Evan Thomas

Chief Officer Evan Thomas of Cardiff was one of thousands of Welsh merchant seamen who served on the deadly Atlantic convoys. Cardiff, as one of Britain's major coal ports, had a deep maritime tradition, and its sailors manned the merchant ships that kept Britain's economy functioning during the war. Thomas's ship SS Donovania was torpedoed by U-123 in the mid-Atlantic in March 1941. As chief officer, Thomas organised the evacuation of the crew into lifeboats in conditions of extreme cold and heavy seas. He remained aboard to send distress signals until the ship sank. His body was never recovered. The Merchant Navy memorial in Cardiff Bay commemorates the over 1,000 Welsh merchant seamen who lost their lives during the war.