# spanish civil war



## brigee (Jan 5, 2011)

I'm looking for information about a Captain Bartlet (orBartlett) from Bishopston nr Swansea who was involved in the evacuation of refugees from Bilbao in 1937. He was apparently in Bordeaux when the vessel he was captain of was chartered to transport refugee children to France. I don't have the vessel's name and have been unable to find any details of Capt.Bartlet. I'm hoping someone may be able to steer me in the right direction.

Regards
Brigee


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day brigee m.3 april,2014.20:58.re:spanish civil war.i have a photo of the ship you are looking for,after reading your post i went to my picture file there it was.it shows the decks overloaded with passengers.she is at that momemt still alonside,the name of the ship was ss.stanbrook of the stanhope steamship comp.it would be about 1937.hope it helps regards ben27


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## Roger Griffiths (Feb 10, 2006)

brigee said:


> I'm looking for information about a Captain Bartlet (orBartlett) from Bishopston nr Swansea who was involved in the evacuation of refugees from Bilbao in 1937. He was apparently in Bordeaux when the vessel he was captain of was chartered to transport refugee children to France. I don't have the vessel's name and have been unable to find any details of Capt.Bartlet. I'm hoping someone may be able to steer me in the right direction.
> 
> Regards
> Brigee


Hello,
Given that you do not know the name of the ship in question. I think the best way to proceed is to contact London Metropolitan Archives to see if they have career records of Captain Bartlett in Lloyd's Captains Register.
I understand that the pay to view site "Ancestry" have some details regarding Certification and service but you would need to look.
Once you have the name of the ship, you can then obtain the vessels logbook and hopfully there will be a narrative of the proceedings.
It may be the vessel STANBROOK but this vessel is well known for rescuing refugees from Alicante whilst she was commanded by Captain *Archibald Dickson*, who I understand made several voyages on this ship as a blockade runner during the Spanish Civil War. There are photographs of her on the internet carrying a large number of adult passengers.
It may be of some advantage to get in touch with http://www.basquechildren.org/

Viva La Quinte Brigada!*
regards
Roger


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

brigee m ,re spanish civil war.ship name ss stanbrook.


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## brigee (Jan 5, 2011)

Good morning ben27 and thanks for your reply - much appreciated. SS.Stanbrook was captained by Archibald Dickson. It transported Spanish refugees to Oran. The vessel was torpedoed by a German U boat in WW2 and sunk with the loss of it's complement of 20 (inc. captain).
regards
brigee


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day brigee.m.yesterday, #5 18:57;re:spanish civil war,thank you for your reply as a matter of interest.i was on the ss stanhill,when she was wrecked in 1947.east africa.have you got a picture of her.she would look like the the stanbook.regards ben27


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## FILIPVS (Apr 20, 2011)

Stangrove and Stangate were british ships (Jack Billmeir's fleet) also partcipating in evacuations at the end of the war in 1.939

Stangrove was captured the captain suicided in his cabin. Standgate also was detained off Valencia.

Billmeier's fleet was the main british owner at service of republicans during Civil war.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

brigee said:


> I'm looking for information about a Captain Bartlet (orBartlett) from Bishopston nr Swansea who was involved in the evacuation of refugees from Bilbao in 1937.
> Regards
> Brigee


According to Heaton, 'Welsh Blockade Runners in the Spanish Civil War' 
'on the 19th (June 1937) due to the extreme shortage of food at Santander five ships embarked refugees for France... these were the welsh Hillfern, Kenfig Pool, and African Trader together with the Surreybrook and Latymer.

No British ship was left in Bilbao when the city and port fell.One of the last ships to sail was Alfred Pope's steamer Seabank ex Joyce Llewellyn'.

There is a chapter at the start of the book listing welsh ships running to Spain at the start of the war... rather a lot of them I am afraid.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

FILIPVS said:


> Stangrove was captured the captain suicided in his cabin. Standgate also was detained off Valencia.


PM Heaton's 'Jack Billmeir-Merchant Shipowner' devotes almost a full page to the capture of Stangrove... no mention of Captain Richards of Whitchurch, Cardiff commiting suicide in his account. What are your sources?

