the fleet and removing the last vestige of an already exiguous presence in the south Atlantic - led the Argentinian military junta to think that the Falklands were theirs for the taking. Thatcher's defence secretary, John Nott, who had proposed severely reducing the fleet, including the sale of the two aircraft carriers then in service, believed that nothing could be done once the Argentinian army had taken the inhospitable archipelago 8,000 miles from Britain. Thatcher was furious but frustrated. There was much wringing of hands until Admiral Sir Henry Leach, the chief of naval staff, marched into parliament in his full uniform to seek out the ministerial conclave. Lewin was on an official visit to New Zealand and Leach was acting as his deputy. He persuaded Thatcher that the navy could dispatch a task force "by the weekend" to take back the Falklands. Three nuclear attack submarines set off at once, while the bulk of the surface fleet was sent to the south Atlantic, along with some 3,000 Royal Marines and paratroopers in commandeered liners. By this time, Rear Admiral Brown was in the key post of Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations), and it fell to him, alongside Lewin, to brief the daily meetings of the war cabinet in London on events in the south Atlantic. His briefings impressed Thatcher and all who heard them. The son of a naval officer, Brown was born in London on 28 th November 1927, and joined Conway. He was at, or near, the top of his intake in several subjects, won prizes and was a cadet captain. Poor eyesight meant that it took him five attempts to get into the navy. His determination won him a place in the last week of the second world war, at the age of 17. He became a specialist in anti-submarine warfare and commanded eight vessels, from a gunboat, via minesweepers, to frigates and a frigate squadron, and finally took charge of one of the latest guided missile destroyers. His inability to suffer fools gladly extended to the top of the service, and probably explained why such a gifted officer never made full admiral. He ran a tight ship, drove his juniors hard, dismissing several, but did not suck up to his superiors, as tough taskmasters sometimes do. He was once called aboard HMS Vanguard, Britain's last battleship and the flagship of Admiral Sir Philip Vian, the C-in-C, Home Fleet. Vian was furious because Brown's ship had failed to dip its colours in salute to him as it entered harbour. After being bawled out at considerable volume, Brown was cool enough to tell Vian that, as a ship's captain, he was entitled to be piped aboard the flagship - and had therefore not been properly saluted either. Brown saw active service as an operations officer in the confrontation with Indonesia in the 1960s, and held several staff posts, including with Nato. His last position was as Flag Officer, Plymouth, before he retired in 1985 with a KCB. He became a company director and, for a time, was chairman of the governors at Broadmoor hospital. Always a keen fisherman, he gave a lot of time to angling organisations, as well as to Trinity House. D G Chapman (1922-24) Represented Great Britain in the 4 by 400 m at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Michael Anthony Chodzko (approx 1923-25) (Actor stage name Michael Anthony) He was born in Jersey, the son of a master mariner and distant relative of Joseph Conrad. He joined Canadian Pacific from Conway and went on the stage in 1933. His acting career was broken by war service when he was twice mentioned in despatches and as a navigator with Everards from 1971-76. A strongly built man and 6 feet tall, he had arresting blue eyes. He was a successful stage and film actor and singer but pre-dated the television age. Noel Coward called him ?Jolly Slyboots?. He drew the attention of the Lord Chancellor for one of his performances. Looking fetching and holding a bunch of flowers, he began singing ?Jolie garcon c'est moi, oui oui?.? The Lord Chamberlain ruled that he could perform the piece only if ??he should remain still and make no movement on stage associated with what are commonly known as pansies?. This performance hardly matched his real life persona as he was married twice and had a daughter. Vice Admiral Sir David Clutterbuck RN (1926-29) Deputy Supreme Allied Commander North Atlantic in the 1950s. "Hugh Conway" the pen name for Frederick John Fargus (1861-2) An accident at Conway affected his hearing so he could not go to sea. He joined the family business in Bristol and began writing. His works included A Life's Idyll (1879) - a book of poetry, A Family Affair (novel), Living or Dead (novel), A Cardinal Sin (novel) and an opera Iduna. His best known work though was a novel Called Back published in 1883. It was an international best seller, described as "..one of the most remarkably successful books of the last 100 yearsŠ.". It was turned into a popular play and a music hall burlesque called The Scalded Back. A stained glass window in St Stephen's Church Bristol and a marble memorial (with a portrait of him in raised relief) in the west wall of the north transept of Bristol Cathedral commemorate his memory. A copy of the book, a profile and obituaries are at: http://www.mtroyal.ab.ca/gaslight/caldmenu Captain W.H. Coombes (1907-09) Founded of the Navigators and General Insurance Company and the Merchant Navy Officers Association. E. Howard Davies (1933-1935) and ex Staff Designer of the GP 14 Sailing Dinghy, over 200,000 registered worldwide. Vice Admiral Archie Day RN (1912-14) Was Chief Hydrogarpher to the Navy for many years, his name will be found on many charts. After leaving the Navy he became Chairman of the Dover Harbour Board. Douglas V. Duff (1914-15) Novelist and writer of Boys Adventure stories
his brother Lord Duff owned the Vaynol Estates opposite Plas Newydd.
He was born in Rosario de Santa Fe in the Argentine in 1901. He entered
Conway in 1914. At the age of 15 in the year 1916 he joined the Merchant
Navy as a cadet for he was determined to go to war. He was sent to the
“ Thracia” trading between Liverpool and the Mediterranean.
On March 27th, 1917 the Thracia was torpedoed in the Bay of Biscay.
