The Conservator

Thomas Bowen, the coxswain of Cardigan lifeboat, is seen here wearing a bronze medal that was awarded to him for his part in saving the lives of ten seamen who had been travelling on the converted steam yacht S.S. Conservator. The Conservator was on a voyage from Wexford to Newport (Monmouthshire) in March 1919 when it was blown off-course and fell into difficulties in Cardigan Bay. Thomas Bowen was also a pilot on the River Teifi, a post that required an intimate knowledge of the river. Once a ship arrived at the river estuary, control would be handed over to the pilot, who would use his knowledge of the river to navigate it safely to the port. Navigating a ship up the Teifi was made particularly difficult because of the sand bar at the mouth of the river and its narrow channel to the port. Source: W. J. Lewis, Gateway to Wales: A History of Cardigan (Carmarthen, 1990) 

Thomas Bowen lived at Penally House, St.Dogmaels on the site to the west of the Pinog slipway by Jewson's Yard. Thomas Bowen served many years as crew and coxwain on the lifeboat Elizabeth Austin.

The lifeboat was eventually sold and then found to be beyond economical repair. The decision was made by her new owners to sink her in a diving lake at Wraysbury, thus preserving her for divers to enjoy. The picture was taken on the day that she was finally sunk. As you can see, a great deal of superstructure has been added over the years but the hull shape is still very distinctive as she slips below the surface.

Tony Bowen, a decendant of the seafaring Bowen family and still living in St.Dogmaels, has collected a wonderful history of the village in documents and photographs. Explore his archive for yourself: www.bbc.co.uk/wales/mid/sites/cardigan/tony_bowen_photos.shtml