‘Last Post’ Gallipoli Commemoration – Ulster Folk Museum

You are welcome to our ‘Last Post’ Gallipoli Commemoration event being held on Sunday, 26th April 2015 at 2pm at the Northern Banking Company exhibit within the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra.

We will be commemorating four bank officials from the Northern Banking Company who volunteered and enlisted to serve during the Great War.

Warrant Officer Class 2 Thomas W Cooper was an Englishman and joined Northern Bank in 1904 as a bank porter. He was working in Grafton Street branch, Dublin when he enlisted into the 5th Bn. Royal Irish Regiment (10th Irish Division). Thomas saw service in Gallipoli, the landing at Suvla Bay and in the Salonika campaign before transferring to the Western Front. He was demobilised in April 1919 and was awarded the Star, the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal.

Private Charles Kevin Fitzsimons was born on 9^th November 1890. His family was from Newry and were of Roman Catholic faith. Kevin joined Northern Bank in 1909 at Head Office, Belfast. Transfers followed to Mohill, Ballycastle and Shercock. In October 1914, whilst based in Shercock branch, Kevin enlisted into the Royal Army Medical Corps as a Private. He served with the British Expeditionary Force in France and saw further action during the Suvla Bay Landings at Gallipoli and in Salonika. Later he transferred to the 2^nd Bn. Royal Irish Fusiliers, which had joined the 10th Irish Division in November 1916, and further action was seen in the Salonika (Struma Valley) and Palestine (Gaza and Nablus) campaigns before being demobilised in April 1919. Fitzsimons was awarded the Star, the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal. Following demobilisation, he rejoined the Northern Bank in early 1919 at Shercock. Transfers followed to Ballycastle and then back in charge of Shercock. Further transfers followed with Dowra, Shercock, Skerries, Head Office, Oldcastle and Head Office. He died in 1953 aged 62.

Lieutenant Thomas Richard Jenkins was born in Oldcastle on 5^th December 1893. He was the son of Thomas F Jenkins and Mary E Jenkins who were of Church of Ireland faith. In 1911 whilst living in Moylagh, Co. Meath, Thomas joined Northern Bank, Head Office. Transfers followed with Dromore, Bailieborough and Ball’s Branch, Dublin. In October 1914, whilst he was working in Ball’s Branch, Thomas volunteered and enlisted into the Royal Dublin Fusiliers (10^th Irish Division) as a Private. Jenkins saw action at Suvla Bay in the Gallipoli campaign and in the subsequent campaign against the Bulgarians in Salonika. Promoted to 2^nd Lieutenant in 1917 with the Durham Light Infantry and later promoted to Lieutenant in early 1919. In early 1919, Jenkins transferred to the Military Accountancy Department, India. Demobilisation came in December 1919. He was awarded the Star, the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal. Following demobilisation, Jenkins rejoined the Northern Bank in January 1920 at Head Office. Transfers followed to Ball’s Branch, Dublin, Head Office and back to Ball’s Branch, Dublin. Jenkins left the bank in 1926.

Private William Frederick Alexander Mathews was born in Dublin in 1893 and was the son of Marcus Beresford Mathews and Mrs Annie Mathews. Marcus Mathews was a bank manager and with his family lived in Henry Street, Dublin. The family were of Church of Ireland faith. In 1910, William joined Northern Bank at Ball’s branch, Dublin. The following year the family moved to Northern Bank House, Grafton Street, Dublin. In early 1914 William was transferred to Head Office in Belfast. After the outbreak of war, William volunteered and enlisted into the 7^th Bn. Royal Dublin Fusiliers (10th Irish Division) as a Private. He fought in battles at Suvla Bay Landing and Chocolate Hill before being killed in action on 13^th September 1915 aged 21. William was awarded the Star, the British War Medal and the British Victory Medal. He is commemorated on the Helles Memorial, Turkey.