At the age of 15 and a half my father was sole survivor and, for a while,
was posted as “killed in action”. After recovering at the
family home in Ireland he went back to sea. This time he served as a
midshipman and, in an encounter with German U boats, he had his leg
broken. Iain Duncan Smith (1968-72) Iain Duncan Smith was born in April 1954. He joined Conway in January 1968 when he was nearly 14. During his sojourn he was a Focsleman, a drummer in the band, captain of the cricket team in 1972, won "colours" in the first XV in the Autumn 1971 term and played for the hockey team. He won the Lawrence Holt prize for History in 1972 and left with 3 A levels and 8 O levels. From Conway he went on to Perugia University in Italy, then to Sandhurst and so to the Scots Guards, with whom he served from 1975 to 81. He then retired from the Army and went into Industry. He was a Director of GEC/Marconi from 1981-88; a Director of Bellwinch Plc from 1988-89 and Publishing Director of Jane`s Information Group from 1989-92 He contested Bradford West in the 1987 General Election. He was Vice-Chairman of Fulham Conservative Association in 1991. The following year he was elected Member of Parliament for Chingford.He sat on the Standards in Public Life (Nolan) Select Committee and the Members' Interests Select Committee. He was a member of the Administration Select Committee and a former member of the Health Select Committee. From 1992-97 he was secretary of the Conservative Back Bench Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Committee and a member of the Conservative Back Bench Defence Committee. He was also on the Conservative Central Office General Election Campaign Team. Following boundary changes he was elected Member of Parliament for Chingford & Woodford Green in May 1997 with a majority of 5,714. From June 1997 he was Shadow Secretary of State for Social Security. In June 1999 he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Defence. He led the Conservative Party from 2001 to 2003. His website can be found here. Captain Sir Malcom Edge (1947-49) Former Deputy Master of Trinity House Captin Walter Elliot RN MP (1923-27)) Played rugby union for England. Raised a petition in the House of Commons to try and prevent the closure of the Conway when he was a Conservative MP. Gordon Ellis (1921-1979) A marine artist, he died in 1979 as a relatively young man. He painted the Conway a number of times. Very little is written about him, partly because his pictures rarely come up for sale, partly because a lot were sold in the USA, and partly because other than the USA, most of his sales were to local Liverpool collectors. Consequently he did not get the national exposure that he deserved. A selection of paintings for sale were here: www.boydellgalleries.co.uk There is a good section about him in A.S.Davidson's book "Marine Art & Liverpool" published locally by Waine Research Publications in 1986, and most good libraries should be able to get a copy. Rear Admiral Douglas Henry Everett RN (11-13) During WWI he served in Zealandia and Resolution. He was Fleet Signal Officer Nelson, 2 Battle Sqn, Home Fleet 1932-1933, and attended the RN Staff College, Greenwich in 1934. He was Staff Officer (Operations) to Commander-in-Chief, China Station, HMS Kent from 1935 to 1937; then Executive Officer Ajax 1937-1940. During World War II he served at the battle of the River Plate. He was Chief Staff Officer to Force V, planning the invasion of Sicily 1942-1943; commanded Arbiter (aircraft carrier) in the Far East 1944-1945. After the war he was Commander-in-Chief, Hong Kong 1945-1947; commanded Duke Of York 1947-1949; Flag Officer, Ground Training 1949-1951; President of Admiralty Interview Board 1951-1952. He retired in 1952. Russell Flint (1933-35) Marine artist son of the the well known artist of the same name. Painted the 2nd World War Honours Board which hang in the Conway Chapel at Birkenhead Priory. Cmdr. Roy Francis RN (years not known) Roy's personal passionate dream, hard work and sheer determinationled him to build the mile long 101⁄4" gauge beach railway at Wells. In 1979 he started to construct the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway on the four miles of old Great Eastern track bed from Wells to Walsingham. Work was completed in 1982 and on 6th April services began on schedule making it the longest 101⁄4" narrow gauge steam railway in the world. Prince Galitzine (1959-61) Venerable Simon Golding (61-63) Archdeacon for the Royal Navy and an Honorary Chaplain to Her Majesty the Queen since March 17 1997. He was made an Honorary Canon of Gibraltar Cathedral in 1998. He was appointed Chaplain of the Fleet and Director General of the Naval Chaplaincy Service on June 1 2000.Born in Chelmsford on March 30 1946 his childhood was spent in India and he was educated in India and the United Kingdom. He attended St Xavier's School, Jaipur - the Junior School, Felsted - the Bishop's School, Poona and HMS Conway before startinga careeer at sea with BI. http://www.navynews.co.uk/articles/0006/1000060701.htm Major Sir Hamilton Goold-Adams GCMG CB (1880-83) Governor of Queensland (1915-1920) and laid the foundation stone for Brisbane City Hall. He was the first President of the Conway Club (1910-20) - an absentee landlord for five of those years! Vic Green (1940-42ish) Vic entered Conway from the Liverpool Institute about 1940 and on leaving joined the Navy as a Midshipman RNR. He was a notable character with a strong Liverpool accent and much respected by his contemporaries as a colourful "hard man. What follows is hearsay:"During the Battle of North Cape in December 1943 resulting in the sinking of Scharnhorst, Vic Green's action station was in the TS (Transmitting Station). This was the 'brain' behind the gunnery control system where all intelligence was fed: own course and speed, enemy bearing and range, etc. - all was passed through a large hand-cranked mechanical calculator to determine the settings for the guns. Situated deep in the bowels of the ship. the TS was manned in Sheffield, as in many ships at that time, by members of the Royal Marine Band. It was claustrophobic and the noise of battle pushed a young bandsman over the edge and he began to panic. Vic dealt with him by means of "physical restraint and verbal persuasion" and calm was restored to this vital element of Sheffield's capabilities. For his rapid reaction, resourcefulness and determination, Midshipman Vic Green was officially Mentioned in Dispatches and thereafter entitled to wear an oak leaf cluster on his war medal. As Doug tells the story, Vic's inate ability with his fists saved the day!" Captain Eric Hewitt RD RNR (1919-21) Last Captain of a Royal Navy floating Ship Of The Line (1949 - 1953) and of the Conway in 1949 - 1968). Sir Bushby Hewson (1917-19) High Court Judge Captain Robert Herbert Wilfred Hughes CB CSI CMG DSO RD, Hon. Brig. General. (1885-6) Robert Hughes was born in 1872 in West Derby, Liverpool. He married Kathleen Chapman from Louth, Lincolnshire. R. Hughes served in the Merchant Service between 1887 and 1899. In 1903 he joined the Colonial Civil Service Marine Department and later discovered the important deep water harbour Port Harcourt, in Nigeria. He achieved distinction in piloting HMS Challanger during the bombardment of Duala and retired in 1930. He served in South Africa, Cameroon and in the Colonial Civil Service Nigeria. . Officer of Legion of Honour, Brig. General in 1917. He died on 23/03/36.
