Merchant Navy Radio Officers

R/O Reginald Horace Phillips

Reginald Horace Phillips was born in 1905, the son of Alfred Arthur and Alice Phillips of Reading, Berkshire, England. He joined the Merchant Navy in the early 1930s as a radio officer. We are not sure how long he sailed for, but at some point he ended is service. When war broke out in 1939, he quickly re-enlisted and sailed with the Arthur F. Corwin, sailing mainly between Canada and England. In February of 1941 they were sailing as part of a convoy, being escorted by HMS Ramillies. They were heading from Halifax to England and were not far from Iceland, when heavy seas and gale force winds separated them from the convoy. They were torpedoed by a German U-boat, U-103. The Arthur F.Corwin was carrying aviation fuel and the explosions from the torpedoes would have almost certainly turned the ship into a burning furnace. The ship didn’t sink though and several hours later, another U-boat, U-96, sank them with 2 further torpedoes.

His grandson, Neil Phillips, has set up a website www.foundmypast.co.uk, which lists the crew members and has photos from on-board. Neil would love to make contact with any relatives of those crew members. So far hd has been in touch with relatives of sailor Martin Maguire and they have shared photos and memories. Please email Neil at neil@foundmypast.co.uk.