James Greeke

James Greeke was killed on board the steamship Belvedere at Barry Dock on 8 August 1921.

Two coloured seamen were tried for his murder but acquitted.

They had all been on board the steamship Belvedere at Barry Dock having come from Baltimore to Barry, on 8 August 1921.

They had had a quarrel over some ashes which was one of a number of incidents that led to a quarrel about midnight on 8 August, in the course of which James Greeke received a severe wound on the forehead from which he died eleven days later.

His skull bone had been driven in, and the wound was thought to have been inflicted with a ladle.

The two men, along with a third had first appeared before the magistrates on a charge of unlawfully wounding James Greeke. However, after his death the two seamen were charged with his murder on 14 October 1921.

The statement made by James Greeke before his death was that on the night in question there had been about 9 or 10 men in the mess-room playing cards and that the three seamen came in and that one of them wanted a fight and he left and went back to his bunk. However, he said that the seaman that wanted the fight followed him and slashed him across the forehead with a razor.

He said that the seaman then ran away but that immediately afterwards he saw the two seamen that were charged with his murder, each with a razor in their hands.

Then, as soon as they left the messroom, James Greeke was found bleeding from a wound to his forehead.

However, it was noted that it was true that the doctors evidence showed that the wound from which James Greeke died could not have been inflicted with a razor and that there was no evidence that one of them had any other weapons.

At that stage the defence said there was no case to answer.

However, the prosecution stated that it was clear that the three men had been seen together on the ship immediately after the affair and that they had been acting in concert.

When the judge summed up, he said that there was certainly not sufficient evidence to justify the jury finding that either of the seamen were guilty of murder, but told the jury that they had to consider whether it had been proved that either of them had struck James Greeke the blow that led to his death. He noted that it was a remarkable fact that although there was evidence that a razor had been used in the course of the disturbance, that the doctor that had examined James Greeke had stated that the wound could not have been inflicted with the razor.

The jury then returned a verdict of not guilty and one of the seamen was immediately discharged.

However the other seamen was charged with maliciously wounding another seaman with a razor on the same night in question and he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 9 months' imprisonment.