The Guild of Benevolence of the IMarEST is very pleased to have received a significant legacy from the estate of Roy Edwin Percy Norman who passed away on 16 March 2008 at his home in Durban, South Africa.
Roy, born in Torquay, South Devon in 1921, took a two-year engineering course at the South Devon Technical College and served an apprenticeship with the Parsons Engineering Co in Southampton. He obtained a National Certificate in Mechanical Engineering with special reference to Marine Engineering at night school at University College, Southampton. On completion of his apprenticeship he was accepted as a fifth engineer by the Union Castle Line who were pleased to ‘give him an opening in one of our older vessels’. He joined the 1919-built Dundrum Castle at Glasgow in April 1942. Dundrum Castle had triple expansion machinery and three coal burning Scotch boilers. Roy was the first 5th Engineer to be carried since the depression, influenced by the fact that there were twenty two cargo winches which after 23 years required major attention including cylinder renewals. The first passage to Durban took one month and he arrived on his 21st birthday. Leaving Durban in July 1942 and six and a half hours after departure, Dundrum Castlepicked up from two life-rafts and two lifeboats 62 survivors from three ships. These survivors included the master of the Norwegian ship Goviken that had been torpedoed on 29 June, rescued by a neutral Swedish vessel Eknaren, torpedoed again on 1 July and then rescued by a British India ship Mundra. The Mundra was in turn torpedoed, shelled and abandoned on 6July.
Roy’s second outward voyage in Dundrum Castle had similarities until after four months steaming and approaching Suez just four days short of Port Said/Alexandra, smoke was seen from No2 hold ventilators which developed very quickly aided by mines and other sensitive cargo. With smoke reaching mast height the Dundrum Castle was abandoned just 40 minutes after first detecting the smoke and 20 minutes later a violent explosion occurred and the vessel broke in two and sank within minutes. The British India ship Rhona picked up the survivors and landed them at Suez. After four weeks in Suez Roy was repatriated via Durban to Liverpool, having been away six months and three days.
Roy’s war service continued in Empire Success, previously the German vessel Hagen whose reciprocating machinery and Bauer-Wach turbine had been sabotaged by the interned German crew.After D-Day in 1944 Roy joined the motor vessel Llangibby Castle employed as a troop carrier to the Normandy Beaches making 35 crossings. On 27 March 1945 laden with American troops shewas struck at 90o in the engine room by another vessel and instantly flooded, fortunately with no causalities.
Roy ended the war in Dunnottar Castle. He continued at sea with Union Castle sitting for his certificates in London. In 1948 he joined the IMarE as an Associate and in 1953 he became a Member. In 1955 he became an industrial service engineer with Babcock & Wilcox but when he submitted his resignation to Union Castle, that company offered him an appointment with their superintending staff which he accepted, ending his seagoing life in March 1956. Roy spent five years mainly in the London Docks, Royal Group. In 1956 Union Castle merged with Clan Line to form British & Commonwealth, the new company consisting of 57 Clan Line and 42 Union Castle ships with six ships building or on order. New Construction and R&D were expanded and, in 1961, Roy moved to the City of London office where he travelled extensively covering problem investigation, periodic repairs and dry dockings, ship sales etc. In 1971 he was posted to Durban as Resident Superintendent.
The following decade saw the termination in 1977 of the mail service due to the introduction of wide bodied aircraft, and containerisation which resulted in an ongoing reduction in the number of general purpose cargo vessels. The Technical Department of Union Castle set up a consultancy organisation called Technicon Consultancy & Services with John McNaught as Managing Director and Roy as the South African part of the organisation. In 1982 the operation closed and Roy retired after 40 years with Union Castle, B&C and Technicon; he continued however as an independent surveyor until 1991. He decided to stay in South Africa where the attractions of warm weather and wines proved to be very strong although he made frequent trips to the UK.
As well as being a Fellow of IMarEST and a Chartered Engineer, Roy was a founder member of the South African Institute of Marine Engineers and Naval Architects (SAIMENA) and acted as Secretary for many years.
Although Roy never married he is fondly remembered by his god children and their families where he showed a remarkable understanding of the younger generation. He was always ready to help others and was very active in charitable work in Durban assisting children and those less fortunate than himself. He was cheerful, kind, considerate, generous, with a dry sense of humour, never complaining despite long suffered health problems, Roy was without doubt a Gentle man. Alongside the Guild, Roy was able to leave other legacies to charities he has been involved with in Durban. The Guild of Benevolence is privileged to have been remembered by Roy.