SMITH Sylvester James

The birth of Sylvester J. Smith is Registered in the September Quarter 1914 under the Bromsgrove Registration District, mother’s maiden name: Sefton

1939 Register:
Sylvester J. Smith, Coleys Lane, Birmingham, born 26.7.14, single, Trolleyman Cocoa and Chocolate Works

The marriage of Sylvester J. Smith to Kathleen R. Hall is registered in the June Quarter 1941 under the Dudley Registration District.

HMS President III was a shore establishment.  Based initially in Bristol and then in Windsor, it was the headquarters and accounting base for personnel on Defensively Armed Merchant Ships.

Deaths at sea:
Sylvester James Smith aged 26, died at sea on 8th May 1941 on board Ramillies, born Alvechurch, last place of abode Castle Mill House, Castle Mill, Dudley.  Supposed drowned, ship sunk by enemy action.

SS Ramillies was part of a merchant ship convoy on route from Tyne, via Oban to Baltimore.  The convoy dispersed and at 08.00 hours on 7th May 1941 two of the ships from the convoy were spotted by U-97 southeast of Cape Farewell sailing on a westerly course.  Over the next few hours two more ships were sighted and the U-boat gave chase.  At 17.04 a torpedo was fired at SS Ramillies but it missed the ship and the U-boat was too far away from the other ships to attack them.  The pursuit continued throughout the night and into the next day when U-97 fired another torpedo at SS Ramillies at 12.14 hours on 8th May.  Again, the torpedo missed its target.  At 18.13 hours a third torpedo fired by the U-boat struck the ship causing her to stop but not to sink.  At 19.03 on 8th May SS Ramillies was hit by another torpedo fired from U-97.  It hit the ship in the stern and she sank rapidly with the loss of her Captain, 25 crew members and 3 gunners.  Twelve survivors of the attack were picked up by the British steam merchant Geddington Court and landed at Halifax, Canada.

Source for SS Ramillies information:
http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/910.html

The following information is courtesy and copyright of Trinity High School, Redditch and was taken from the Commemorative Memorial Book donated to the school by the RCHS Old Students Association:
Sylvester Smith attended Redditch County High School from 1925 to 1930.  He was killed in action while on a low-level bombing raid on the 2nd October, 1944.

There is no record of a casualty on the CWGC database under these details or in the GRO indexes of war dead.

Sylvester Smith has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on Portsmouth Naval Memorial.