Photo : Cynthia Kent
Photo : Cynthia Kent
Seamans Mission plaque
Tower Hill Memorial Panel
Photo : Cynthia Kent
Peter Scott Gray was born 7th September 1905, at 49 Johnson Street, Deans Road, in South Shields to Margaret Scott, born 1885 Glasgow, and James Henry Gray, [a hewer at St Hilda's Colliery, born Westmoor, 1884]. Baptised at St Hilda's Church 11th October 1905. He was their third child and the first son and was given his mother’s maiden name as a middle name. The other four children were Margaret Lena, born Annfield Plain 1901, Mary Jane, born South Shields 1903, Elizabeth Chapman, born 1907 and James Henry born 1900 at South Shields.
After 1911 the family grew with the addition of two more sons William and Andrew and three daughters Hilda, Hannah and Joyce.
Peter's parents moved to South Shields from Annfield Plain about 1902/3, and in 1911 they were residing at 49 Johnson Street, South Shields.
Peter Scott Gray married Wilhelmina Elliott, [born 20th November 1907], 8th December 1928 at St Mary's Church, Tyne Dock in South Shields and they had two daughters Wilhelmina (known to family and friends as Mena) born 28th June 1929, and Joan in 1934. Joan was born at 204 Taylor Street and remembers her Dad moving the family to 186 Taylor Street, South Shields when she was young. Joan is still living.
Peter was 5 feet 6 inches [1.676m] high, with blue eyes and fair hair. He was a member of the D.M.A., [Durham Mariners Association], Society with membership number 210214. He was a Fireman and a Trimmer
He sailed with the Oona Hall, 148350 and Ledbury, 147592, on the 28th August 1937, Thistleglen on the 16th February 1938, Thistlebrae on the 21st November 1938, Daffodil, 160512 from the 6th August 1940, then Ullapool, 139248.
Peter was on-board the Ledbury on the 24th October 1939 when it was sunk by an U-boat, long range Type IX U-37, commanded by Kapitän zur See Werner Hartmann, but fortunately he survived this sinking.
Name Ledbury, Type: Steam merchant, Tonnage 3,528 tons Completed 1912 - AG Neptun Schiffswerft und Maschinenfabrik, Rostock. Owner Capper, Alexander & Co Ltd, London. Homeport London. Date of attack 24th October 1939.
The Ledbury was on route Toulon - Gibraltar (23rd October) – Burntisland , with 5800 tons of bauxite.
Completed in January 1913 as German Odessa for Deutsche Levante Linie, Hamburg. 1915 scuttled off Alexandria. In 1919 the wreck was given to France as war reparation and sold to Greece after salvage. 1921 returned to service as Podesta for J. Alexandratos & Co, Piræus. 1924 sold to Britain and renamed Ledbury for Capper, Alexander & Co Ltd, London.
Source: U Boat Net with Thanks.
At 06.16 hours on 24 Oct 1939, U-37 torpedoed and sank Menin Ridge about 98 miles west of Gibraltar and shortly afterwards spotted the unescorted and unarmed Ledbury (Master Norman Rice) approaching the sinking position from the east. The ship had spotted wreckage with survivors clinging to it and changed course to rescue them. The U-boat then fired two torpedoes at her but missed because the ship was constantly changing courses during a careful approach at 7 knots. However, her lookouts failed to notice the attack, so the ship first picked up one survivor by means of a line and then launched her starboard lifeboat manned by the chief officer and four crewmen to search the wreckage. They picked up four more survivors and returned to the ship after half an hour, but before they could be taken aboard U-37 surfaced off the starboard quarter in a distance of a quarter of a mile and fired a shot across the bow of Ledbury at 09.18 hours. The master ordered the lifeboat alongside to cast off, turned the stern towards the U-boat and sent a distress signal that was received by Gibraltar and other stations. The use of the radio forced Hartmann to immediately open fire with the deck gun on the steamer. The steering gear was smashed by the first round, two others struck the bridge and set it on fire and two more hit the engine room, but the most of the 34 rounds fired during the attack were aimed at the waterline on the starboard side and caused the ship to sink after about 15 minutes. The master threw the confidential books overboard and was almost trapped when a shell wrecked his cabin when he tried to get the ship’s papers from there. He then abandoned ship in the port lifeboat together with 25 crew members and the survivor who had been picked up earlier. Despite the continuous shelling none reported any injures, except one man with a lacerated wrist. Subsequently the Germans questioned the occupants of the starboard lifeboat and when the chief officer told them that the master was in the other boat, he was asked by Hartmann to deliver the following message: "Tell the Captain I am sorry to shell him but he used his wireless and that is forbidden. It is the fault of Winston Churchill and the money grabbers in London. We don’t want war".
The presence of U-37 was now known to the enemy due to the distress signal of Ledbury and Hartmann decided to leave the area to the southwest. Doing so he first spotted a tanker heading for Gibraltar, but the ship suddenly reversed course, presumably after receiving a U-boat warning. The U-boat soon had to give up the chase of the tanker and dived because four or more aircraft arrived in the area. At 10.30 hours, the Germans sighted the Tafna which had observed the shelling from a distance of 10 miles and unsuccessfully tried to avoid the U-boat, but was eventually torpedoed and sunk at 11.19 hours. The torpedo explosion was heard by the survivors of Leadgate and Menin Ridge shortly before they were rescued by the American motor merchant Crown City (Master W.E. Carley) which had received the distress signal and was led to the boats by a French aircraft. The ship hurriedly picked them up and left the empty lifeboats adrift in order to get to the torpedoed ship as soon as possible, but she then just proceeded to Gibraltar to land the survivors after two destroyers were observed in the area.
Source: U Boat Net with Thanks.
Peter Scott Gray, and the survivor's returned to the UK on the Strathaird, 162678, [Master Douglas M Stuart], a P and O Company vessel which left Capetown and called into Gibralter, where Peter embarked for the trip home, to the UK. They arrived back on the 11th November 1939.
On the 13th March 1941, Peter Scott Gray was on board the SS Ullapool ship number 139248, on the River Mersey, Liverpool. The cargo steamer had travelled from Halifax to Liverpool with a cargo of grain. Convoy SC 23. The cargo ship struck a parachute mine, of Prince's Stage, broke in two and sank in the Mersey with the loss of 15 of her 38 crew. The wreck was subsequently demolished.
Peter Scott Gray was one of the 15 that died.
He was awarded the Italian and Atlantic Medals.
The SS Ullapool 139428, was built in 1927 by Wm. Gray & Co., West Hartlepool.
Photos: Cynthia Kent with thanks
Peter Scott Gray is remembered at Westoe in W101.08 page 8, at South Shields in the Seaman's Mission S86.36, and in our Ship Crew list.
EU Wrecksite Crew list SS Ullapool
Ship Official Numbers Web Site
The CWGC entry for Fireman Gray