Research by History Hub Ulster Treasurer Gavin Bamford

How 2291 lives were lost to sudden explosions on Royal Navy ships with 38 of Ulster’s men needlessly lost

March 16, 2015 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged Cordite Explosions, First World War, HMS Bulwark, HMS Glatton, HMS Natal, HMS Princess Irene, HMS Vanguard, Irish Sailor, Royal Navy, World War One

Across the course of World War One, 5 Royal Navy warships were destroyed by internal explosions causing the deaths of 2291 sailors of which 98 were known Irishmen. 38 of the lost sailors were Ulstermen. These ships were HMS Bulwark lost 1914, HMS Princess Irene lost 1915, HMS Natal lost 1915, HMS Vanguard lost 1917 and HMS Glatton lost 1918.

HMS Bulwark

On 26 November 1914, the 15,000-ton battleship, HMS Bulwark was moored on the Medway in Sheerness. While the men on board were having breakfast, the ship suddenly exploded. An eyewitness saw ‘a great volume of flame and smoke shot into the air. The ship seemed to split in two and then heeled over and sank’.

The explosion was heard across a 30 mile radius. Once the smoke cleared no trace of the ship remained. The Times lead with the strapline ‘Ship’s company almost eliminated. The Bulwark disappeared in three minutes. The explosion shook every building in the vicinity, and some of the debris was thrown six miles’.

The Belfast Newsletter printed an eyewitness statement ‘At first we could see nothing but when the smoke cleared a bit we were horrified to find that the battleship Bulwark had gone’. He continues describing finding a body in the water ‘The poor fellow was terribly mutilated. One arm was torn off and hanging as if by a thread, while the body was terribly cut about. He looked as if he had been dragged for miles over rough stones, His clothing was in shreds and his flesh cut through’.

Stoker William Gray HMS Bulwark

There was considerable damage in Sheerness and more than 700 men on the ship were killed. Winston Churchill reported the disaster to the House of Commons later that day, noting that only 12 had survived. There were rumours of sabotage or enemy action, but Bulwark was almost certainly destroyed after cordite was ignited and there may have been some mishandling of the powder charges.

30 Irish men were killed in the explosion, 7 of them from Ulster.

The Ulstermen were Seaman James Begley of Greencastle, Donegal aged 24, Stoker (1^st) Jeremiah Byrne of Kilcar, Donegal aged 38, Seaman Edmund Finn of Red Bay, Antrim aged 34, Able Seaman James Thomas Gardner of HM Coastguard Station, Carrickfergus aged 46, Stoker Hugh Gilmour of Banbridge, aged 36, Stoker William Gray from Hogarth Street in Belfast aged 32 and Lieutenant Alexander Cyril Montagu from Cromore in Portstewart aged 24.

HMS Princess Irene

Cordite, the propellant that once hurled British bullets and shells, is notoriously unstable and less than six months later there was a second explosion on ocean liner Princess Irene built at Dumbarton in 1914 for Canadian Pacific Railways. She had been commandeered for war service as a minelayer and became HMS Princess Irene. On the morning of 27 May 1915 while in the Medway for a refit, a huge explosion tore through the vessel, shaking the ground for miles around and showering the surrounding villages with bodies and debris.

The Belfast Newsletter reported that it ‘the explosion…was even more violent than that which accompanied the blowing up of the battleship Bulwark. Flying debris was scattered for a considerable distance, and a number of men on other ships in the vicinity were injured’. ‘A packet of butter which is known to have belonged to the vessel has been picked up in a garden in Newington, which is about 8 miles as the crow flies from Sheerness, and at the same place two towels bearing the words “Allan Line”, were picked up along with a large piece of wood bearing marks that it belonged to the Princess Irene’.

One mechanic working on a ship 1000 yards away was hit by debris and died the following day, and a little girl aged 9 was picked up dead on the Isle of Grain having been struck by a piece of iron from the ship. On Princess Irene 200 men died, along with 78 shipwrights, apprentices, skilled labourers and boys from nearby towns and villages. Once again sabotage was suspected, but the conclusion was that the mine charges were unstable and were awaiting replacement.

Stoker James Maxwell, HMS Princess Irene

19 Irish men were killed in the explosion, 6 of them from Ulster.

The Ulstermen were Stoker (2^nd class) James Larmour from Lilliput Street, Belfast aged 19, Stoker (2^nd class) James Maxwell of Barbour Street, Greencastle aged 20, Able Seaman John McAdorey of Garmoyle street, Belfast aged 30, Stoker 2^nd class Matthew McEnroe of Union Street, Derry aged 19, Leading Stoker John Carleton of Belgrave Street, Belfast aged 23 and Stoker (2^nd class) Alexander McMurray of Bangor aged 22.

