Staff - Crew & Others

As with all military personnel it was commonplace for individuals to gain nicknames. The number and range of a person’s nicknames were directly proportional to the regard in which they were held so John Brooke-Smith must have been highest in our affections. It is interesting how perceptions of some longer-serving members of staff changed over the years as their nicknames indicate. Members of the crew are listed below by name and nickname.

There are photos of many member so staff for whom I have no names. See them here. If you know any of them please email them to me.

Many of the crew in the 50s were Chinese on loan from Blue Funnel. The following report was made by a party of Bangor Boy Scouts visiting the ship during the school holidays early in the 50s "The tender's crew were quite fearsome to behold. They were all Chinese and none of them were clothed from the waist up. This displayed, in their full glory, the numerous bodily mutilations they had sustained during their earlier careers - prior to capture by the Royal Navy! - as pirates on the China Seas ! Huge scars, missing fingers, ears and noses were everywhere. None of them seemed to have escaped the effects of fighting with cutlasses. Despite their fearsome appearance, they were very friendly and treated us boys like little princes whilst we were aboard."

NAME Forename & (Nicknames)	Service	Photo
BALL Earnie	At least 1962-63 Bosun's mate
BASHAM Mrs (Mrs B / Mother)	At least 1964 to ??? Ran the tuck shop at Plas Newydd. “Arguably the most important figure of the whole Ship. She ran the off-duty tuck-shop and canteen situated in an old stable block. She lived in the house by the main gate and had an attractive daughter who also helped in the tuck-shop). She was the mother to all of us and a wonderful person. The food was homely and glorious, the atmosphere the same. She would open the back door and allow us to smoke behind the tuck-shop, giving us ample warning (unfortunately not the day I got caught) should an officer or anti-smoking Rate should appear. God bless her.”
BOWLES Leslie	1946 to 1957 Chief Engineer In 1949 Leslie travelled in the ship to the new mooring off Plas Newydd. He was also aboard when she was wrecked on the Platters in 1953. He remained on the staff for a further 4 years or so, maintaining the boilers that heated the huts, classrooms, etc. In 2015 he donated his collection of Conway artefacts to The Friends of HMS Conway. A short profile is here. Mention in a BBC feature
BUNNELL James	1881 Second Cook
BUTCHER Mrs Margaret	1952 Aug to at least 1965 Captain's Secretary Replaced Miss Hughes.
BUTLER Henry Michael	Apprenticed to the ship as a Ship's Carpenter. After qualifying and a few years away from the ship he returned as Shipwright and a Carpenter Instructor. He was in the ship in 1953 when she foundered. Link
COOK Mr	1966 Sep Victualling Officer Replaced Porter.
DREW Mr T and Mrs	Feb 1915 to 1927 Ran Conway House (infirmary) at Rock Ferry and tended the adjacent playing fields until his death. Obituary 1927
ELLICK John	At least 1881 Ward Room Steward
FORDER Charles	At least 1881 Captain's Steward
FRASER-SMITH Mrs L A	??? to 1971 Apr Domestic Bursar Left to become Dep Matron at an old people's home near Lichfield.
HACKETT Miss A M	At least 1970 Headmaster's Secretary
HAND Richard George (Dic)	?? but at least 1949 to 1953 Engineer "I think probably he was in charge of the maintenance gang, looked after the generator and all things mechanical, like power boats. He left in 1953 just before the the ill fated voyage to Birkenhead and went "back to sea" with Liverpool and North Wales Steamship Company on their St.Trillo. He had a 1st Class Steam and Motor Certificate and spent all his life at sea. He retired at 71 from the St Trillo and died in 1979. He spoke very highly of Capt Goddard, not quite so of Eric Hewitt. Whether he was there when the ship moved from Bangor to Plas Newydd I do not know.  He was there when Eric Hewitt joined as Staff Captain." Capt Lewis Pritchard
HUGHES Miss (Brenda)	Approx 1945 to 1952 Aug Captain's Secretary "Always cheerful, always efficient, always charming". Like all land based members of staff she accessed the ship from Bangor Pier. She must have been a young woman as cadets sought to "walk out" with her along the pier. At first this was a punishable offence but later it was tolerated. She left to get married and was replaced by Mrs Butcher.
HUGHES Mrs	At least 1950 Summer to ??? Headmaster's Secretary Missed the summer term because of sickness and had an operation in Cardiff
HUGHES Miss	??? to 1971 Aug Assistant Domestic Bursar Moved to Radnorshire as Schools' Meals Orgainser.
HUNT James	Early 1900s Seaman Brother of Moses, they were described as “two old man of war men”
HUNT Moses	Early 1900s Seaman Brother of James, they were described as “two old man of war men”
