Cardiff Golf Club 100
Clement Edward Steer
There is little mention of casualties among members in World War II, possibly because the Club had lost touch with people, and the only member mentioned in minutes, and this was at the AGM in 1942, was 2nd Lieutenant Clement Steer. This is his story.
Clement Edward Steer was born on the 7th July 1904 in Lewisham, London, the son of Ebenezer Clement Steer and Harriet Emily Steer. He married Gwendoline Trow (born 23rd March 1906) in Swansea in 1933.
The 1939 Census, and the Probate Index for 1941, indicate that his home address at these time as12 Rhydypennau Close, Llanishen, Cardiff.
At some time, Mr. Steer whose nationality is described as Indian, became a 2nd Lieutenant in the Indian Army, and on 11th March 1942 embarked the SS Britannia, presumably to travel to India. The web site http://www.ssbritannia.org describes subsequent events:
On the 11th March 1941 SS Britannia set out from Liverpool to Freetown, Durban and Bombay.
She was originally a passenger ship of the Anchor Line and was operating as a troop ship under the command of Captain A Collie.
The voyage began with the Britannia as a member of a convoy with an anti-submarine escort. By the 25th of March the rest of the convoy had disappeared and the Britannia was on her own. Early that same morning she was attacked by the German Hilfskreuzer (auxiliary cruiser) Thor, also a converted merchant ship, under the command of Kapitän Otto Kähler.
The Thor was armed with six 5.9 inch guns and easily overpoweredthe Britannia. When her single rear 4 inch gun was destroyed Captain Collie gave the order to abandon ship.
Britannia's radio operator had managed to get off an RRR (Raider, Raider, Raider) signal with her location, which was acknowledged by Sierra Leone radio. The Thor picked up radio traffic which indicated that a Royal Navy warship was on its way at speed. In the light of this information, Kapitän Kähler did not stay to pick up survivors.
After giving warning and allowing time to abandon ship, he shelled the Britannia on her waterline and she sank quickly. He heard later that no warship had arrived and that some of the survivors had spent many days on rafts and in lifeboats before being picked up by other ships that happened to be in the area.
There were 492 people on board SS Britannia of whom 243 survived. 2nd Lieutenant Steer survived the sinking but he died a fortnight later whilst awaiting rescue on a life raft, aged 36. He is buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, Surrey.