In memory of Richard Cadwalader Jones

Photo of crew of Ellen JamesTwo brothers, John and William Cadwalader, settled at Pen y Bryn farm in Criccieth c.1790, writes Robert Dafydd Cadwalader. Many local families are descended from them, including at least five men named on the memorial plaques in Criccieth.

Captain Richard Cadwalader Jones was the son of Captain John Cadwalader of 2 Salem Terrace. Like many he went to sea on the Porthmadog ships and in the early 20th century he was one of the young master mariners who commanded the famous Western Ocean Yachts. These beautiful three-masted topsail schooners were engaged in the triangular trade of slate from Porthmadog to Hamburg and the Baltic, then coal or general cargo to Cadiz, then salt to Newfoundland, where they loaded salt cod for the Mediterranean.  A return cargo would be found or the ship would sail back in ballast.

Image of Ellen James shipThe outbreak of war in 1914 halted this trade, so alternative routes were found. A common one was coal from South Wales to Spain and Portugal. Richard’s ship, called Ellen James, was homeward bound from Huelva in April 1917 when it was stopped by a German submarine in the Bay of Biscay. The photo above shows three of the crew, with Richard in the centre. The ship is pictured right.

The Germans would sink small vessels of this kind by gunfire or placing a bomb onboard, rather than torpedoes, giving the crew the chance to get away in the lifeboat. During the night, while making for the coast, the Ellen James’ lifeboat was swamped and only one sailor managed to hang on to the upturned boat until he was rescued the next day.

Richard had only recently married a woman who, coincidentally, was also called Ellen. Her maiden name was Ellan Mary Humphreys, and she was known as “Nell”. They had a small daughter, probably called Mary Ellen. A brass plaque in Richard’s memory was set on the wall at Capel Salem, and when this closed in the 1980s it was presented to the Maritime Museum in Porthmadog.

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