JOHNSON Miss J A	??? to 1959 Apr Captain's Secretary Resigned to get married.
JONES Miss Margaret	1967 Jan to ??? Assistant Domestic Bursar Resigned to get married.
JONES MrsD A	1971 Sep to ??? Domestic Bursar Moved to Radnorshire as Schools' Meals Orgainser.
KELLY Stanley	1921 Pantry Boy, later Scullery Hand Obituary 1927
LEWIS-JONES J	??? to at least 1967 Waages Officer Took over form LLoyd Williams.
LOWE Edward	At least 1881 Ship's Steward
MENZIES Bert	Years not known but obvioulsy prior to 1941 Head Cook on board "Looked like Robert Newton as a pirate cook. Pockmarked face and all. He lived in terror of the Kelly Gang in Liverpool and we reckoned he was ‘hiding out’ in Conway."
OWEN F RN (Bullshit, Spike)	At least 1953 to 1966 Aug Bosun Taught Seamanship and Signals The Dock was the domain of the bosun and his mate, “Bullshit” Owen and Ernie Ball respectively, who lived in a snug room above the bosun’s store in a stone building that also housed the seamanship room. Mr Owen, a small wiry North Walian, regarded us with shrewd circumspection, given to the utterance of homilies on anything from the handling of rope to the hazards of cold stonework: “You’ll get piles sitting on them cold stones, boy. Oh, yes – and then you’ll remember me – “ turning to Ernie, always a pace or two in the offing “ – won’t he, Ernie?” But Ernie – stolid West Country, apple-cheeked and slow-spoken – never answered beyond a slow smile and a nod, and we wondered just how far he saw through Mr Owen’s pose, as we liked to think it. The pose was, of course, old sea-dog. But he was a kindly man, very patient with a cadet’s apparent imbecility, though the patience was leavened with mild sarcasm. “A splice, is it, boy? Well, you could keep a small parrot in it with room to flap its wings. Give me that spike. Now look – " He would always check if you had your knife on you. He called it a “canif” (French of a pocket knife) and after saying canif would say “knifey” Retired
PARRY H	At least 1953 to 1966 Aug Seaman Retired
PORTER Mr	Early 1964 to 1966 Sep (served approx., 2.5 years) Victualling Officer.
POWERS J	At least 1936 to at least 1940 Bosun Taught Seamanship
RADCLIFFE Thomas	At least 1881 Ship's Carpenter
READ T W	??? to 1895 Feb 7th Ship's Treasurer and Bookeeper Obituary
ROBERTS Mr R S	1948-50 Victualling Superintendent Lived and was buried in Amlwch. Six cadets were his pallbearers. Obituary 1950
SCOTT Mrs	1970 to at least 1971 School Secretary
SHEPHERD William (Simon)	1913 to 1953 Assistant Steward 1953 to 1962.Nightwatchman  Our longest serving member of staff with a total of 49 years of service. Obituary The Cadet 196
SIMMES Miss Catrina/Katrina	At least 1971 Position not known
STANLEY Miss F G	1971 Sep 15th to ??? Assistant Domestic Bursar
TAPPS	1961 to ??? Husband and wife team recorded as "the catering managers". Assume they ran the cateen post Walters?
TAYLOR "Andy Capp"	1059 to 1961 at least Carpenter but also cut all the grass everywhere. When Tosh Neal called him Mr Capp he replied "If you call me that again I will Capp you round the lughole"
TEDDER RN Rtd	1971 Jun to ??? Bursar Appointed to replace Wye Served in RN for 20 years. Qualified aeronautical electrical engineer.
"Tommy"	??? to at least 1963 Fitter
WALTERS Mrs	Late 1920s - 1960 Assisted by her husband they: - ran the sanatorium (Conway House) at Rock Ferry - then the sanatorium at Bryn Mel, Anglesey. - finally sick bay at Plas Newydd. Before Conway she had beeen Matron of a small hospital.
WALTERS Mr (Taffy)	Late 1920s - 1960 Assisted by his wife (see Sick Bay) they: - ran the sanatorium (Conway House) at Rock Ferry - then the sanatorium at Bryn Mel, Anglesey. At Plas Newydd the ran the tuck-shop cum café. Known for his cry “One baked beans on toast and a cup of Caaaawwfee”. Before Conway he had been a miner but left that because of poor health. Retirement 1960
WARBIS William	??? to Jul 1905 Carpenter Instructor Joined from Price’s Candle Works. Left to join Messrs Morgan and Blakeman.
WILLIAMS Charlotte	At least 1881 Domestic Servant
WILLIAMS John Bullis	At least 1932 Ship's Carpenter. Made The King's Model with help from cadets.
WILLIAMS Mr  Lloyd	approx., 1946-7 to 1966 Sep Bosun Retired aged 65 after almost 20 years service. Joined as Victualling Officer, later became Wages & Recordss Officer
WILLIAMS Mr	At least 1959 to at least 1965 Galley Manager
WILLIAMS Mr  N L	1966 Sep Bosun Replaced Owen.
WILLIAMSON John	1914 to Jul 1919. Nightwatchman A Master Mariner "He had captained ... many fine sailing ships". Described as "... in spite of his weight he was an active and well preserved man." He died aged 76. Obituary here.
WOOD	Circa 1953 Role not known. Link
WYE Lt E A G RN Rtd	1967 Jan to 1971 Jun Bursar Appointed to replace the defunct office of Captain's Secretary. Left to become Assistant Bursar at St Catherine's College Cambridge by which time his rank had become Commander. Mention in the College Magazine Sep 1972