HMS Natal

Just over six months later another explosion occurred near Cromarty, Firth on HMS Natal, a Warrior-class armoured cruiser. On 30^th December 1915 the Captain was hosting a Christmas film show on board the warship. Invited along were wives of officers and nurses from a nearby hospital ship. Just as the party was starting at around 3.25pm, a series of massive explosions tore through the rear part of the ship and she capsized within 5 minutes. Reports that she had been torpedoed by a German U-boat or detonated a mine were proven false when examinations of the wreckage revealed that the explosions were internal. The Admiralty court-martial concluded that the explosion was caused by an ammunition explosion, possibly due to faulty cordite. The Admiralty issued a list of the dead and missing that totalled 390 in January 1916, but did not list the women and children on board that day, perhaps embarrassed by the loss of non-combatants. Losses are now listed between 400 to 421 people.

Stoker William McConkey, HMS Natal

17 Irish men were killed in the explosion, 9 of them from Ulster.

The Ulstermen were Boy 1^st class Francis Pasteur Goodman of Keady, Armagh aged 17, Stoker 1^st class William McConkey of Agnes Street, Belfast aged 20, Armourer’s Crew John Stratton of Portadown, Armagh aged 20, Stoker 1^st class William Walsh of Spamount Street, Belfast aged 26, Boy 1^st class Robert Woodney of Queensland Street, Belfast aged 17, Able Seaman Henry McKee of Malone Road, Belfast aged 24, Carpenter’s Crew Thomas McKeown from Cookstown, Tyrone aged 23, Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Nathaniel Taylor from Rockvale, Katesbridge aged 22 and Stoker 1^st class Thomas Newell of Lachagh street, Belfast, aged 22.

HMS Vanguard

HMS Vanguard was a St Vincent-class dreadnought battleship built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She spent her whole career assigned to the Home and Grand Fleets. Aside from participating in the Battle of Jutland her service during World War I generally consisted of routine patrols and training in the North Sea. Just before midnight on 9 July 1917 at Scapa Flow, Vanguard suffered an explosion caused by an unnoticed stokehold fire heating cordite stored against an adjacent bulkhead in one of the two magazines which served the amidships gun turrets. She sank almost instantly, killing an estimated 804 men with only two picked up alive.

In terms of loss of life, the destruction of the Vanguard remains the most catastrophic accidental explosion in the UK, and one of the worst accidental losses of the Royal Navy.

Able Seaman J McCracken, HMS Vanguard

30 Irish men were killed in the explosion, 15 of them from Ulster.

The Ulstermen were Ordinary Seaman Alexander Baird from Upper Meadow Street, Belfast, aged 19, Stoker John Devine from Ballymoney, aged 32, Ordinary Seaman William Harvey, from City Street, Belfast, aged 18, Able Seaman Joseph McCracken of Crimea Street, Belfast aged 26, Stoker 1^st class Samuel McIlvenny from Stratheden Street, Belfast aged 24, Naval Schoolmaster Hugh Robert Murray from Halliday’s Road, Belfast aged 22, Stoker 1^st Class, William George Reid of Mervue Street, Belfast aged 23, Carpenter’s Crew Charles Magee Thompson from Gracehill, Ballymena aged 23, Midshipman Randal William McDonnell Johnston from Glynn, Co Antrim aged 17, Carpenter’s Crew Bernard Ferris from Co Derry, aged 22, Stoker 1^st Class Hugh Fisher from Portaferry, Co Down, aged 27, Able Seaman Samuel Montgomery McCargo from Co Antrim aged 21, Carpenter’s Crew John Wilson Adams from Spittal Hill, Coleraine, aged 29, Stoker 1^st class Thomas Rainey Agnew from Spamount Street, Belfast aged 23, Shipwright 2^nd class John Neville from Cregagh Road, Belfast aged 37.