Blair Hughes-Stanton (approx. 1915-17) A painter, wood engraver, draughtsman and teacher; born in London, son of painter Sir Herbert Hughes-Stanton, President of the Royal Society of Painters in Watercolours. He was educated at Colet Court and joined Conway at thirteen. Unable to master spelling and punctuation and after failing to get into the Royal Navy, he studied art . First at the Byam Shaw School ( 1919-22 ), then the Leon Underwood School of Painting and Sculpture , the Royal Academy School (1922-2 5 ) and later full time (1923-25). At Underwood's school he met Henry Moore and they formed a group including Eileen Agar, Gertrude Hermes and Ralph Chubb. In 1925 the group broke away from the Society of Wood Engravers and formed the English Wood Engravers Society. Hughes-Stanton married Gertrude Hermes in 1926. He succeeded John Maynard as head of the Gregynog Press in 1931 and with his second wife, Ida Graves, established the Gemini Press. He won an international prize for engraving at the Venice Biennale in 1938. During the war he worked in camouflage with the Royal Engineers, afterwards he was sent to Greece (he was captured, became a POW and was shot in the face). After the war, commissions for private press books dried up and his war wound seriously affected his three dimensional vision. He found work teaching at Westminster School of Art 1947-8 and from 1948 Hughes-Stanton was a lecturer in printmaking and drawing at the Society of Wood Engravers, St. Martins and The Central School of Art. He latterly lived in Manningtree, Essex. His wood engravings were the subject of a book, The Wood Engravings of Blair Hughes-Stanton by Penelope Hughes-Stanton
He settled in Queensland in 1963 joining the RANEM as a Captain. Since coming to Queensland he served with the Company of Master Mariners, and has been President of the United Services Institute.George was elected Patron of the Submarine Association of Queensland in 1990. Henry Douglas King PC CB CBE DSO MP (1891-93) After leaving Conway he joined the Drake Batallion of the Royal Naval Division and fought at Cape Helles in the Dardenelles campaign for which he was awarded the DSO. He then fought with the French in Flanders for which he was awarded the Croix de Guerre. After the war he became MP for N Norfolk and S Paddington. He was Financial Secretary to the War Office, Secretary to the Mines Department of the Board Of Trade. He died at sea off the Cornish coast. Cdr John D E Lewis RD RNR (1930-33) The Naval Historical Collectors & Research Association have launched an annual award in memory of the late Admiral Lord Lewin for the best publication by a member. The first award was won by John Lewis for his article 'Under Two Ensigns Or Every Dog Has His Day'. Lieutenant Arthur Glynne Lewis (Conway years not known). Arthur was the eldest son of Sir Henry and Lady Lewis, of Pendyffryn, Upper Bangor. He was educated at Friars School, Bangor, Bala Grammar School and underwent a course of training in H.M.S. Conway. His career in the Merchant Service, in which he obtained his Master's Certificate was full of incidents. He was wrecked three times, took part in the great fire at Baltimore, the Spanish Phillipino War, and the South African War. On the outbreak of the Great War he joined the Seinde Cavalry Regiment and went to India in November 1914. He later returned to France with 30th Lancers and was part of the Indian Expeditionary Force in August 1915. In 1916 he returned to India in 1916 and was at Baghdad in March 1917, and was wounded in May, and died on JuIy 10th the same year.Rowland Owen Lloyd (1893-5) He was awarded Square Rigged Certificate of Second mate at the age of 19. In 1916 he received the Order of St Stanislaus of the 3rd degree for saving many ships loaded with amunitions from a fire whilst iced up at Alexandrovsk, serving as Lieut. R.N.R. on the H.M.S. Albermarle. In 1919 he was awarded an O.B.E. for his bravery in saving many lives after the Irish Mail boat the Leinster was torpedoed in the turbulent Irish sea on 10th October 1918, whilst Captain of the Torpedo-Boat Destroyer Mallard. Captain Cyril Harrington Grere Loriard MC (Conway sometime between 1900 and 1910). He Served in the British Army in WWI but was already a Ships Captain before he went to the Army and was then commander of a range of large passenger / trading ships operating between Australia, New Guinea and the Pacific Islands. Comm. Geoffery T Marr DSC RD RNR (1922-24) Last person to command both the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. http://www.liv.ac.uk/~kinge/marr.htm John
Masefield OM D Litt LL.D Litt D (1891-94) John was born in Ledbury, Herefordshire where the family solicitor's business continues to this day. He was orphaned young and brought up by an aunt. It was aboard the Conway that Masefield's love for story telling grew. While in the ship, he listened to the stories told about sea lore. He continued to read, and felt that he was to become a writer and storyteller himself. After Conway he went to sea but to his great regret had to come ashore – he suffered extreme seasickness. His poem Roadways explains his calling for the sea. After many years in New York he returned to the UK. He served as a medical orderly in the Great War even though old enough to be exempt from military service. He became Poet Laureate in May 1930 and was judged to be ?everyone's poet and a poet's poet?. He wrote many poems about the sea and a considerable number of verses especially for the Conway including The Gulls, for the masting of the new figurehead in 1938 and to commemorate the centenary in 1959. The latter words were inscribed on the lintel of the main entrance to the New Block. He wrote of his Conway years in his book New Chum published in the UK and USA (see Bibliography); and was her official historian producing two editions of The Conway in 1933 and 1953. He was President of the Conway Club 1930 – 34. He is interred in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey. Poet Laureate: http://www.tallship.co.uk/tallship/august97/poet.htm The Masefield Society, The Frith, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 1LW, UK. They hold a Masefield festival in the first week of June in Ledbury, his birth place.
