OBITUARY

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 35, 11 February 1933, Page 12

OBITUARY

CAPTAIN B. M. ALDWELL „

Private advice has been received in. Wellington of the death in San Francisco last Sunday of Captain B. M. Aldwell, who retired from the service of the Union Company in 1929. Captain Aldwell had been in ill-healtb; for some time,' and his death was dne to appendicitis. He was a most popular and . esteemed master*, mariner.

Commencing his sea-faring career at the early age of v I2J years, the late Captain Aldwell joined the British Ship Owners' large three-masted sailing vessel, British. Isles, as an apprentice, and his first voyage was to Calcutta. He continued in the service of: the British Ship Owners for some years, and at the age of 18 he secured his second mate's certificate. In 1889 Captain Aldwell joined the Bailing ship H.E. "Watson, as second officer, and made a number of voyages to San. Francisco and Melbourne. Leaving th« M.E. Watson in New South Wales, ! Captain Aldwell took Ms mate's cer« tificate, and joined the wooden ship Verluam, which was engaged in the coal trade between Newcastle and Wallaroo, as chief officer.. Before taking command of the timber carrier Hands Isle, which travelled between Kaipara and Sydney, in 1896, Captain Aldwell made a voyage as; second mate of th» infamous Australian convict ship Success, ■which he described as' a real ghost ship, for on her were -wax, figures of the Commonwealth's most noted criminals, and on the walls -were the shackling irons and chains that recalled gruesome incidents in. her career. On relinquishing the command of the Handa Isle, Captain. Aldwell joined the Howard Smith Line as master of the Tyrian, trading between Melbourne and Townsville. His next ship was the Union Company's Eotorua, from which he transferred to the Eotoiti. For-a further', period he -was on the Pateena, after which, for five years, he commanded the Maori and the Wahine in the Wellington-Lyttel-ton ferry service. During' the Great "War he commanded the hospital ship Marama, and at the close of hostilities he was appointed to the Tahiti, which command he held until the time of his retirement. In 1926 the Tahiti, with. Captain Aldwell in command, accomplished the probably unparalleled feat of making the trip from Sydney to. Wellington without a crew. The ship carried neither greasers nor sailors, and as she was an oil burner she did not require firemen, ' This performance was due to trouble with the crew following complaints about, the Christmas dinner. With a little assistance, the officers and engineers managed to bring the ship to "Wellington after a. smart trip of. three days nine hours.

A strong party of tennis players is to visit the Hutt Valley- next Saturday to give a series of exhibition matches on the Lower Hutt Club's courts in Wilfora street. The Hutt Valley Lawn Tennis Sub-Association has arranged for the appearance of a number of the foremost players in the game in New Zealand to-day, including C. E. Malfroy, Miss Dulcie Mcholls, Misses V. and. J. Burns, D. Or. Trance, and N. K. C. W4" .son. . .