C E Exton
It is with regret that we report the passing on 20th of December 1980 of Captain C E Exton, one of our retired masters. He joined the Company in January 1922 and was promoted to maste4 in April 1943, reverting to chief officer between 1946 and 1949 when there were more senior Masters available. He was promoted to master again in June 1949. In about 1930 captain Exton sailed as an A.B. with another company until 1936, when he rejoined Reardon Smith line.
Captain Exton, during his long career with the Company (39 years in total), had an eventful period of war service.
In March 1941, when chief officer of the Tacoma city, the vessel was sunk by a mine in the Mersey. Captain Exton lived in Liverpool and if one had to be involved in such an incident, he probably felt it was a good place from his point of view. not long after this incident, the joint the ex-French steamer being managed by Sir William Reardon Smith, the Enseigne Marie Saint-Germaine. Rather glorious name for not such an exciting vessel, engaged exclusively at the time, carrying coal from north-east coast ports to the power stations on the London River.
Braving the E-Boat AlAlley, as it was called, the additional hazards of mines and aircraft attack was probably the period at seacaptain Exton would remember most.
The vessel was mined, suffered many a torpedo attack from E-Boats and once actually carried the bomb into port on her foredeck, which had failed to go all in a direct hit from an aircraft.
In peace time, Captain Exton was master of many of the Company's vessels and he retired in 1966, having given many years of loyal and devoted service to the Company. Captain Exton's son, Ian, is serving with us as third engineer and to Mrs Exton and her family we extend our sincere sympathy at this sad time.
Printed in the Reardon Smith Newsletter No. 132. January 1981.