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Bernard Dunphy
Lieutenant, Royal Naval Reserve, HMS Bayano
Killed or died as a direct result of enemy action, 11 March 1915, aged 33
Body not recovered for burial
CWGC registered (no family details)
Bernard Dunphy was born at Llandudno on 29 December 1881. His father Stephen came from Dundalk in Ireland. His mother Catherine (née Phillips) was born in Llandudno. Stephen Dunphy was a prominent local grocer and baker, trading as “Central Stores”. The family lived at “Temple House”, Mostyn Street. In November 1887, Bernard was admitted to St. George’s National School, later training as a cadet on the training ship HMS Conway from October 1897 to December 1899, then berthed at Liverpool. His first appointment after receiving his Extra Certificate was on the “Halewood” owned by R W Leyland & Company. Later, he was employed by the Cunard Steamship Company, sailing as a junior officer on various ships including Carmania, Franconia, Ivernia, and Saxonia. He Lived at 41 Bank Road, Bootle. He was also an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve; The Navy List for February 1900 records him as being a midshipman in the RNR with seniority of 28 December 1899. He was gazetted as a second lieutenant in 1907 and promoted to lieutenant in 1909.
Bernard Dunphy married Edna Mary Potts at St. George’s Church, Llandudno in 1912 and the couple lived at 16 Glenwyllin Road, Waterloo, Liverpool. At the outbreak of war he was the third officer on the Mauritania. In the meantime, his father had died (January 1906) and his mother thereafter lived at “Bron Haul”, Church Walks, Llandudno.
Bernard Dunphy was killed on 11 March 1915 when his ship, HMS Bayano, an Elders and Fyffes Line banana-boat converted to an armed merchant cruiser, was sunk by a torpedo fired by the German submarine U-27 off the Galloway coast of Scotland. He was 33 years of age.
Bernard Dunphy’s body was never recovered and he is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. It would appear that the Dunphy’s had no children; Emma Dunphy died in Devonshire in 1968.
Known memorials:
- Portsmouth Naval Memorial
- Llandudno Roll of Honour
- Llandudno War Memorial
- Memorial Chapel, Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno
- St. Tudno’s Churchyard
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