HMS Glatton

HMS Glatton and her sister ship Gorgon were originally built as coastal defence ships for the Royal Norwegian Navy, as Bjørgvin and Nidaros respectively. She was requisitioned from Norway at the beginning of World War I, but was not completed until 1918 although she had been launched over three years earlier.

On 16 September 1918, before she had even gone into action, she suffered a large fire in one of her 6-inch magazines. Attempts to deal with the fire failed and she had to be torpedoed to prevent an explosion of her main magazines that would have devastated Dover as well as other vessels nearby loaded with oil and ammunition.

Able Seaman William Brown, HMS Glatton

It was found that the piling of clinker against the magazine bulkhead provided the source of the ignition of the cordite causing the explosion. Her wreck was partially salvaged in 1926, and moved into a position in the North Eastern end of the harbour where it would not obstruct traffic. It was subsequently buried by landfill underneath the current car ferry terminal.

2 Irish men were killed in the explosion, 1 of them was from Ulster.

The Ulsterman was Able Seaman William Thomas Brown of Jonesboro Street, Belfast aged 20.

These five ships, needlessly lost during World War One were not the victims of enemy action but rather the mismanagement of explosives and at least 2291 lives were lost.

A list of known Irish men on board these ships is available by contacting me by email.

There were 5 other Allied ships lost during the war to explosions. Italy lost the battleships Benedetto Brin and Leonardo-di-Vinci. Japan lost the battleship Kawachi and the battle cruiser Tsukuba and Russia lost the battleship Imperatritza Maria. A cordite explosion also occurred on board the Chilian ship Capitan Prat however this did not lead to the loss of the ship. In addition cordite handling problems caused 3 battlecruisers to fatally explode during the Battle of Jutland in 1916.

Research by Karen O’Rawe, Chair History Hub Ulster

Servicemen images courtesy of History Hub Ulster Member, Nigel Henderson at http://www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com

History Hub Ulster is a research group based in Belfast, but working on projects across Ulster.

Information wanted on Royal Welch Fusiliers

January 19, 2015 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged Caernarfon Castle, First World War, Royal Welch Fusiliers, World War One, WW1

The Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum in North Wales have an ongoing project to seek out all the Royal Welch Fusiliers who served in the First World War. Many of these men were born in Ireland or lived here.

If you have any information about or images of a Royal Welch Fusilier, please let us know.

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WW1 and You: Belfast Central Library 22nd January 2015

January 16, 2015 by hhulster Posted in Events Tagged Belfast Central Library, Connaught Rangers, East Belfast WW1, First World War, Living Legacies, World War One, WW1

WW1 and You, Objects and Memories

Would you like to play a role in preserving WW1 historical facts for future generations? Join Living Legacies 1914-1918 and Libraries NI at Heritage Department, 2nd floor, Belfast Central Library on Thursday 22 January.

Bring your WW1 objects and artefacts (photographs, letters, diaries etc.) to the Heritage Department where there will be scanning and recording of memorabilia and stories throughout the afternoon from 12.30 – 4.30pm.

Call 02890509150 for details.

Also talks by Keith Lilley, Dr Brenda Winter Palmer, Jason Burke, Siobhan Brennan-Deane, Professor Elizabeth Crooke and Dr Johanne Devlin Trew.

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Centenary of the Battle of the Falklands

December 8, 2014 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged Centenary, Falklands, First World War, history, Naval War, Royal Navy, Von Spee, World War One, WW1

Battle of the Falklands – 08 Dec 1914

Prelude to Battle

Following the Battle of Coronel on 01 November 1914 off the coast of Chile, where the Royal Navy had suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hand of Admiral von Spee’s squadron, the Admiralty was making plans to redress the loss. Admiral von Spee clearly realised his actions would not go unpunished. At a post battle celebration in Valparaiso in central Chile, he was given flowers whereupon he commented ‘these will do nicely on my grave’ and refused to drink to ‘the confusion of the British Navy’.

The Admiralty ordered two battlecruisers, HMS Invincible and HMS Inflexible, to sail south to engage von Spee’s squadron on 11 November 1914, despite being told by Devonport dockyard that Inflexible could not be ready until 13 November. The dockyard pulled together and both ships put to sea at 4.45pm on 11 November.

