Received from Val Brown on 18th February 2007

I saw the details of your "project" in March Family Tree

My father Richard Soans was a Merchant Seaman serving from December 1912 to December 1939. As he was a "Marconi Man" he was employed directly by the Marconi Company. He did however serve on two Castle vessels, Kenilworth Castle and Llanstephan Castle. Would information of him be of any use to you, or are you including only those who were employed directly by Union Castle

Regards Val Brown

Name Richard Thomas Soans, born 24 Sept 1888 Bromley Kent, died 26 Feb 1968 Luton Beds

Position Radio Officer, appointed to the staff of "Marconi" 8th December  1912, left the service 18th December 1939.

Served on Union Castle Vessels as First Radio Officer, Kenilworth Castle 1918, Llanstephen Castle 1919.

My father left the service in1939, but as we were again at war he joined the Army,(Royal Corps of Signals) and based in the UK instructed the next generation in the use of Radio Communications. He finished his working life as a Tutor at the Wireless School in Bletchley Park.

As I was a late addition to the family I never saw him in Naval uniform, although I was brought up on "shipping yarns" That period of his life remained as vivid as when he joined till the day he died.

His photograph shows him as a young recruit , with a "Marconi" cap badge