Raymond Steed
| Raymond Victor Steed | |
|---|---|
Raymond Steed, circa. 1937-1939.
|
|
| Born | 1 October 1928 St Mellons, Monmouthshire |
| Died | 26 April 1943 (aged 14) Casablanca coast, Africa |
| Buried | Ben M'Sik European Cemetery, Casablanca |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom
|
| Service/branch |
 British Merchant Navy |
| Rank | Galley Boy |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | Africa Star, 1939 War Medal, Atlantic Star, 1939-1945 Star |
| Other work | Killed in action |
Raymond Victor Steed (1 October 1928 – 26 April 1943) was the second youngest British services recruit to die during the Second World War. He was just 14 years and 207 days old when the ship on which he was a galley boy, SS Empire Morn, was blown up after it hit a U-boat mine on 26 April 1943. He was previously described by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as "the youngest known British services death," but this was revised in February 2010, when it was confirmed Reginald Earnshaw was actually younger, at 14 years and 151 days.
Raymond Steed, the son of steelworker Wilfred and his wife Olive (née Bright), was born on 1 October 1928, at Rimperley Terrace, St Mellons, Monmouthshire. He was one of nine children. The family later moved to Christchurch Road, Newport, near Cardiff.
Steed signed up to the British Merchant Navy Reserve Pool on 29 December 1942, two months after his 14th birthday. He joined his first ship, the former Royal Mail Line SS Atlantis, on the same day. Steed served as a steward's boy on the Atlantis, which had been converted into a hospital ship. He was awarded the Africa Star with clasp during Operation Torch, when Allied troops landed on the beaches of North Africa. Steed left the ship three months later, in March 1943, to join the SS Empire Morn.
Steed's service aboard Empire Morn, a 7,092 GRT catapult aircraft merchant ship built by Barrow-in-Furness-based Vickers-Armstrong Ltd in 1941, started on 4 April 1943. The ship sailed from Milford Haven on that day, loaded with military equipment destined for Casablanca and Gibraltar. She arrived at Casablanca on 25 April, and then set off for Gibraltar. At 9:45 p.m. on 26 April 1943, the ship hit a U-boat mine off Rabat, Morocco at 34°08′N 07°58′W / 34.133°N 7.967°W. A secondary explosion damaged the stern and blew out much of the crew accommodation. German records later revealed the Morn had detonated a mine laid on 10 April 1943, by U-boat 117. When the order was given to abandon ship, a head count of crew found 21 men missing. Steed was among this number.
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