The location of von Spee’s squadron after Coronel was unknown. Would he come through the Panama Canal into the Caribbean Sea? Would he round the Cape Horn into the Southern Atlantic? Would he remain in the Pacific? Was he already off the coast of Brazil as one (false) report suggested? The Admiralty covered all options, but it seemed probable that he would remain off the coast of Chile, so the Falkland Islands would be essential as a coaling base. The battleship HMS Canopus was therefore directed to moor at Port Stanley and guard the islands.

On 23 November, sound intelligence was received by the Admiralty that von Spee remained off the Chilean coast. On 24 November, Admiral Sturdee and Admiral Stoddart were to join forces and move to the Falklands.

Meanwhile, Admiral von Spee had rounded Cape Horn on 02 December with two armoured cruisers (SMS Gneisenau and Scharnhorst) and three light cruisers (SMS Nurnberg, Dresden and Leipzig). On 06 December he made a decision to take the Falkland Islands, expecting to meet a small British squadron at worst. Unknown to him, Admiral Sturdee’s squadron, consisting of two battleships (Invincible and Inflexible), three armoured cruisers (Carnarvon, Kent and Cornwall) and two light cruisers (Glasgow and Bristol) arrived at the Falklands on the forenoon of 07 December. Sturdee’s intention was to coal immediately and sail in search of von Spee on 08 December.

At 7.50am on 08 December, while the British ships were still coaling, Admiral von Spee’s squadron was sighted by lookouts from HMS Canopus. At 8.30am all coaling was ordered to cease and “Action” was sounded. At this moment, SMS Gneisenau and Nurnberg were approaching Port Stanley at a range of eight miles, while the remainder of von Spee’s squadron were at twenty miles. By 9.15am, the two lead German ships were making ready to fire on the wireless station above Port Stanley. Only HMS Carnarvon was ready for action at this point, but Canopus had the first say in the action by firing on the Gneisenau at a range of 11,000 yards.

At 9.40am the Gneisenau had view of the harbour. It must have been a severe shock to see the dense smoke created by an unexpectedly large number of British warships, and worse still, to see the tripod masts of battleships! By 9.45am the Gneisenau and Nurnberg had turned and fled. By 10.00am the British ships were under way and the chase had begun.

By 11.07am the enemy were in sight and it was clear the British ships had the advantage of speed. At 11.30am Admiral Sturdee aboard Invincible ordered that the next meal be taken aboard all ships while they closed in.

At 12.51pm the first shot of the chase was fired by Inflexible at the lagging Leipzig. At 1.20pm, Admiral von Spee made a courageous and honourable move to save the Leipzig and his other light cruisers. He turned his two armoured cruisers around to engage the British and ordered the light cruisers to make their escape. Admiral Sturdee immediately ordered his light cruisers to break away and give chase.

Fate of German Armoured Cruisers

As soon as von Spee ordered the turn, Inflexible opened up on Gneisenau and Inflexible attacked the Scharnhorst. The enemy had not replenished their ammunition since Coronel. Von Spee sought to close the range down to make fire more effective, and held off returning fire until he was close enough. Sturdee realised this and continued to fire at long range. By 3.10pm the action was at its hottest with Gneisenau listing and Scharnhorst burning. By 4.00pm the Scharnhorst’s guns fell silent as she listed to starboard. By 4.17pm she had sunk with the loss of all hands.

The attention of two British battleships now turned on the cruiser Gneisenau. Despite being pounded, she continued to fight bravely. By 5.10pm Admiral Stoddart in the Carnarvon had caught up and joined in. By 5.30pm she was burning furiously and listing heavily, but still firing defiantly. She sank at around 5.45pm with around 200 of her 850 men being picked up by 7.30pm.

Fate of the German Light Cruisers

Unknown to the British, the German Light Cruisers were not in good condition at the point war broke out. After four months cruising with no maintenance periods, they were even worse with doubts raised over the condition of the boilers. Glasgow being the fastest soon caught the Leipzig and opened fire at 2.53pm. The Liepzig turned and launched a broadside at Glasgow. This slowed the Leipzig’s progress and allowed Kent to close up.

