Seafarers’ charity chief discovers personal sea tragedy

The head of a maritime charity has unearthed a personal link to the north-east of Scotland, which happened through a naval wartime tragedy.

Stuart Rivers is the chief executive of the Sailors’ Society, an organisation which cares for seafarers when they suffer trauma at sea and offers counselling to bereaved families when they lose loved ones.

The charity works internationally to provide practical, emotional and spiritual support to the world’s estimated 1.6million seafarers, regardless of background and faith.

In which light, Mr Rivers knows all about the realities of life for those who ply their trade on the blue yonder, frequently in challenging conditions, and at risk from the vagaries of the conditions and climate.

But he didn’t realise his family had experienced their own loss until earlier this year when his cousin in Canada sent him the harrowing details of a World War II incident, which led to the death of his grandfather.

William Ross, a fisherman from Aberdeen, was one of 34 men killed when the trawler on which he was working, HMS Ullswater, was torpedoed in the English Channel. He was 43.

The vessel was sunk near Eddystone Lighthouse by heavily-armed German S-boats while it was trying to defend a convoy of merchant ships on November 19, 1942.

It was a terrible disaster, compounded by the fact that, even as the ship sank, the German boats went on to torpedo Norwegian steamer SS Lab and British craft SS Yewforest and SS Birgitte. They all sank within a matter of minutes and the heavy toll of casualties reflected the scale of the heroism which was displayed by so many sailors during the hostilities from within the merchant ranks.

Mr Rivers is no stranger to heartbreaking chapters of sacrifice, but he has understandably been affected by his close connection to this particular episode in the conflict, even after three-quarters of a century.

He said: “While it is very sad to have never met my grandfather in person, I feel that I am now starting to understand what a great man he was through his service to king and country.

“Because my work involves supporting those who have been affected by trauma at sea, this has given me greater insight into just how devastating my grandfather’s loss must have been for my grandmother and mother as a child.”

Mr Ross’s courage under fire has been commemorated at the Royal Naval Patrol Service War Memorial at Sparrow’s Nest in Lowestoft.

And his memory will never be forgotten by Mr Rivers, even as the society continues to have a presence in 91 global ports, with wider projects and services covering 27 countries.

Stuart Rivers discovered his grandfather, William Ross, was killed during a WWII naval attack