In February 2016, Glyn Scott contacted me with the details of his father's daily trek through the Penarth subway from Adamstown, Cardiff to Penarth Dock. He provided the following information relating to his father's uncle who worked as a ship's steward but was lost during WWI.

War memorial Penarth: Parkman, William Richard

Mess Steward, on S.S. Ventnor (London), Mercantile Marine.

Died: 14th February 1918, drowned when ship torpedoed and sunk by a submarine, aged 27.

Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial, London, Penarth War Memorial.

Son of Thomas Charles and Esther Parkman (nee Treasure), of 36 High Street, Penarth. Born at Penarth.

Occupation: a ship’s steward before the war.

War Service: enlisted at the outbreak of war, but was later discharged and returned to being a ship’s steward; the vessel had been away for about four months and was homeward bound; the torpedo struck the vessel amidship and she sank in less than three minutes. Parkman was amongst those drowned along with twenty of the crew, and only nine lives were saved when they were picked up by another vessel, among them George Gaul and George Taupis of Maughan Street, Penarth. His father was a reservist called up at the outbreak of war, and is now aged 52 and serving with the R.F.A. in France having been awarded the Mons Star; brother Lance Corporal Ivor W. Parkman is serving in the Welsh Regiment. He served six months in France when he was gassed and spent a further six months in hospital, returning back to active service about six months ago; another brother Thomas Walter is serving in the Royal Engineers in France; and George is in the navy serving on board H.M.S. Hyanthes. Penarth Times 1914 - 1919.

s.s. Ventmoor, built by Ropner & Son, Stockton in 1900 and owned at the time of her loss by North Moor Steamships, Ltd. (W. Runciman & Co.), London, was a British steamer of 3456 tons.

On February 14th, 1918, Ventmoor, defensively armed, on a voyage from Mudros to Sfax in ballast, was sunk by the German submarine UC-37 (Otto Kümpel) without warning, 8 miles SWxW of Skyros lighthouse, Aegean Sea. 21 persons were lost including the master.