Born at Seaton Carew, County Durham in October 1876. It was during his time at sea after Conway that he discovered his interest in painting and in order to devote more time to this subject he returned to shore and studied under Albert Strange at the Scarborough School of Art. He became an official war artist during the First World War whilst serving as a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves. Between the wars he painted many commissions for shipping company especially Everards. He also designed many posters for the LNER, Great Western and NER railways. During the Second World War he worked for the Directorate of Camouflage, Naval Division. He was a prolific marine painter and his love of the sea is reflected in both his oils and watercolours. He specialised in subjects as diverse as commercial and naval vessels throughout the world to yachting regattas. He continued to live in Scarborough and painted until his death in 1965. James Moody (1904-06) 6th Officer of the Titanic. On the bridge
at the time of the sinking. He received the fateful message from the
lookouts
that there was an iceberg ahead - he Moody's last actions were recalled by Geoffrey Marcus in The Maiden Voyage. '[Chief Officer] Wilde's efforts to avert panic, maintain order and discipline, and get the last of the boats loaded and lowered to the water were valiantly supported by the youngest of the officers, James Moody. Long before this, the latter should by rights have gone away in one of the boats along with the other junior officers. But the seamen left on board were all too few as it was for the work that had to be done. Moody therefore stayed with the ship to the end and was the means of saving many a life that would otherwise have been lost.' There is a rose marble memorial plaque bearing James's name in the Church of St. Martin on the Hill, Scarborough. It bears the verse: 'Be Thou Faithful Unto Death and I Will Give to Thee a Crown of Life." There is also an altar set at St. Augustine's Church in Grimsby that is memory of James. There is an additional monument to James Moody in Woodland cemetery, Scarborough, the existence of which was known only to a few members of the Moody family. The headstone refers to his role in the Titanic disaster, and commemorates Moody's sacrifice with the words 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' It was long forgotten but a recent article in the Yorkshire Post (see Bibliography) highlighted the poor condition of the memorial. It was badly overgrown and the commemorative cross had been broken off. There is a very complete life on http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org Please also see the Friends of HMS Conway section for more information. Sqn Ldr 'Boy' Mould RAF DFC (approx 1930) Pilot who shot down the first first Luftwaffe aircraft to be shot down in France by Fighter Command in WWII. He was killed in action off Malta in October 1941 http://www.btinternet.com/~air_research/aarecent.htm Henry Edward Horatio Nelson (1909-11) Inherited title 7th Earl Nelson of Trafalgar. Lieutenant Philip Anthony Nedwill RN (approx. 1932-5) Philip was the son of William and Elsie Nedwill of Cheadle Hulme. Philip was a regular naval officer and, when in training, had been Chief Cadet Captain, at HMS Conway. The London Gazette, 31 December 1940, confirmed that Philip had been ?Mentioned in Despatches? for earlier service. His promotion to Lieutenant with effect from 1 April 1940 was not confirmed until after his death. By 1941, Philip had trained as a pilot and was part of the Fleet Air Arm crew aboard HMS Sheffield. This was a cruiser involved in the sinking of the Bismarck on 27 May. During the day, it was accidentally attacked by ?friendly fire? from aircraft flying from HMS Ark Royal. Only minor damage was suffered, but it is possible that Philip was injured and died two days later. He was 22. He is commemorated on the Lee-on-Solent Memorial. Bruce Norton (years not known) Chelmsford-born Bruce could trace his ancestry back to the time of William the Conqueror, his family coming from South Creak in Norfolk, and once while looking at the brasses in its parish church another visitor remarked that he could see a resemblance to a bearded knight. He was educated at St John's School, Billericay, and then he went to HMS Conway, where he trained to go to sea but decided to stay on land. He ran the Musketeers Wine Bar in Coggeshall before opening Langans Brasserie with Peter Langan. Standing over six feet tall and sporting a magnificent beard he was a gentle giant, one that customers - who invariably became good friends - would pour out their troubles to, and he never betrayed a confidence. Hailed as a "truly good man", few, however, knew the extent of his kindness for he was also a private and modest man. It was appropriate that he put his listening talents for the greater good, and was a telephone Samaritan, acting as chairman of its Colchester Branch. He was chairman of the Jean Norton Trust Fund for children with learning difficulties, particularly dyslexia. However, he hankered for the sea, and ran his own small fleet of coasters between England and the continent, skippering often. He also converted two Thames barges into homes for his family. Bruce also ran a chandlers and boatyard at Heybridge Basin. He died in 2002.Dennis Orme (1953-55) At one time supreme leader of the Moonies in Britain. Dennis was married in one of the first mass marriages to include Western converts presided over by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, then a little-known Korean sect leader. Dennis later become the British director of the Unification Church, and the English tabloids were full of exposes about his "sinister sect.". He eventually became disillusioned and separated from Moon and the sect. Admiral Sir Richard Peirse (1873-75) Invented the Gunnery Control System for the Royal Navy used in all capital ships with large guns. Father of Air Chief Marshall Sir Richard Pierse (1905-07). http://www.geocities.com/dutcheastindies/peirse.html
The son of Admiral Pearse. Educated at Monkton Combe, Bath, HMS Conway and King's College, London. He was Deputy Director of Operations and Intelligence during the Great War. From 1930 to 1933 he was AOC British Forces in Palestine and Transjordan. He became Deputy Chief Of The Air Staff between 1933-1936; before promotion to VCAS (1937-1940). He was AOC Bomber Command, 1940-1942; AOC-in-Chief India, 1942-1943; Allied Air C-in-C, S.E.Asia Command, 1943-1944. He retired in1945
