At Tower Hill Memorial is the name of Boatswain Edwin Velen who served on  MV Lucellum with the Merchant Navy  who died 19/12/1941.

In South Shields (Harton) Cemetery is the Commonwealth War Grave of:

Boatswain
E. Velen. BEM
SS Lucellum
19th December 1941

Awarded the British Empire Medal

Edwin Velen ‘Edward Ted’, was born in 1895 in Sweden. He married Ellen Burn, born 25th October 1898, baptised 26th November 1899, at South Shields, died 1926, in 1923.

In 1911, she was residing at 110 Laygate Street, South Shields later in 1911 she was residing at 1½  Alice Street.

Edwin remarried Adeline Wilkinson, born 2nd October 1905. In 1939, she was residing at 4 Chichester Place, South Shields.

In 1941, they were residing at 9 Southey Street, South Shields.

Edwin drowned on the 19th December 1941 due to enemy action.

3rd December 1941, the MV Lucellum, ship number 166255, sailed Halifax in escorted convoy HX 163 for Liverpool with a cargo of petrol

On the 19th December 1941, she was bombed by German aircraft and damaged when five miles from Bardsey Island. Was towed into Hollyhead. Six crew and two gunners were killed on the tanker. Four are remembered with pride on the Tower Hill Memorial and two DEMS Gunners are remembered with pride on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial and Bosun Edwin Velen is buried in South Shields (Harton) Cemetery in Section L grave 9483.

1st January 1942 Bosun Edwin Velen was awarded a posthumous British Empire Medal, Civil Division, in the New Years Honours List 1942. Details published in the London Gazette of this date.

Sources:  British Newspaper Archive; The Gazette

Edwin Velen is remembered at South Shields on S86.037, panel 19, at Westoe in W101.08, page 89 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.