Welcombe Gallery

George Pyman was born in May 1822 in Sandsend, North Yorkshire. He went to sea as an apprentice and by 1843 he was Master of the vessel Nameless.

He married Elizabeth English in 1843 and they had two daughters and seven sons.

In 1850 he left the sea and the family settled in West Hartlepool where he went into partnership with his brother-in-law Francis English, as grocers and ship chandlers. In about 1854 he changed direction and went into partnership with Thomas Scurr as shipbrokers for the local collieries. They owned shares in a number of sailing vessels. Other shareholders included Francis English, John Smurthwaite, Thomas Wood & Ralph Ward Jackson.

Thomas Scurr died in 1861 and George then formed his own company as George Pyman & Co. In 1865 he purchased his first steamship, the George Pyman, and gradually shares in the brigs were sold off. Eventually the company became the largest owners of steamships in the north of the U.K.

In 1873 Thomas Bell of Newcastle joined as a partner in the firm. From 1879 the company opened branches in Hull, Grimsby, Immingham and Glasgow. When George retired in 1882 the Bell family took over the running of the company.

Pyman, Watson & Co. was set up in Cardiff in 1874 by John, one of George’s sons along with Thomas Edward Watson and Francis and Frederick, another two of his sons, set up Pyman Bros. in London in 1903. Some of these companies ships were registered in West Hartlepool.

George was elected a Poor Law Guardian in 1861, an Improvement Commissioner in 1868, and was sitting on the Durham County Bench from 1872. In 1879 he was appointed Vice Consul for Belgium and in 1888 was elected the second Mayor of West Hartlepool. In 1895 he received the honour of being made a Freeman of the Borough. George died in November 1900 at his home, Raithwaite Hall.

There is a wealth of further information in Peter Hogg’s book ‘The Pyman Story’.

Steamship Welcombe.

A CENTRAL YARD LAUNCH.

VESSEL NAMED BY LADY GRAY.

Northern Daily Mail. 31/1/30

On Thursday, Messrs. Wm Gray and Co., Ltd., launched from their Central Shipyard the steel screw steamer Welcombe, which is being built to the order of Messrs. Pyman Bros., Ltd., London.

The vessel, which is of the open shelter deck type, will take the highest class in Lloyd’s Register and is of the following dimensions: Length overall 434ft. 9in.; breadth, 55ft., depth moulded to upper deck, 28ft.

She is constructed on the cellular double bottom principle, with deep channel framing, and has seven watertight bulkheads, together with a steel centre line bulkhead and wood shifting boards dividing the holds for grain carrying. The fore and after peaks are suitable for water ballast.

Spacious accommodation for the officers is arranged in a steel house amidships. The engineers being berthed in large steel houses alongside casing with the necessary mess room and lavatory accommodation. Large airy accommodation is arranged in the poop for the crew including separate dining rooms.

For the quick handling of cargo, ten 7in. by 10in. steam winches are provided which work ten derricks. A direct-acting steam windlass forward and steam steering gear amidships are also fitted.

The masts are suitable for the Manchester Canal Bridges.

The vessel will be completed in all respects as a first-class cargo steamer, including an efficient wireless installation and electric light throughout.

                                             THE MACHINERY

The propelling machinery and auxiliaries will be supplied by the Central Marine Engine Works of the builders and will consist of reciprocating engines of the balanced quadruple inverted direct acting surface condensing type, and two large forced draught boilers working at a pressure of 260lbs.per square inch, and one natural draught boiler working at a pressure of 180lbs per square inch.

The ship and machinery are being built under the supervision of Mr. J. Lee on behalf of the owners, and the christening ceremony was performed by Lady Gray, of Tunstall Manor, West Hartlepool.

The owners were represented by Mr. Geoffrey Pyman (director), and the builders by Sir William Gray, Bart (chairman), Messrs. J. H. Farmer and A. McGlashan (directors) , Mr. T. S. Simpson (general manager), and Mr. W. Hird (yard manager).

Amongst others present were Mr. Keith Pyman, Miss Jackaman, Mrs. Farmer, Mrs Hunting, Mrs A. Jones, Mr. C. A. Miller (Lloyd’s Register of Shipping) and Mrs. Miller, Mr Chas. Macfarlane, jun., and Capt. J. W. Clark (Geo Pyman and Co.).



Masters: 1930 J Snaith: 1941 Richard Edgar Johnson.

After dispersing from convoy SC-26 on a voyage from Baltimore, Maryland for Halifax & Loch Ewe with a cargo of 7,900 tons of grain & a crew of 41 Welcombe was attacked with a G7e torpedo from German submarine U-98 (Robert Gysae) & sank in the North Atlantic south of Iceland on 4 April 1941. 19 crew & 2 gunners were picked up by HMS Havelock & landed at Liverpool. 15 lives lost.

Lives lost April 1941: Carrigill, Arthur, cook, 58; Emerson, John Buckingham, sailor, 24; George, Herbert, fireman/trimmer, 33 (son of Stephen & Susan); Glassey, Samuel, steward, 36, Dundee; Hill, John, 2^nd radio officer, 22, Hull (husband of Marie); Johnson, Richard Edgar, master, 59; Larsen, John Emmanual, carpenter, 23; Loveridge, Henry, fireman/trimmer, 40; Revell, Percy, sailor, 24; Shardlow, Frederick C, 3^rd officer, 41; Skipworth, Ronald James, fireman/trimmer, 20, Grimsby, Lincs.; Stevens, Sidney, assistant steward, 17, Grimsby, Lincs.; Stocks, Geoffrey, deck boy, 19, Cleethorpes, Lincs.; Tindle, Edward Davies, chief officer, 21.

TRIAL TRIP.

Northern Daily Mail. 27/3/30

The s.s. Welcombe, built and engine by Messrs. Wm Gray and Co., Ltd., for Messrs. Pyman Bros., Ltd., London, successfully underwent her steam trials yesterday, and afterwards proceeded to the Tyne.

On the trial trip the owners were represented by Mr. W. Haig Pyman and Mr. J. Lee (under whose superintendence the ship and machinery have been constructed.