Admiral Sir Mark C T Pizey GBE CB DSO DL (1912-15) He was one of the Navy's finest destroyer Captains. He was mentioned twice in despatches in 1941 and was awarded a DSO in 1942. That year he was awarded as bar to his DSO. In 1951 he was appointed to be C-in-C of the Royal Indian Navy and Chairman of the Indian Chiefs Of Staff. IN 1953 he was appointed KBE and in 157 GBE.His last appointment with the RN was as C-in-C Plymouth.He was made an nonorary Vice President of The Conway Club in 1993 but died shortly threafter. He presented the gavel and base used by the Club President. Rear Admiral Neil E. Rankin CB CBE (1955-58) Born 24 December 1940 and raised in East Lothian, joined the Britannia Royal Naval College in 1959, having previously been educated at Melville College, Clifton Hall, North Berwick High School and HMS Conway. Qualified both fixed and rotary wing pilot, a varied career ashore and afloat included being the first Fleet Air Arm pilot to fly the Harrier aircraft, commands of HMS Achilles, HMS Bacchante, HMS Andromeda, The Eighth Frigate Squadron and HMS Ark Royal. Retired as Flag Officer Portsmouth, having also held tri-Service command in the Falkland Islands as a Rear Admiral. Represented the Royal Navy at rugby, sailing and golf. Since leaving the service he was Chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd for three years between 1996 and 1999. He later became Chairman of Scottish Environment LINK. J C Kelly Rogers OBE FRAeS (1919-21) Pilot of the first British transatlantic air service using flying boats. They had to carry so much fuel that passengers could not be carried and loads were limited to mail. The Foyles, Ireland to Botwood\, Newfoundland leg of the journey took over 19 hours ! In spring 1941 he took delivery of the first Boeing 314A flying boat - the largest plane in the world at the time, and flew across America via New York to Shannon. From then on a regular wartime service was introduced and he carried many VIPs including Winston Churchill on several occasions. Sir Arthur Henry Rostron CXBE KBE RD RNR (1885-6) Arthur Rostron was born in Astley Bridge, Bolton, England to James and Nancy Rostron. Educated at the Bolton School from 1882 to 1883 and the Astley Bridge High School, Rostron joined Conway at the age of thirteen. After two years of training, he was apprenticed to the Waverley Line of Messrs, Williamson, Milligan. He joined Cunard in 1895. He is best known as the Master of Carpathia and rescuer of nearly 700 Titanic survivors on the morning of April
Captain Rostron is incorrectly stated in many books to have been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The error is found even in works by American authors, whom one hopes would be more familiar with their nation's highest military award. In fact, Rostron was not eligible for the award, nor had he done anything worthy of it. The Congressional Medal of Honor is reserved for persons of any nationality serving in the armed forces of the United States. What Captain Rostron received was a Congressional Gold Medal. This award dates from 1776 and the first recipient was George Washington. Each medal is awarded by its own individual Act of Congress and must be ratified by the President. Early medals were generally awarded for military valour, but after the establishment of the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1865, the award was extended to all manner of persons recognised as worthy. Recipients are as varied as Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Aaron Copland, Nelson Mandela and Frank Sinatra. The medals are of solid gold and bear on the obverse an image of the recipient. The reverse contains an image related to the action that merited the award. Rostron's medal was designed by John Flanagan, an American sculptor. Captain Rostron's award was proposed in the Senate on 28 May 1912 and was approved by a Joint Resolution of both Houses of Congress on 6 July. He was not the first British captain to be so honoured. That distinction belongs to Captain Creighton, who in 1866 was recognised for his role in the rescue of some 500 people from the wreck of the American steamer San Francisco. By the time he published his memoirs in 1931, Rostron was referring to his award as the Congressional Medal of Honour (sic) and this is probably the origin of the confusion. President William Taft presented Sir Arthur's Gold medal on March 1st 1913 at the White House. (Taft had lost the 1912 election but in those days the outgoing President did not retire until March 4th). Captain Rostron was also awarded the American Cross of Honor. This decoration was given by the Society of the American Cross of Honor, an organisation devoted to recognising bravery in the saving of life in non-military situations. The medal was frequently awarded for rescues at sea. There was also British involvement and the gold version of the decoration was sometimes awarded on the recommendation of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. This is probably the reason for the medal being presented to Captain Rostron at the British Embassy, also on March 1st 1913. He was also awarded a medal from the Liverpool Shipwreck and Humane Society and a gold medal from the Shipwreck Society of New York. Vice Admiral Sir C. W. R. Royds (1890-92) Scott's First Officer on the RMS Discovery during his first Antarctic Expedition. Cape Royds is named after him and is also the location of Shakleton's hut. After a long Naval career he went on to become Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. There is a tablet to his memory in Brompton Parish Church Captain Henry Seymour-Biggs (years not known) Helped establish Canadians joining the RAF - "The Biggs Boys": http://www.islandnet.com/~magazine/9511/9511bigg.htm
Kenneth Shoesmith RI (1906-08)
David Reynolds wrote a book about him "Kenneth Shoesmith and Royal Mail" ISBN 0 620 19485 5 published in 1982 (2nd edition 1992) by Bygone Ships,Trains & Planes, PO Box 844, Pretoria, South Africa.
Lieutenant Commander Bernard M. Skinner (1930-32) Captain of HMS Amythist and killed in action during the "Yangtse Incident" in 1957
Captain David Smith RN (1942-44) Patron of the Conway Club. Elder Brethen of Trinity House, and former Warden and Chief Executive. Longest serving Conway Club Committee Member, over 50 years. Longest serving President of the Conway Club - over 10 years. Captain Donald Stewart (1920s) In 1944 he was on the Blue Funnel ship
Automedon when it was raided by the Atlantic and subsequently sunk.
