Dudley William Mason is fondly remembered by the Maltese as the 40-year-old brave captain who mastered the SS Ohio, that large and fast Texaco tanker built in just seven months, which played a pivotal role in Operation Pedestal − also known as the Santa Marija Convoy − during World War II.

The UK merchant shipping company Eagle Oil claimed it had selected Mason to captain the SS Ohio “on account of his proven initiative and efficiency and splendid fortitude”, even though he was their most junior master.

The decision paid off when, despite facing unimaginable obstacles, he managed to get his tanker through to Malta on August 15, 1942. As the ship made its way to Parlatorio Wharf, Mason and his crew were overwhelmed by the considerable popular acclamation they received.

A picture of Mason taken three weeks after his arrival in Malta shows him back in England in a hospital bed recovering from hand burns. In the photograph, both his hands are heavily bandaged except for the ring finger, on which his wedding ring is clearly visible.

Mason and his wife, Elsie Amelia Coates, were married in 1924. Until 1939, she had regularly paid him a visit whenever his ship was in port. That year, however, she abruptly stopped dropping by, leading the captain to believe all was not well with their marriage.

Clifford Grimwood... denied having an affair with Mason’s wife. But a reliable source informed Mason the relationship between the two was an intimate one

His suspicions were further aroused a year later when he discovered a letter addressed to his wife from a man called Clifford Grimwood.

Grimwood was confronted about the letter but he denied having an affair with Elsie Amelia, claiming they were just friends. But a reliable source informed Mason that the relationship between the two was an intimate one.

When Mason was awarded the George Cross at Buckingham Palace on September 8, 1942, Elsie Amelia was not present and Mason was accompanied only by his mother and father.

Dudley Mason with his mother. Photo from the Dundee Evening Telegraph, September 1942

In a private audience after the ceremony, Mason’s mother told King George VI that her “boy had never missed a mail” to her since he joined the Merchant Navy in 1919.

By this time, Mason had filed for divorce, alleging that his wife and Grimwood had committed adultery. Elsie Amelia did not contest the charge and,  in October 1942, Mason was granted a ‘decree nisi’, a provisional decree of divorce, given by a divorce court in London.

Mason remarried in Bristol in 1948.