Lawrence Richard's Story.
Lawrence studied at Crewe Secondary School from 1928-1933 and he served as Able Seaman on MV Jedmoor a 4392 tons motor vessel ( diesel)In August 1941 Jedmoor left Santos in Brazil carrying a load of iron ore headed for Liverpool. She called at Port of Spain in Trinidad and then headed for Canada. On 31st August Jedmoor joined 64 ships to leave from Sydney in Nova Scotia as Convoy SC 42 to cross the Atlantic. . “SC” implied it was a slow convoy. On the 9th of September the convoy came under attack from a wolfpack of 14 German submarines. That day 3 ships of the convoy were sunk. On the 10th a further 7 ships were sunk, and 5 more on September 11th. The escorts managed to sink two U- boats.
Just after nightfall on September 18th as the convoy approached the North Channel above the Outer Hebrides U98 torpedoed the Jedmoor. She went down with the loss of 31 of her 36 crew including Lawrence Gayton. Lawrence was 23 years old when he died.
The remains of the convoy which was one of the most disastrous of the war reached Liverpool on 20th September.
Lawrence is commemorated on Panel 59 of the Tower Hill Memorial, the Ruskin School memorial plaque, the Moor Line Book of Remembrance and the Barry Merchant Navy Memorial ( his last place of residence was George Street, Barry)
MV Jedmoor
Panel 59 Tower Hill Memorial
Moor Line Book of Remembrance
Barry Memorial