Shortly after 3.30pm the German ships scattered on different courses. Cornwall and Glasgow pursued Leipzig while Kent chased Nurnberg. Dresden was able to escape due to her superior speed.

By 4.15pm Cornwall and Glasgow had closed in and engaged Leipzig. Ten minutes later, it was clear that Leipzig was doomed as she was being hit time after time and her speed was falling. But the Leipzig continued to fight for nearly two hours until the Cornwall closed range and began to fire lyddite, a high explosive. A surviving German officer described it as ‘terrific’ and ‘fearful’ as the vessel became an inferno filled with dark smoke lit by the flashes of the bursting shells. By 7.00pm Leipzig’s guns fell silent, but she managed to launch three torpedoes from her starboard tubes. The crew opened the sea cocks to sink the Leipzig and gathered amidships in hope of rescue before she went down. Sadly this was not seen by the British due to the smoke and flames and at 7.50pm, Captain Luce decided to finish Leipzig off at close range. During this, the crew of the Leipzig managed to burn two green lights. Luce ordered cease fire and put rescue boats into the water at 8.45pm. Leipzig, a mass of flames and smoke, turned on her beam ends and sank at 9.23pm. Only eighteen men were saved alive.

The Kent was not known as a good steamer, but by burning almost everything made of wood she had performed a miracle and had got almost within range of the Nurnberg by 5.00pm. The Nurnberg immediately fired her stern guns which went over the Kent, while the Kent’s guns struggled to get close. Things quickly improved as two of the Nurnberg’s boilers had burst slowing her down. The Kent gained ground and soon her guns were within effective range with fire being exchanged from 5.45pm. By 6.00pm the range was very close and the Nurnberg was taking severe punishment, so she turned away. Kent continued to shell at longer range and ten minutes later Nurnberg was on fire with several guns out of action. By 6.25pm Nurnberg had almost stopped in the water. She had a heavy list, was down by the stern, she was ablaze and all her guns were out of action. Just before 7.00pm, Nurnberg hauled down her colours in surrender and sank just before 7.30pm. Kent sent boats to the rescue and continued to search until 9.00pm, but only seven men were saved.

What of SMS Dresden? She had escaped, but Admiral Stoddart’s order to locate and sink her remained. Worn out and with no coal, she was trapped by HMS Glasgow in a Chilean port were her crew scuttled her on 14 March 1915.

By Mark McCrea, History Hub Ulster Member

Reference: Naval Operations – History of the Great War Volume 1 – by Sir Julian S Corbett

Ulster and the First World War Book Launch

November 18, 2014 by hhulster Posted in Events Tagged First World War, Jonathan Bardon, PRONI, ulster, World War One

PRONI is pleased to invite you to a lunchtime lecture by renowned author and historian Jonathan Bardon OBE on Ulster and the First World War. This is to conincide with the launch of his new publication with the same title.

JONATHAN BARDON was born in 1941 and educated at Trinity College Dublin and Queen’s University. He has lived in Belfast since 1963, teaching history. Bardon is best known for his critically acclaimed text, A History of Ulster. The book examines, in detail, the cultural, social, economic, and political arenas of the province, beginning with the early settlements and progressing linearly to present-day Ulster.

He has also written numerous radio and television programmes on the subject of Northern Ireland. Most recently he was commissioned by BBC Radio to create a two hundred and forty-episode series entitled A Short History of Ireland.

WHERE: PRONI
WHEN: 3 December 2014, 1pm
HOW MUCH: Admission is FREE
Please contact PRONI to book your place at proni@dcalni.gov.uk . T: 028 90534800

Shadows of the Great War: World War One on Film

November 10, 2014 by hhulster Posted in Events Tagged A NIght in the Cinema 1914, All Quiet on the Western front, Film Hub NI, Great War on Film, Jason Burke, Lawrence of Arabia, Professor Richard Grayson, PRONI, QFT Belfast, Shadows of the Great War, The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands, The Green Fields of France, World War One

To mark the Centenary of World War One, QFT and Film Hub NI are presenting a programme of films, talks and events.

Exploring a wide range of themes, the Shadows of the Great War programme will give audiences the opportunity to experience a diverse range of archive, classic and contemporary films, all of which present and reflect on the Great War and its legacy.