After the other officers were killed he played a key part in trying
to stop the Germans finding important secret documents which ultimately
led to the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Details of his involvement are
well documented and it would appear that he was very brave. http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/indexframe.html Ken Strange ( Conway approx. 1937-1939 ) At seventeen, just before World War II Ken finished two years in Conway and moved to the USA where the U.S. Navy sent him to officer's training at Swarthmore. He shipped out on the USS Ranger, which patrolled the North African coast, and, at 20, was made Chief Ordnance Officer on the USS Intrepid. During his tour of duty, the Intrepid and its crew survived a kamikaze attack in the South Pacific, returning on its own to San Francisco for repairs. He returned from WWII a changed man. Though he had physically survived the war, he was spiritually wounded. It was his Uncle Earnest, who loved him like a son, who urged him to pursue his art, above all else, or in spite of it. And so Ken applied and was accepted into the Boston Museum School. Raoul Dufy and his explorations of colour and line, were his greatest influence. His Seagulls painted in 1964 will have a special resonance for OCs. A retrospective of his life and works can be found here: http://cedarkeynews.com/Arts+and+Entertainment/702.html
Gp. Capt. T. Q Studd DL DFC (1909-11) His achievements were very special being CCC, Gold Medallist, commissioned officer in all 3 services, first person to fly from North Wales to Ireland, his flying license number was # 50 in RFC. An interesting side line he taught Douglas Bader to fly !! Captain L.J.Thompson (1939-41) Bowman of the No 1 Motor Boat that rescued the 45 crew from the s.s. Tacoma City which was blown up by a magnetic mine near the Conway in March 1941. During his voyage at the age of 18 on the Blue Star m.v. Dunedin Star he was shipwrecked and rescued from the notorious Skeleton Coast in SW Africa. These exploits are covered in the book and film 'Skeleton Coast'. In 2000 he published his own account of the adventure entitled 'The Loss of a Ship'. He served twice as President of the Conway Club, between 1986-90 and 1992-96, and has been chairman of the HMS Conway Trust from 1988 to 2005. Rev Edward Turner (Conway Chaplain) Ran in the 1948 Olympic Games held in London competing in the Marathon Duke Of Vallombrosa (1947-49)
Author of British Columbia Place Names (Their Origin And History). "Sometimes Captain Walbran would read divine service on Sundays to the assembled ship's company. But there was nothing pompous about the captain of the Quadra, he was a man of warmth and charm who was welcomed wherever he went." In 1892, Captain John T. Walbran assumed command of the Canadian government steamship Quadra in which, for the next twelve years, he explored the British Columbia coastline, making maps, servicing lighthouses, searching for missing ships, erecting beacons, etc. His fascination with the history of the region soon became focused on the origins of B.C. place names and, in 1896, he began writing a book on the subject. He researched existing print and manuscript material, and was very good at coaxing anecdotal stories from "living sources."
Capt W E 'Bil' Warwick CBE RD RNR (1926-28) (note he insisted on Bil not Bill) First Master of the QEII and previous Master of the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mary. Subsequently became Commodore of Cunard Line. Father of Capt Ron Warwick.
Captain W.E. 'Ron' Warwick (1956-57) Recently retired as Commodore of Cunard and first Captain of the new QMII. Son of Capt Bil Warwick. Previously Captain of the QEII
Capt. Matthew 'Chummy'
Webb (1860-62) After Conway he served a three- year apprenticeship with Rathbone Brothers of Liverpool. Whilst serving as second mate on the Cunard ship 'Russia', travelling from New York to Liverpool, he attempted to rescue a man overboard by diving into the sea in mid-Atlantic. The man was never found, but Webb's daring won him an award of £100 and the Stanhope Gold Medal, and made him a hero of the British press. In 1873 Webb was serving as captain of the steamship 'Emerald' when he read an account of the failed attempt by J. B. Johnson to swim the English Channel. He became inspired to try himself, and left his job to begin training, first at Lambeth Baths, then in the cold waters of the Thames and the English Channel.First man to swim the Channel from England to France. The route from France to England had much more favourable tides and so had been swum many times. Webb's route was much more difficult. It is estimated that with tidal drift he swam approximately 50 miles. He swam in his red Conway bathing shorts. After many other long distance races and endurance swims over many years he died attempting to swim the rapids below Niagara Falls. At Conway he was regarded as a long distance or endurance swimmer rather than a racer. The Captain Webb Memorial Shield (for swimming) was competed for annually by cadets, see Relics section. http://www.shropshiremining.org.uk/captwebb.shtml Sir Clive R Woodward (1969-74) Now coach of the England Rugby Union team, previously an international rugby player. He was awarded the OBE in June 2003. He was knighted in 2004 for his services to rugby after England won the rugby World Cup. A summary of his career is here.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/Sport/Rugby_Union/2000-03/woodward270300.shtml Vice Admiral Sir Peter Woodhead (1954-57)
John Bligh (1966-69) Rugby (schoolboy), England. D G Chapman (1922-24) Represented Great Britain in the 4 by 400 m at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Walter Elliot MP (years not known) Rugby, England. Dai Phillips (1968-71) Rugby, Wales. Padre E Turner ran the Marathon for Great Britain in the London Olympic Games. AT Young Scrum Half for England RUFC throughout 1924 Sir Clive Woodward (1969-74) Rugby, England.
Written by Hugh Godwin (tel: 07968 392688) of the Independent on Sunday for the December 2003 issue of International Rugby News magazine.
Clive Woodward's road to success has not always been smooth. It might have led to a life in uniform, but almost from the off a love of sport and the application to it of business techniques have combined to sweep England's coach to World Cup glory.