I did find this ...
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/MARINERS/2006-01/1137009044

From: "Ted Finch" <[email protected]> 
Subject: Fw: SS Stangrove 
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:50:44 -0000

'Dear Sirs

I am researching my family history and have come across my Great grandfather who is rumoured to have been murdered during the Spanish Civil War.

would you have any knowledge of the incident, details below 

Captain William Richards
HIS SHIP - C/98787/Stangrove/1938-9. 

Vessel bombed on high sea and abandoned except for the Master. 
Crew returned to vessel. Stopped next day and vessel taken to Barcelona and subsequently to Palma. (LL, Feb 20, 1939, col 21; Feb 25, 1939, col 20.)
Vessel broke adrift during a gale at Palma and drove ashore. Master found afterwards deceased in his cabin, (LL, Feb 28, 1939, col 20.) 
Naval Inquiry at Palma, (LL, Mar 2, 1939, p 8, col 5) gave following details. 
Capt W. Richards of Cardiff found dead in his cabin after he had refused to leave the ship when the crew were taken off in a gale, died from concussion. Deceased 24 Feb 1939 at Palma. Place of birth given as Cardigan in LCR. (LCR Ms:18569/32).
kind regards
Rob Rose


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## FILIPVS (Apr 20, 2011)

Regarding STANGROVE's Captain my source is "La Marina Mercante y el Tráfico Marítimo en la Guerra Civil" by R.González Echegaray, page 399, published in 1977.

_*"... En esta confusión de las últimas horas resalta la actuación del STANGROVE, el STANDBROOK y el STANDGATE. El primero capturado por los nacionales y llevado a Mallorca, logra escapar de la bahía de Palma durante la noche del 23 [march 1939], pero sufre una avería y queda embarrancado sobre la costa. Cuando al día siguiente se recupera por el mando naval nacional, el cadáver del capitán inglés, que se ha suicidado, aparece en su camarote. Bravos capitanes, éstos de la flota de Billmeir, que vivieron jornadas de aventura increíbles durante nuestra guerra."*_


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

I would prefer to stick with the info in LL, Mar 2, 1939...

How do you commit suicide by concussion.... hit yourself on the head with a hammer?

I'm afraid your source gives no source for his information.


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## FILIPVS (Apr 20, 2011)

We'll never know the true. But "death by concussion" could be a quite diplomatic way to report the death of a british citizen in rather obscure circunstances...


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## FILIPVS (Apr 20, 2011)

brigee said:


> I'm looking for information about a Captain Bartlet (orBartlett) from Bishopston nr Swansea who was involved in the evacuation of refugees from Bilbao in 1937. He was apparently in Bordeaux when the vessel he was captain of was chartered to transport refugee children to France. I don't have the vessel's name and have been unable to find any details of Capt.Bartlet. I'm hoping someone may be able to steer me in the right direction.
> 
> Regards
> Brigee


The following are the three british ships which evacuated refugees from Bilbao during 1937 and towards France (Bourdeaux)

ss KENFIG POOL (owner not knowed)
ss TORPEHALL (Westcliff Shipping Co. (G. O. Till))
ss ALICE MARIE (Rodney Steamship Co. Ltd., Newcastle-Upon-Tyne)

They made one trip with 750 refugees on board each one, escorted by HMS Royal Oak, and between may and june 1937.

The ports of destination where Le Verdon, La Pallice and La Pallice respectively for each ship.


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## Cisco (Jan 29, 2007)

Dig out the inquest and we will know...

Back in the '30s they used to put all the gory details in the papers when people topped themselves... they don't even report deaths by suicide these days unless it was a celeb.


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## DAVIDJM (Sep 17, 2005)

I am adding a little data to the one ship FILIPVS listed

KENFIG POOL 
Owned in 1937 by
Kenfig Pool Export & Import Co Ltd (A J Pope, mgr) 

Built 1908

Saint Marc 1908 – 1937 
Kenfig Pool 1937 – 1947
San Nicholas 1947 - 1949

She spent part of the war as potential block ship in Weymouth and store ship on Clyde

26 November 1947 ran aground off Tees 
27 January 1947 refloated but CTL
1949 broken up Bruges Belgium

Lloyd no 27619


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## FILIPVS (Apr 20, 2011)

I think my list was not complete. We must add also the british ship ss MARVIA. She also evacuated refugees from bilbao to Bourdeos in 1937


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