The Centenary of World War One, and the huge interest in the historical narrative surrounding it, creates a timely occasion to consider the relationship between film and the Great War. Despite being in its infancy, film played an important part in the war effort, recording and documenting the events of the conflict, relaying news to the home front and keeping people informed. This exploration of how the events and legacy of the Great War have been depicted on film will be supported by a programme of talks by eminent First World War experts.

The Launch event will take place on Armistice Day, 11^th November at 6.30pm at QFT with the Irish premiere of ‘The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands’. This new restoration from the British Film Institute National Archive is one of the finest films of the British silent era – a thrilling reconstruction of two decisive naval battles of 1914, recreated and filmed 13 years later, in peacetime. The film has been updated with a new score performed by the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. Receiving its UK Premiere in London in October, the Guardian described it as ‘…the greatest British war film you’ve never heard of’.

A_Night_at_the_Cinema_in_1914_-_A_Film_Johnnie_pic_1-300x195 Other highlights include: ‘A Night in the Cinema in 1914’. Cinema a century ago was a new, exciting and highly democratic form of entertainment. This special compilation from the BFI National Archive recreates the glorious miscellany of comedies, dramas, travelogues and newsreels which would have constituted a typical night out in 1914. A highly successful screening on the City Hall in August allowed audiences to enjoy this presentation on the big screen. Showing at QFT, the film will be preceded with a talk from Ian Montgomery (PRONI) on 1914 in Ireland, placing the film in context for local audiences.

‘War Horse’, the 2011 film adapted from the popular children’s book by Michael Morpurgo, is the story of a remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man named Albert. Set during World War One and focusing on themes of friendship and adventure, this film is a simple introduction for children to the wider context of the War and the reality in which young people of the time lived. War Horse shows at the Ulster Museum on 6^th December at 1.00pm War-Horse-movie-900x562

Documentary film ‘The Green Fields of France’ is a poetic documentary film about the Irishmen who died in World War One, with the voices of Frank McGuinness, John Banville and Peter Fallon as Irish poets Patrick MacGill, Francis Ledwidge and Thomas Kettle. The film will be shown at the Ulster Museum on 22 November and at the Strand Arts Centre on 20 January.

After the Ulster Museum screening, Professor Richard Grayson, Goldsmith’s, University of London and author of the highly successful ‘Belfast Boys: How Unionists and Nationalists Fought and Died Together in the First World War’ will give a talk about the role Irish troops played in the Great War.

The screening at the Strand will be followed by a talk from local historian Jason Burke on East Belfast and the Great War.

Gallipoli_photo_colour Other films in the programme include: the dazzling technicolor satire “The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp”, “All Quiet on the Western Front” focusing on the gulf between the concept of war and the actuality, Richard Attenborough’s musical film “Oh! What a Lovely War”, French anti-war film “La Grande Illusion”, classic epic “Lawrence of Arabia”, “Joyeux Noel” the story of the 1914 Christmas truce on the Western Front, a love story set during the Italian campaign “A Farewell to Arms”, Australian film “Gallipoli” which tells the story of two young Australian sprinters fighting on the Turkish Front and “The Wind That Shakes the Barley” an Irish film set after World War One which highlights the difficult situation in Ireland during the fight for Independence.

Full programme details are available at www.filmhubni.org and tickets can be booked through each venue – QFT, Strand or Ulster Museum.

Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

First Irish bank staff to be killed in the Great War

October 24, 2014 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged Bank of Ireland, First World War, Northern Banking Company, Private Michael Millett, Sergeant William Archibald Pattenden, World War One

The Belfast News Letter of 15th December 1914 reported in the war series “Ulster and the War – Bank Clerks in the Army”. Within the first few months of war being declared, over 100 bank clerks or workers had volunteered for service or had been ‘called up’ due to being in the Army Reserve.

Private Michael Millett from the Bank of Ireland was probably the first bank official to be killed in action. Millett was born around 1886 in Kilcloney, Co. Roscommon and was the son of Colour Sergeant James Millett. He would have joined the Bank of Ireland around 1902. Soon after, he enlisted in Athlone into the Army Reserve. At the outbreak of war he was immediately called up to serve in the 2nd Bn. Prince of Wales’s Leinster Regiment (Royal Canadians). After training, he was sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force. He was Killed in Action on 20th October 1914 aged 28. Millett is remembered on the Ploegsteert Memorial, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium and on the Bank of Ireland War Memorial in College Green, Dublin.