The Early DaysWoodward's father was an RAF pilot, and while the family were stationed in Linton-on-Ouse near York, 10-year-old Clive watched on TV as Bobby Moore lifted the football World Cup at Wembley and attended York City matches at Bootham Crescent. But at 13 he went to HMS Conway on Anglesey, a boarding school originally intended to turn out members of the merchant navy. There, young Clive not only got into the athletics team but switched from round ball to oval and played alongside a fly-half called Iain Duncan-Smith in the school's first XV.
Chris Plummer, another old 'Conway Cadet', told IRN: "Clive was immensely talented as a sportsman. I am a couple of years older, and when I was 20 I remember telling one of our committee at Birkenhead Park, and a member of the RFU Committee, that he should look out for this lad. He was suitably unimpressed! Clive certainly did not need any assistance from me to further his rugby credentials. "He played in the Conway 1st XV when in the fifth form in 1972 and obviously right through the sixth. As 'Dunc' (later to be known as IDS) was the stand-off he [Woodward] was a centre or generally able to play anywhere in the backs - a very good kicker. "He was a good all-rounder and well able to get on with the senior cadets. I can quite see the Conway training in his approach to leadership." The motto of the school was 'Quit ye like men, be strong'.
Exams, England and EmigrationOn leaving school Woodward attended Loughborough University, where he gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sports Science followed by a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education. "Teaching...is in my blood," he said in 2003.
From university Woodward joined Rank Xerox and began playing for Leicester. His England debut was as a replacement against Ireland in 1980 (Jonny Wilkinson would follow suit 18 years later), and he won 21 caps up to 1984, including 14 in the centres alongside Tigers club-mate Paul Dodge. Woodward toured with the Lions in 1980 (playing two Tests, one at wing, one at centre) and 1983.
He left Xerox in 1985 at the age of 29 and emigrated to Australia with his second wife Jayne Betts. There he was offered the post of national sales director for Portfolio Leasing, a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company. He played for the Sydney Premier Grade side, Manly, and enjoyed the less confined rugby lifestyle, albeit that he broke his jaw in a derby match against fierce rivals Warringah. "He was a good guy and a good rugby player," Manly's then coach, Rob Lane, recently told the Evening Standard, "but I bet he's still not much of a [surf] board rider."
On Board as a CoachReturning to the UK in 1990, Woodward established his own leasing company, Sales Finance Ltd. Business and rugby were moving closer together - he was a man of his times. Having broken his leg twice while playing, Woodward turned his attention to coaching.
The Henley RFC website records: "Henley's fortunes stood still until Woodward became the first team coach in 1990. His introduction of the 'flat ball' philosophy was a pioneering event for British rugby and not only brought promotion in 1992 but captured the imagination of English rugby. As a result Henley gained a further promotion in 1994 to the National Leagues and after Woodward departed to coach London Irish, Henley won two further promotions in 1997-98 and 1998-99."
Over at Sunbury, the Irish also began playing more attractive rugby, though Woodward never quite immersed himself in the Exiles' easy-going philosophy. Kieron McCarthy, Irish's long-serving team secretary, recalled a fabulous weekend of carousing in France: "I think Clive actually smiled about six times". Woodward himself would joke after the World Cup win: "I ought to be knighted for coaching London Irish for three years!"
Next stop was Bath, and a short spell as a 'consultant' coach, which ended in August 1997 when Woodward was asked to become the first ever full time England coach, in succession to Jack Rowell.
He encountered an amateur way of doing things that had been partially eroded by previous manager Geoff Cooke, but needed more work yet. The epitome of the conflict between full-time players and part-time administration was the June 1998 'Tour of Hell'. A club v country conflict was inevitable. But under trying circumstances, Woodward proved himself a man of action. In Cape Town, before the inevitable fourth Test defeat out of four, he marched his squad out of the Holiday Inn hotel and into the Mount Nelson, booking 20 rooms on his personal credit card.
Spring 1999 brought wins over Scotland, Ireland and France to set up a Grand Slam. Against Wales at Wembley England raced to three tries by Dan Luger, Steve Hanley and Richard Hill, but Shane Howarth and, famously, Scott Gibbs crossed for Wales in a 32-31 upset. In the World Cup in the autumn England lost both the important matches, against New Zealand at Twickenham, and South Africa in Paris.
Strike-breaker Takes on the WorldSo the southern hemisphere's grip over England was as strong as ever. But Woodward had other ideas, some of them gained from an unlikely source. On his personal website - 'Clive Woodward's Winning' - the coach explained: "One of the keys to my success came from...a self-confessed 'crazy dentist' from Australia, Dr Paddi Lund".
Lund replaced his reception desk with a caf? bar and espresso machine. The patients' waiting room was abandoned in favour of personal lounges, with tea served on Royal Doulton china. England players became used to similar treatment when the team abandoned Bisham Abbey for their preparations in favour of the five-star Pennyhill Park hotel in Surrey. Woodward had two training pitches and a bespoke fitness room installed. All England players were given a laptop computer to receive the coach's frequent e-mails. Yet the close-knit harmony that would become a feature of the World Cup victory was almost obliterated in November 2000. England's players, seeking a better deal over match fees and image rights, threatened to go on strike. Woodward confronted his players and promised to field a second division team against Argentina if necessary. There were stories that younger squad members received 'back down or never play again' messages on their mobile phones. The strike was off.
Woodward banished Phil Greening to Sevens after losing the 2001 Grand Slam in Dublin, and Richard Cockerill all together when the Leicester hooker wrote a stingingly critical book. Not a word against Woodward has been seen in print since.
By June 2002, though another Slam had gone west in France, Woodward was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours. He won a concession of sorts with the still recalcitrant clubs by gaining 20 training days for England in the 2002-03 season. The World Cup build-up, estimated to cost anything up to ?30m, was under way.
