BETHUNE-WILLIAMS Denis Eustace

Denis Bethune-Williams was born c1911. In 1932 he was employed as an architect with Sir John Burnet Tait and Lorne at Montague Place in London from where he provided a common structural engineering service and checked the measurements on every drawing which was to leave the office.

On 10th June 1932 Denis is recorded sailing from Liverpool on the Laurentic bound for Canada. He was aged 23 years, employed as an architect and resident at 49 Colville Gardens, Notting Hill, London. His marriage to Elizabeth M.B. Sharman is recorded in the September Quarter 1936 under the Worcester Registration District. The birth of their daughter, Elizabeth J. Bethune-Williams, is registered in the March Quarter 1940 under the Uxbridge Registration District, mother’s maiden name; Sharman.

It is not known when Denis Bethune-Williams enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He was appointed Temporary Sub-Lieutenant on 29th September 1940 and then to Lieutenant on 4th January 1941. In February 1941 he was assigned to the Department of Unexploded Bombs at the shore based establishment HMS President. He was then assigned to HMCS Bytown, the Royal Canadian Naval base at Ottawa. He was a Special Branch bomb disposal expert and in January 1942 he was enroute to Ottawa, Canada as a passenger on the steamship Ringstad. The ship was on a voyage from Cardiff to St. John, New Brunswick, joining a convoy after leaving Belfast Lough on 12th January 1942. Stormy weather for several days meant the ship lost touch with the convoy and was alone on 24th January when she was torpedoed and sunk by U-333 off Cape Race. The ship sank in 20 minutes but everyone on board escaped on 3 lifeboats. Increasingly bad weather led to the boats being unable to stay together. Of the 3 lifeboats only 1 was picked up. Completely covered in ice and constantly taking in water, the men in the boat were exhausted and suffering from frostbite. The remaining 2 boats were never found and it was assumed that the 30 missing men (27 crew and 3 passengers, one of whom was Lt Bethune-Williams) had frozen to death in the icy North Atlantic waters.

On 10th May 1950 Denis’s widow Elizabeth aged 41 and their daughter aged 10 sailed on the S.S. Nieuw Amsterdam from Southampton to New York. Elizabeth gave their address as 17 Berkeley Mews, Portman Square, W1 and it is noted in the ship’s records that their Country of Intended Future Permanent Residence was England. On the 6th October 1950 Elizabeth and her daughter sailed from Liverpool to New York on the Britannic, the only difference in the personal information provided in the ship’s records being the fact that their Country of Intended Future Permanent Residence was now Canada.

Sources for additional information:

http://www.warsailors.com/singleships/ringstad.html

http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/person/51326.html

http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RNVR_officersB1a.html

All links still valid November 2024.

Denis Bethune-Williams has no known grave, the photograph available shows his name on Chatham Naval Memorial.