Master William Boyd of Islandmagee, Co. Antrim died on 2nd March 1941 as S.S. Castlehill came under attack from a Luftwaffe Heinkel in the Bristol Channel.
Master
Master William Boyd served in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. Born on 1st May 1884, he was the son of the late Samuel Boyd and the late Elizabeth Boyd (née Templeton) of Islandmagee, Co. Antrim.
On 25th May 1910, William Boyd married Margaret Ross of Portmuck, Islandmagee, Co. Antrim. The service took place in 2nd Presbyterian Church in the town. The couple had at least 3 children, Mary Jane, Robert, and John.
Boyd died on 2nd March 1941 aged 56 years old while serving on S.S. Castlehill. The Scottish-built vessel owned by John Kelly Ltd., Belfast went down in the Bristol Channel off Minehead. The crew was en route from Cork, Ireland to Newport, Wales carrying a cargo of coal. A Heinkel He 111 of Kampfgeschwader 27 claimed the sinking. All but 1 crew member died as a result of the incident.
Master Boyd has no known grave and his name is on Panel 24 of the Tower Hill Memorial, London, England. His father, uncle, and an elder brother also died at sea on various merchant ships around the turn of the century.