Woodward kept innovating. He could not push through a new 'all-in-one' body suit for the World Cup, settling instead for the skin-tight Nike jerseys. The players were told to change their kit at half-time to concentrate minds for the second half. In the Twickenham dressing rooms an all-English haven was decorated with stirring slogans on the walls next to individual nameplates in oak.
In July 2003, now with a full squad, England went to New Zealand and Australia and won. Woodward agreed a four-year extension to his RFU contract. Next was the World Cup - and history made.
The LegacyThough referred to as coach, Woodward is more of a manager or facilitator, giving the most important people - the players - the best chance of achieving their potential. Fools are not suffered, gladly or otherwise. Already the Lions chairman, Bill Beaumont, has said he wants his old England team-mate to lead the tour to New Zealand in 2005. Woodward's style of play? There was a brashness about England between 1999 and 2001, yet the Grand Slam was elusive. A more pragmatic approach marked the team of 2002 and 2003, and it won them the World Cup. England always had the most players, the most cash and, albeit largely untapped, the natural work ethic to become dominant worldwide. It could be argued that any coach with common sense and the backing of the RFU could have improved the bad old ways of England selection and preparation. The bald fact is that Clive Woodward made it happen.
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sort
of tropical duty. He needed to earn a living and so took up writing
and journalism - at one time he was sent to interview Haile Selassie,
the Emperor of Ethiopa.
Captain
George Hunt DSO DSC RAN (1920-22) was born in Scotland in
1916, At the age of 14 he commenced Royal
Navy Reserve training at HMS Conway. During the period 1930 he served
variously with the Royal Navy in cruisers and merchant shipping companies
such as The Blue Funnel Line as a junior officer. 1937
saw him serving in a Cruiser with the RN. As
part of the preparation for war in 1938 he was selected along with 100
others to serve full time with the RN.In 1939 he was a survivor from
the submarine UNITY when she was rammed and sunk in the North Sea. In
1940 he was appointed second in command of HM Submarine Proteus. During
the period 1940/41 Proteus sank 12 ships and eventually the submarine
"retired hurt" after a collision with
an Italian Cruiser.In 1942 he qualified for Command and later that year
took Command of HMS Ultor until the end of 1944. During that period
Captain HUNT sank 28 ships, was awarded 2 DSO's, 2 DSC's and was Mentioned
in Despatches twice. George Hunt rose to the rank of Commodore and eventually
retired in 1960 when he joined the RAN Emergency list at the rank of
Captain. During his final years in the RN he served as "Teacher"
in the Submarine Service which meant he had the responsibility for training
and qualifying submarine Commanding Officers. Other appointments included
"In Command" of a Destroyer and the 7th Frigate Squadron an
appointment in the NATO Area, Chief of Staff to Flag Officer Submarines
and finally Senior Naval Officer West Indies as a Commodore (One star).
Frank
Henry Mason RBA RI (1880-82) 
had earlier told them to be on
special lookout for them. He initiated the first avoiding action. 5th
officer Harold Godfrey Lowe had an encounter with Moody while they filled
boats 14 & 16. Lowe remarked that he had seen 5 boats lowered, and
one of the next 2 ought to have an officer. Moody answered, "You
go. I will get in another boat" (Lynch 121). Lowe survived, Moody
did not. After overseeing the safe loading of a number of lifeboats,
he was last seen alone on deck. There is a special Titanic exhibition
in the Merseyside Maritme Museum, including the Conway's Moody Cup.
Air
Chief Marshal Sir Richard Edmund Charles Peirse KCB DSO AFC
(1905-07) 
15th 1912. As
the result of his efforts to reach the Titanic before it sank, and his
preparations for and conduct of the rescue of the survivors, Captain
Rostron was lionized as a hero. Rostron testified about the events the
night Titanic sank at both the U.S. Senate inquiry and the British Board
of Trade's inquiry into the disaster. Titanic survivors, including Margaret
Brown, presented Rostron with a silver cup and gold medal for his efforts
the night Titanic sank. He went on to become Master of Mauretania
and holder of the Blue Ribband for the west-east Atlantic crossing.
After World
War I was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
He was made the commodore of the Cunard fleet before retiring in 1931.
There is a very complete life on
http://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org (type Rostron in search box).
Kenneth was born
in Halifax in Yorkshire, grew up in Blackpool. Despite showing early
artistic talent he decided on a career at sea and became a Conway cadet.
After Conway he joined the Royal Mail Line but continued his enthusiasm
for drawing and painting. He was mainly self-taught but did take a correspondence
course early in his career. Like many artists his style changed considerably
during his life. In his early years he had a natural flowing style but
he developed a more 'Art Deco' style later. At some point he left the
sea and between the wars he worked for the publishers Thomas Forman.
They produced all 
Cunard's postcards and Shoesmith created many very
well known images for them. He also designed posters for a number of
other companies including the Royal Mail Line.OCs
wil now him best for his illustration that graces the cover of Masefiled's
The Conway and for for his beautiful picture "The Training Ship
Conway at Rock Ferry, in the Mersey"
He painted 1st War Honours Board which hangs in Birkenhead Priory. He
was prolific artist and his works
included several large pieces for the old Queen Mary, including an altarpiece,
The Madonna of the Atlantic for the Cabin Class Drawing Room (see left).
He also produced the screen of harbour scenes that covered the altarpiece
when the room was not in use as a chapel. These are still on display
in the Queen Mary at Long Beach, California. He was famous for
his marine posters advertising pre-war Trans-Atlantic Liners.His style
of representing ocean liners became instantly recognisable and is still
copied to this day. A collection of over 300 items of his work is in
the Ulster Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland. An internet search using
his name generates many links to dealers selling posters of his works.One
of his posters is available through: 
Captain John T Walbran (1862 - 64)
