This week I'm once again turning back the clock to a couple of "tales of the sea," both of which were, in some way, connected to Milford.

By the way, I was delighted last week when someone thanked me for doing these TRM columns, saying: "It's good there's someone who still brings old stories of Milford to us", and Andy Nicholls, one of my old Pill neighbours, rang to say how much he'd enjoyed last week's column about our early days in the Grammar School.  

Many thanks, it's always nice to hear from a satisfied customer.

Now back to this week's tales, both of which, sadly, are of a tragic nature, starting with this piece, which I remember was originally sent to me by Sid Price, more than a dozen years ago.

"Jeff, maybe the following could be of interest for your column. Not all of Milford's fishing tragedies have happened in distant waters. Over a hundred years ago, on December 11, 1912, the fishing vessel Eagle LT 975 was struck down by the 'Cyelse' FD 67 in the haven.

"Five of the crew were lost: William Pearson, William Carpenter, Bert Dainton, Harry Marby, and George Spindler. The bodies were not recovered. George Spindler was married to Margaret Gale and left an 11-month-old son, also called George. While in the Royal Navy, this George was awarded the C.G.M for service in Norway during the Second World War. Margaret had married Sidney Price, and these are my grandparents."

I decided to do a bit of research into the story, and found this December 1912 report in the Haverfordwest & Milford Haven Telegraph.

"Picture a little steam line fishing vessel after a week's fishing, having withstood successfully the mountainous seas, returning skipper and men, well-contented with the result of their labours, and looking forward to marketing her cargo of conger, cod, roker, etc, on the morrow.

"She safely makes the familiar Haven and enters Dale Roads, where the owner
resides. He responds to the vessel's signal, puts off from shore, and is taken aboard.

"She steams up channel in the darkness, the crew probably thinking of wives, children and sweethearts.

"A few short miles and the Dock will be reached, but midway between Thorne Island and Stack Rock Fort, without one word of warning, the craft is struck by an unseen vessel, almost within sight of the home lights.

"That is the story of the 'Eagle'. She went down with five of her crew.

"She was owned by Mr James Roch, of Dale, and had been working from Milford for less than two years. She carried a crew of eight men.

"The other vessel was the steam trawler 'Cyelse', owned by Cllr David Pettit. The names of the rescued men were: James Roch, owner; George Sturley, skipper; Archie Sturley, cook; and George Hicks, deckhand."

I have no picture of the 'Eagle' in my collection, but here's one of 'Cyelse' FD67...which landed at Milford from June 1912 to February 1915, and from January 1920 to August 1934.

In March 1949 she was wrecked at Castle Bay, Barra.

The second maritime memory is of HMS Rosemary, a ship well known to Milford Haven waters, having been based there for much of World War II.

It was on April 24, 1943, when two landing craft - LCG 15 and LCG 16 - were on passage from Belfast to Falmouth, testing their seaworthiness, when they encountered a storm and heavy seas off the Pembrokeshire coast.

They were denied permission to put into Fishguard and Milford Haven, but reached Freshwater Bay. After they began taking on water faster than the vessels' pumps could remove it, they radioed for help.

The St David's lifeboat didn't arrive for over eight hours, when it was too dark to help. LCG 15 sank on April 24 while Rosemary, on the scene later that day, launching a boat to try to rescue LNG 16's crew. This boat collapsed, however, killing all six aboard, and on April 26, LCG 16 also sank, with all hands lost.

In all 73 died near Freshwater West from the two landing craft and the six from HMS Rosemary.

And having spent so much time in Milford it seems fitting that, in December 1947 HMS Rosemary finally ended her days being broken up at Castle Pill's Ward's Shipbreaking Yard.

Now I have a request of my own. A good friend has asked if I can find out anything about a converted Lifeboat, 'King Fisher', which sank in Milford around 1978/79.

So far I have nothing, so if anyone has any gen on it, I'd be really grateful if you could contact me.

That's all for now, this week's words of wisdom come from Agatha Christie: "You don't realize what fine fighting material there is in age. You show me anyone who's lived to over 70 and you show me a fighter, someone who's got the will to live."

Take care. Please stay safe.