Eddie Harpur

Eddie was a seafarer for many years. He sailed on the same ship, the LANCASTRIA, from the age of 25 till he was 38, this was very unusual to see in a Seafarer's Discharge Book. He sailed on her for eight years from 11.1.1930 to 1.3.1938 except for just one month he spent on the LACONA while he was married in 1935 - and waiting for the LANCASTRIA to return to Liverpool.

Eddie registered for the Royal Navy Reserves in 1935 and was called up to fight for Britain, in September 1939. On 28 August 1939 Eddie sailed on the passenger ship ASTURIAS of the Royal Mail Lines Ltd, which was requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to an armed merchant cruiser. Conversion was completed on 28 September 1939.In July 1943 the ASTURIUS was torpedoed but Eddie was not on her at the time, thank God!Eddie spent a lot of time in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands, Scotland. Scapa Flow was used as the main British naval base during World War Two. Eddie's daughter Anne told me that they worked in bitter cold conditions and a lot of bad things happened there. Eddie was pleased to get out of there!Eddie also took part in the D Day landings and was a driver on one of the Landing Craft. Very scary!

When Eddie was in Buenos Aires, he went to visit his younger brother Michael's grave at La Chacarita Cemetery. He found out where exactly he was buried and also met up with some of Michael's friends who told him more about the lead up to Michael's sad death.Eddie lived most of his life in Liverpool. I have fond memories of him from when I was a child visiting my relations, he was my mum's first cousin, but I always called him Uncle Eddie.Like many seafarers, Eddie had "R.C." tattooed on his arm meaning Roman Catholic. This was in case they had an accident ashore, it was a sign to let people know they were to contact a Catholic Priest in case the sailor was dying and could receive the Last Rights beforehand.

EDDIE WAS AWARDED WITH THE ATLANTIC STAR MEDAL & THE PACIFIC STAR MEDAL, ALSO THE FRENCH & GERMAN MEDAL FOR TAKING PART IN THE D DAY LANDINGS.

DISCHARGE BOOK DETAILS:
HEIGHT~5'7
EYES~BLUE
COMPLEXION~ DARK
TATOOS~ANCHOR ON HIS LEFT ARM, RC ON HIS RIGHT ARM

John Harpur was known as Jack. He was the Pilot Master for one of the Wexford harbour commissioners for several years. On Friday 20 February, 1914 - John and the crew of their lifeboat THE WEXFORD played a great part in the rescue of the captain and crew from the 3 masted schooner MEXICO. On that desperate day the Fethard and Kilmore lifeboats also went to the rescue. The Fethard-lifeboat was lost in an attempt to save the MEXICO and her crew.

The MEXICO was one of the fastest schooners of her day; she had a crew of 9 on board, laden with a cargo of mahogany from South America. Sailing from the Cayman Islands bound for Liverpool, she hit a treacherous sleet storm between the coast of Wexford and Wales when the sea carried her dangerously close to the Keeragh Islands, where she was grounded. The HELEN BLAKE lifeboat went to the rescue too but just as they were in reach of the MEXICO a huge wave over 30' high capsized their boat and many men were lost. Captain Lar Busher and his crew of THE WEXFORD lifeboat left Wexford Quay on 20 February to try to rescue the MEXICO but they were hit by a storm and had to take shelter in Waterford harbour. The 22 February, they tried again followed by the Dunmore Lifeboat.
Viewers from the shore were shocked as they watched the unfolding disaster, but nobody knew who was alive and who was missing. Gallant attempts were made to rescue the men over the following day and nights, but all the while they waited on the island; they were bitterly cold soaked and hungry with no provisions except for some whiskey and a little wine that the captain of the MEXICO managed to recover from the sinking wreck.

The crew of the MEXICO clung on to the Kerragh Rock for 3 days and nights. After numerous brave attempts and courageous efforts, THE WEXFORD and other lifeboats were successful and rescued all the men on the rock. When the lifeboat men of Wexford and Rosslare returned, they received a heroic welcome from thousands of people waiting anxiously to greet them! The HELEN BLAKE represented the greatest loss of life in the history of the R.N.LI. No other life was lost in the R.N.LI. until 1977. The MEXICO tragedy cost Fethard 9 lives, left 3 widows and 16 orphans.