VALE

CENTRE

FOR

VOLUNTARY

SERVICES

BARRY WORLD WAR ONE

Barry: WW1 In 1881, Barry had 484 inhabitants. Barry Docks opened in 1886 and by 1901 the population was 27,000, limited only by the speed of house building. The majority of these were not from Wales: they were from all over the UK and the world.

In 1901 Barry was no longer a village. Barry Town was born, and so were its first generation of Welsh children. Their parents may have been from all over the world but they are the generation that created the Barry that now exists. Regardless of race, faith or origin they are Welsh, and their children learn Welsh in Barry schools. Amongst this new generation of Barry born Welsh people are the girls that became wives and the boys who went to War, many of whom did not return. This presentation focuses on the seaman of the Mercantile Marine (which

later became the Merchant Navy..

The Shame

of War

One of the scandals of World War 1 was the decision

made by the German High Command that passenger

ships were legitimate targets. However, a far

greater shame was the targeting of hospital ships by

the submarine fleet.

A Family

and the

Mercantile

Marine

This family’s story shows how the new Welsh of

Barry gave to their country.

14 to 66

years old

This presentation focuses on the Seaman, the

youngest and oldest Barry men who died in World

War 1 were from the Mercantile Marine.

SS Ribstone

Sunk by a submarine 66 miles W of Fastnet

16/7/1917

Their parents were from all over the world

Frederick Bubbins

THE SHAME OF WAR

One of the scandals of World War 1 was the decision made by

the German High Command that passenger ships were legitimate

targets. This brought the USA into the war when the Lusitania was

sunk. However, a far greater shame was the targeting of hospital

ships by the submarine fleet. One such ship was the Glenart Castle

sunk 10 miles west of Lundy Island. No warning was issued and

the ship was not defensively armed. 162 died, including J Kennie

from Barry. Evidence was found suggesting that the submarine

may have shot at initial survivors of the sinking in an effort to

cover up the sinking of Glenart Castle. The body of a junior officer

from the Glenart Castle was recovered from the water close to the

position of the sinking. It was marked with two gunshot wounds,

one in the neck and the other in the thigh. The body also had a life

vest indicating he was shot while in the water. Kapitanleutnant

Wilhelm Kiesewetter — the commander of UC-56 — was arrested

after the war on his voyage back to Germany and interned in the

Tower of London. He was released on the grounds that the British

had no right to hold a detainee during the armistice.

A FAMILY AND THE WAR

Samuel Bubbins from Lancashire had two wives (Mary Ann Jones and Eliza Ann Heaven) and 12 children all born in Barry. This family’s story shows how the new Welsh of Barry gave to their country, Mary Ann's two youngest sons dying at 15 (Albert) and 16 years of age (Samuel) on ships sunk by submarines.

This presentation focuses on the Seaman. The youngest and the

oldest Barry men who died in World War One were from the

Mercantile Marine, aged 14 to 66 years old. They had no pension,

their wages stopped when the ship sank (even if they survived)

and there was no compensation for their families. These working

class men were so important that the Government introduced

legislation stopping them joining the Army, supported by a

distinct identity card with their picture on.

William

BARTLETT

(20)

B. COLSON

(49)

Charles

WILSON

(24)

Zania

COUTSOUDIS

(58)

John Owen

VINCENT

(28)

Charles

CROWDEN

(23)

George

LIXTON

(19)

Joseph

KAYS (32)

Benjamin

Charles

EVANS

George

Mansel

DURBIN

John

KONCHERSIS

(58)

Francis

KEMP (28)

George

TAYLOR

(21)

SS RIBSTON

Sunk by submarine

66 miles off Ushant,

Finistère, Brittany

25 lives lost

16th July 1917

Barry WW1 They were from all over the world