A ST CLEARS man is seeking help for historical detective work on a former town resident.

Don Benson, a former director of Dyfed Archaeological Trust, is looking for details of a significant master mariner who was apparently originally from St Clears, Captain William Rees.

Captain Rees is believed to have been born in the 1890s, and by 1910-12 he was apprenticed and acquired a square-riggers ticket on a four-masted barque called Comley B, a Cape-Horner owned by the Cardiff Bank Line.

Don added: "In 1922 he was second mate of the Greyfryda, and by 1926 he had become captain of the vessel Bryn Towy trading coal to Canada and back with grain. Thereafter he became fleet master of the Barry Shipping Co, one of the most successful South Wales ship owners, later trading to South America under the name South American Saint Line.

"In 1936, the company ordered three new state-of-the art vessels, each of 4,312 gross tons. The last of these, launched on July 7, 1936, was named St Clears after the fleet's senior master's home town."

It is believed William Rees ended active captaincy in the 1940s and was appointed as the company's marine superintendent, finally retiring in the 1950s to live in Cardiff where he died sometime around 1980.

Captain Rees was described by a former employer, Lindsay Street, as "a small sturdy man, a fervent chapel-goer, teetotaller and a fluent Welsh speaker," Mr Benson said.

So far, he has been unable to locate him in any St Clears records.

Don said: "I imagine he was a chapel man in St Clears, but nobody can tell me whether he was born in the town.

"Somebody must know something about him. I was actually compiling a history of the port of St Clears. I thought when I heard about him I thought would put in an appendix all about him. If I could take down his St Clears history that would be extremely interesting."

Anyone with any information can contact Don on 01994 230 553.