WW2 John Monks Colliers

[CEYLON220]

As a young boy during the war years and living in Maryport,Cumberland this port would supply coal for Ireland and the ships that transported this cargo had the names:
"FIRST" "SECOND" "FOURTH" and were ships of the John Monk shipping Co
do any of you old timers know of these ships and what became of them, I believe one was sunk by a U-Boat either in the Solway Firth or out in the Irish Sea, as kids we were always down at the dock when any of these ships came to port as the crew would allow us aboard and give us a meal or sometimes fruit which we could`nt get in those days.

[treeve]

Hello, not sure of Monks connection, but
Ships FIRST 246/1906, SECOND 328/1907, THIRD 345/1908 were part of Stewart & Partners fleet.
Isaac Stewart of Helen's Bay, County Down.
FIRST was sold 1957. Chartered for Point of Ayr Colliery.
They had tense moments in the winding gutter leeding to Deeside Quay.

I have a copy of the brilliant
Steam Coasters by CV Waine & R S Fenton (Waine Research Publications)
and it includes details of the Monks family and their shipping companies.

It includes a photo of World Ship Society of the SECOND (built as PINE)

No mention of any of these being sunk, but maybe any of the Monks' fleets.
There was Hall, James Henry, Joseph, JS, and JH (Preston).
If these are the ones, I could look through for any that may have been sunk.
Best Wishes, Raymond

[CEYLON220]

these ships were definatly 1920/30 era ships and cargo consisted of coal to the Irish ports and as war time vessals they had the single barrelgun fitted aft. All were steel constructed.