Maurice
Firstname
Walter
Middle Name
Griffiths
Surname
Date of Birth
School Years:
Date of Death:
1911- 18
Family
Parents arrived in Ipswich in 1903 when his father became the /east of England representative for a glove manufacturer.
Married Dulcie Kennard in 1927 (divorced 1934)
Married Marjorie (Coppie) Copson in December 1944 whilst based with the RNVR at HMS Vernon
School Record
He left the School aged 16 to become an Estate Agent
Branch of Service:
RNVR
Service Number:
Rank:
Decorations:
Service Record
Lieutenant Commander
George Medal and Campaign Medals
Post War Career
He trawled for mines in the North Sea and de-activated parachute mines dropped on the London Docks during the Blitz. He also commanded a group of divers clearing mines from the Suez Canal. He was awarded the George Medal for his "gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty". This was gazetted in a supplement dated 14th January 1941 page 259. Later in the war he oversaw the design and fitting of the explosives charges that sank 77 condemned ships off the coast of Normandy where they had formed part of the Mulberry Harbour used following "D" day.
Prior to the War, he firstly worked as an Estate Agent and his first love was trains and he wrote articles on a part time basis for the East Anglian Daily Times. This led him to the Ipswich Docks and he found boating. He started a small yacht brokerage and in 1925 published a book entitled "Yachting on a small income". He edited "Yachting Monthly" before and after the war and his boat designs were mass produced following the arrival of marine plywood and fibreglass. The most successful designs ere "Eventide 24 and 26" followed by "Waterwitch 30". He wrote a number of books on yachting as well as 2 novels prior to the War. He wrote "The Hidden Menace" in 1981 about the use of naval mines during the war.
Burial Information
Additional Information
A Biography of Maurice Griffiths was written by Dick Durham published in 1994 and entitled "The Magician of the Swatchways".
An obituary appears in the Ipswichian for 1998 at page 65.
An article was written about him and appears in the O.I. Journal Issue 2 Winter 2010/11 at pages 14 and 15.
Other Pictures
