The interesting Second World War St. Lucia British West Indies Merchant Seaman’s “War Services” King’s Birthday Honours June 1946 British Empire Medal group awarded to Donkeyman and Greaser Gilbert Cox, B.E.M., Merchant Navy. An Afro-Carribean from St Lucia, British West Indies, he saw service aboard merchant ships from the early 1920s, and was variously employed as a fireman and later a donkeyman and greaser. In February 1940 he joined the S.S. Trewellard, a transport vessel of the Hain Steamship Company. As such he appears to have been aboard her when sailing across the Atlantic as part of Convoy HX-84 bound from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and escorted by the armed merchantman H.M.S Jervis Bay, the spotter plane for the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer spotted the convoy on 5 November 1940. The Jervis Bay was the only defence, and she was soon sunk, her commanding officer, Captain Edward Fegen being posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. Fegen sacrificed his ship and his life in a vain attempt to give the convoy time to disperse and get away. This failed, and after sinking the Jervis Bay, the Admiral Scheer caught up with the merchant vessels, and sank with gunfire six of them, one of which was the Trewellard, confirmed as sunk on 5 November 1940. Of her crew of approximately 40 men, some 14 lost their lives, but 25 survivors got into three boats and were later picked up by the steamship S.S. Gloucester City. Cox is believed to have been one of those rescued. He returned to sea service in July 1941, and despite his being discharged from his ship for refusing duty on 16 January 1943, he nevertheless served in ten vessels during the war when employed in the Atlantic, home waters and the Mediterranean. It was whilst he was aboard his last vessel, the S.S. Nyanza, that he was put forward for the British Empire Medal, with this award being announced in the King’s Birthday Honours List during June 1946. Cox continued to serve aboard merchant vessels as a Donkeyman and Greaser through into the early 1950s.
Group of 5: British Empire Medal, GVI GRI 1st type cypher, Civil Division; (GILBERT COX); 1939-1945 Star; Atlantic Star; Africa Star with North Africa 1942-43 Clasp; War Medal. Mounted swing style for wear on original ribbons with a cloth backing as per the recipient’s choice.
Condition: light edge bruising to first at 6 o’clock, overall Good Very Fine or better.
Gilbert Cox was born on 15 March 1899 in St Lucia, British West Indies, and was a black Afro-Caribbean. Cox first joined the Merchant Navy in November 1921, and was employed as a Fireman aboard the S.S. Grelwen circa September 1925. He would serve on numerous vessels through to the outbreak of the Second World War, by which time he was generally rated as a Donkeyman and Greaser, and was serving aboard the S.S. Umberleigh (No.149912), a vessel of the Tatem Steam Navigation Company Ltd of London.
On 25 February 1940 he joined the crew of the S.S. Trewellard (No.164680), a transport vessel of the Hain Steamship Company. As such he appears to have been aboard her when sailing across the Atlantic as part of Convoy HX-84 bound from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and escorted by the armed merchantman H.M.S Jervis Bay, the spotter plane for the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer spotted the convoy on 5 November 1940. The Jervis Bay was the only defence, and she was soon sunk, he commanding officer, Captain Edward Fegen being posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. At this early stage in the war convoys had little defence, and Fegen sacrificed his ship and his life in a vain attempt to give the convoy time to disperse and get away. This failed, and after sinking the Jervis Bay, the Admiral Scheer caught up with some of the merchant vessels, and sank with gunfire six of them, one of which was the Trewellard, which was confirmed as sunk on 5 November 1940. Of her crew of approximately 40 men, some 14 lost their lives, but 25 survivors got into three boats and were later picked up by the steamship S.S. Gloucester City. Cox is believed to have been one of those rescued.
Employed aboard another merchant vessel, possibly a tanker, between July 1941 and December 1941, he joined the cargo vessel S.S. Appledore on 14 January 1942, and partook in further Atlantic and Mediterranean convoys, but the toll may well have shown when he was discharged for refusing duty on 16 January 1943. Cox joined the cargo vessel S.S. Imperial Monarch (No.148892) as a Donkeyman on 12 August 1943, and saw service in home waters being discharged from her in the following month, and his next period of service afloat was aboard the general cargo vessel S.S. Alex (No.171308) during May to July 1944, and was with Ocean Angel during August to October 1944, following this with service aboard the vessel Reuben Snow (No.169588) from January to March 1945, and his last wartime service was as a Donkeyman aboard the general cargo vessel S.S. Nyanza (No.160209) from July to October 1945. In all he had served aboard 10 merchant vessels during the Second World War when employed as either a Donkeyman and Greaser or solely as a Donkeyman, and in respect of his distinguished wartime services, and despite his having been discharged from his ship for refusing his duty on one occasion, he was awarded the British Empire Medal in the King’s Birthday Honours List as published in the London Gazette for 24 June 1946. This award was made to him for his services as a Donkeyman aboard the S.S. Nyanza of the firm of Maclay & McIntyre Ltd, but was not doubt given for his accumulated wartime service.
Cox continued to serve aboard merchant vessels as a Donkeyman and Greaser through into the early 1950s. His combination of awards for the Second World War are confirm.
