On Tower Hill Memorial, Trinity Square, London is the name of Second Engineer Officer Edwin William Cowell serving on M.V. British Resource (London) with the Merchant Navy who died 14/03/1942.
He was the son of Mathew and Daisy Colwell and the husband of Edna Colwell, of East Boldon, County Durham.
Christine Davison has submitted the following:-
Edwin William was the son of Matthew Gibson and Gertrude Daisy, nee Kent, and the husband of Edna, nee Lumley.
His father was born at Jarrow but grew up in East Boldon and worked as a colliery joiner. His mother was born in Eye, Suffolk In 1891, his grandparents were living in Lorne Terrace; his grandfather is described as a farmer on one census but on another as a hay cutter.
His parents married in 1908. Edwin was born on 13th April 1909 at East Boldon and had two brothers and a sister.
The 1911 census shows the family living at 3 Laburnum Terrace. When the 1921 census was taken, they were living in Ferndale Avenue, and Edwin was an apprentice electrician. He passed the admission examination for Villiers Street Technical School in Sunderland in 1922.
In 1933, he passed his Marine Engineer 2nd Class exam and also passed a second-class motor certificate at the same time.
The 1939 register shows the family were living at 1 The Hawthorns.
In 1934, Edwin married Edna Lumley, and in 1939, they were living in Salisbury Terrace.
Edwin served as Second Engineer /Officer on M.V. British Resource, a Merchant Navy vessel. British Resource was a motor tanker and was attacked at 21.18 hours on 14th March 1942. The unescorted tanker was hit fore and aft by two torpedoes from U-124 about 230 miles north of Bermuda. The ship stopped, and gunners began firing at the periscope. At 21.33 hours, a torpedo hit near the engine room and set the tanker completely on fire. She burned until she sank the next day. 43 crew members and three gunners were lost.
His death card says “vessel sunk by enemy action, missing presumed drowned.” His address was given as 45 Ferndale Avenue.
His widow remained in the village and will be remembered by older residents.
Edwin William Colwell is remembered at East Boldon on E46.01 and E46.07, at Sunderland on S140.031, and in our List of Ships’ Crews.
