James William Donaldson

Memorial: South Gloucestershire war dead not on a local memorial

Regiment: Merchant Navy

Medals: 1939–45 Star, War Medal 1939–1945

Rank and number: Third Officer

Parents: James and Annie Donaldson

Marital status: Married

Home address: Severn View, New Passage, Pilning

Pre-war occupation: Sailor

Date of birth: 22/05/1912

Place of birth: Aberdeen

Date of death: 29/11/1940

Buried/Commemorated at: Died at sea. Commemorated at Tower Hill Memorial. Not commemorated on a local memorial

Age: 28

Further information:

James was born in Aberdeen and enlisted in the Merchant Navy in Glasgow, in February 1933, when he was described as 5' 11 ½" tall with brown hair blue eyes and a pale complexion. James served in the Navy in both peacetime and wartime and he married Beryl Joy Wilmot in Bristol, less than three months before he died.
On the presumed day of James's death, he was serving aboard the unescorted Merchant Ship Aracataca which was on route from Jamaica to Avonmouth carrying a cargo of 1600 tons of bananas and grapefruit. At 00.41 hours the vessel was hit by a torpedo from U-boat U-101 while steaming on a zigzag course at 13 knots about 230 miles west of Rockall. The engines were stopped immediately and the master ordered the crew to abandon ship after distress signals were sent. Four lifeboats were lowered and occupied by all 66 crew members, one gunner and two passengers. The U-boat subsequently fired two further torpedoes and the vessel sank. The four lifeboats then set sail independently but only two boats were ever picked up and their occupants rescued. Some of the survivors were landed in Buenos Aires on 23rd December and the remainder landed in New Brunswick Canada, on Christmas Eve. The other two lifeboats were never seen again and 36 crew members including James, were lost.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/
https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ship/682.html