Premier visits Merchant Navy Memorial in London

Posted By Kevin Watler
Monday, 14 November 2011 3:27 pm

Premier McKeeva Bush and Deputy Speaker Cline Glidden paid their respects in London on Remembrance Sunday to Caymanian merchant sailors who lost their lives in World War II.

However, a mystery has now emerged following the Premier’s visit to the Merchant Navy Memorial just across the road from the Tower Of London.

Premier Bush and Mr. Glidden had been informed that the two sailors commemorated were Hazmah Ebanks on board the S.S. Holmside who died in 1941 and Desmond Neulison Ebanks perished in 1942 onboard the S.S. Culebra.

However, as the Premier was paying his respects at the monument he immediately noticed that there was a T.T. Ebanks who also died on the S.S. Culebra but there was no mention of this brave sailor in the records provided to the Premier.  Now the Premier has asked Caymanians for their help in identifying this man and his family.

Speaking from the Memorial the Premier said, “We know that Ebanks is also a popular name in Jamaica and it may be that this young man was from there.  It does however seem a coincidence that there were two Ebanks on the one ship.  Hopefully our friends in Jamaica or indeed local people in Cayman may be able to solve the mystery.”

The available details of Hazma Ebanks and Desmond Neulison Ebanks are reproduced below.

EBANKS, HAZMAH Initials: H Nationality: Cayman Islands Rank: Able Seaman Regiment/Service: Merchant Navy Unit Text: S.S. Holmside (Newcastle-on-Tyne) Age: 33 Date of Death: 19/07/1941 Additional information: Son of Albert N. and Laura A. Ebanks; husband of Nadine W. Ebanks, of West Bay, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 57. Memorial: TOWER HILL MEMORIAL

EBANKS, DESMOND NEULISON Initials: D N Nationality: Cayman Islands Rank: Able Seaman Regiment/Service: Merchant Navy Unit Text: S.S. Culebra (Liverpool) Age: 24 Date of Death: 17/01/1942 Additional information: Son of Benjamin Timothy and Maud Angelina Ebanks, of Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 33. Memorial: TOWER HILL MEMORIAL

  • Dwene Ebanks

    that would be my Great Grandfather. I have a copy of the printed certificate: Able Seaman TERRENCE THEDORE EBANKS S.S CULEBRA (LIVERPOOL),Merchant Navy who died at 42 on 17 January 1942. He is remembered at Tower Hill Memorial. I keep this certificate posted up at my office cubilcle.

  • raghavendra singh

    dear sir
    sir i want to the job in marchant navy
    thank you sir

  • Amy Scott Wood Gage

    Dear Friends, My father, Capt. Victor Thornton Wood, and his first cousin: Capt. Gilbry Clarence McCoy, Bracers both, were in the Merchant Marine during WWII. Cousin Clarence was killed by a Russian submarine in the Caribbean, not sure of his ship, but I wonder if he is on your list somewhere. My father served in the US Merchant Marine as a Naval officer, and was involved with the war in both the Pacific and the Atlantic supplying arms, etc. for the troops. Some of his papers are in our cousin Linton Tibbetts’ museum on Little Cayman.

    I wonder if anyone might know my father, and/or my cousin Gilbry C. one of his sons (there were twins conceived and cousin G knew he was to be a father before he died), my cousin lives near me in California, and while i come back all the time, to our homesands, he hasn’t been there. I long for him to discover this part of us, our Caymanian roots, and water roots too. In respect for all there, we are almost 70 years old, raised together, MOthers were sisters, fathers first cousins
    Amy Scott Wood Gage
    Trustee, International College of the CAyman Islands, Newlands

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