AN ADVENTUROUS CAREER

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 302, 17 September 1919, Page 7

AN ADVENTUROUS CAREER

SEAMAN CHARLES WILLIAMS, D.S.M'.

Christchurch, September 16. A particularly well-known member of the crew of the Taimii whu lost, his life was Seaman Charles Williams, D.S.M., son of Captain H. William-;, of Tuain Street, Chrintclwrch. His career was marked by dauntless courage, and tiic 38 years of his lifu were crowded with adventure. Williams entered tho merchant service on a schooner engaged in tho New Zealand, trade in 1827, when lb' years ol age. Shortly after leaving school at Lyrteltou ho received his first naval training as a member .of the New Zealand .Reserve, and later served on 11.M.5. Tauranga. It was on board this boat ho first revealed his reckless courage in succouring the crew during a terrific gale. In 190!) Williams received his discharge from the Navy, and a. year later he went to Antarctica in the Term Nova. In a terrific storm tho pumps of tho little ship became choked, and William* went down between the boil'ers in the blistering heat and relieved the obstruction. His action was the means of saving the ship from foundering. ]>,< had been twice to Antarctica, first with Captain Scott, and afterwards with thf. relief • expedition under Commander Evans. He possessed tho Antarctic Mcdai and that of the Geographical Society. At tho outbreak of the war he volunteered for service with tho North Sea Elect as o stoker. Williams was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for conspicuous bravery during the engagement off Dover between H.M.S. Broke and 11.M.5. Swifl and six German warships. Stoker Williams was serving under Coinmnndei Evans on tho Broke. Feeling f-ecure in their superiority of numbers the Germans essayed to sink their opponents. The two British lionts were' sdrrounded and put up a magnificont fight. Stoker

Williams was asleep in hi:! hammock when the fight began, He vent, on deck and devoted his attention to carrying tho wounded to safety below deck, a work which was attended by extreme danger, when the German sailors boarded the Broke and hand-to-hand fighting ensued. Commander Evans recommended Stoker Williams for tho DiS.M. for his bravery. Previously Williams was on H.M.S. Viking, which struck a mine ia the North Sea, and later he was on H.M.S. Conquest. He took part in the Zeebrugge fight, and was one of tho volunteers from the Broke who landed on the molo there.

The Tainui was a wooden steamar built in 1903 at Auckland by Mr. i. Logan. Sho was 92.3 ft. long, 59.2 ft- beam, and G.TJt. deep. Sho was a well known trader 'im the coast, and was last in port at Wellington on September 3, when sh« ■''ailed for Lyttelton. Since then she has been running between Lyttelton and Timaru, and on .Monday at 6.10 p.m. cleared Lyttelton .bound for 1 Wanganui and Wellington. \Hcr owners aro the New Zealand Refrigerating Company, Ltd., which has owned the vus-wl for about three years. Captain J. C. Cowan, who ivas in command of* the ili-fated vess>.'l, had his home in Wanganui, where l.e leave-) a widow and family. Until recently he was in command of the Storm. _ Captain Cownn -was a very popular officer, -and much sympathy is felt 'with his widow and relatives.

Mr. Ephraim Greenwood, Ihe engineer of tho vessel, was very well: known ii Wellington, having had his 'home here for a great many years. He served his apprenticeship with Messrs. E. W. Mills nnd Co., and afterwards went to sea, being engineer at different times on various vessels whose homo pori; was Wellington. He was in the Huia and Storm--bird trading between Wellington . and Wanganui, and the Opawa-iWellington-Blenheim .trade), for a considerable period, nnd afterwards ho carriod on business as a sawniiller at the Upper Hutt. He was a man of a most "enial disposition and very popular. His wife, who was a. daughter of the late Mr. Robert Sutcliffe, of Wellington, died at her home in Oriental Bay a short time ago. The disaster was referred to last evening by Mr. H. Holland, M.P.. who at an election meeting held in the Labour interests, tendered to the Seamen's Union and tho relatives of the victims tho deepest sympathy of tho La bom- movement. ' '