Sergeant William Archibald Pattenden from the Northern Banking Company was to be Killed in Action at Ypres on 31^st October 1914. Pattenden was born in October 1886 in Flimwell, Tunbridge, Kent, England and was Church of England faith. He was the son of Horace Pattenden and had 2 older brothers, George and Frank. In September 1906, following his education, Pattenden volunteered and enlisted in the Royal Sussex Regiment at Chichester, England. On his enlistment form, his next of kin is recorded as his father and the 2 elder brothers. Their address is recorded as East Street, Hambleden, Kent, England. He was given the Service Number of 8527. William is described as being 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighing 141 lbs (10 st 1 lb) with a scar over his left eye. He has dark brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Pattenden’s military career started off at the Depot, Royal Sussex Regiment. In 1907 he was posted to the 2nd Battalion. Later that year he was posted to the 1st Battalion. Between October 1907 and December 1913 Pattenden was serving in India (Ambular, Rawalpindi, Gharial and Peshawar). He transferred to the Army Reserve in December 1913. According to the Army ‘Statement of Services, Pattenden was formally discharged from the Army Reserve on 30th September 1914. Over the years in service, his army medical form records him suffering from tonsillitis, having an abrasion on his left arm, having an abscess. In 1913 at Rawalpindi, India he was vaccinated as a result of having ‘vesicles’. On his transfer to the Army Reserve, he was found to have a hernia.

Sometime after 1913 he moved to Belfast and joined the Northern Banking Company as a Head Office Porter and Caretaker. He was married and living in 13 Third Avenue, Belfast.
At the outbreak of war, as a Reservist, Pattenden was immediately recalled to the 2^nd Bn. Royal Sussex Regiment. The battalion immediately went to France as part of the British Expeditionary Force. He was to be Killed in Action at Ypres on 31^st October 1914. He was also the first Northern Bank official to take part in the Great War. He is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, the Shankill Road Mission War Memorial and on the Northern Banking Company War Memorial in Donegall Square West, Belfast.

Research by History Hub Ulster Member Gavin Bamford

For further information on Banking memorials visit

http://northernbankwarmemorials.blogspot.co.uk/

http://ulsterbankwarmemorials.blogspot.co.uk/

HMS HAWKE Centenary: Heartbreaking stories of fathers-to-be who would never see their newborn children.

October 14, 2014 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged Belfast, First World War, History Hub Ulster, HMS Hawke, HMS Theseus, Navy, RMS Olympic, Uboat-9, ulster, World War One

The sinking of HMS HAWKE: One of the greatest single losses of Royal Navy sailors from Ulster with 49 Ulstermen lost to just one U-boat

During the week when the Royal Navy traditionally remembers the Immortal Memory of Admiral Nelson and his final victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, it is worth pausing to reflect on the centenary of a naval incident that had a significant impact on so many Ulster families, the sinking of HMS Hawke. One of the greatest single losses of Royal Navy sailors from Ulster, this incident occurred on the 15th October 1914 when the German Submarine U-9 which was patrolling the North Sea came across two British Cruisers HMS Hawke and her sister ship HMS Theseus.

HMS_Hawke Under the command of German hero Commander Weddigen, U-9 fired on the British ships. This was the same German submarine which had caused the deaths of almost 1500 British seamen only 3 weeks earlier with the torpedoing of the ‘Livebait Squadron’. The submarine’s first torpedo hit HMS Hawke, igniting a magazine and causing a tremendous explosion which ripped much of the ship apart. Hawke sank in a few minutes with the loss of her Commander and 523 men. Only 74 men were saved.

Sailors from Ulster lost on Hawke included the tragic loss of three fathers-to-be, leaving pregnant wives to fend for themselves throughout the difficult war years.

-Leading Stoker Joyce Power left young twins and a pregnant wife in Ballymena. His daughter Margaret Hawke Power named after the ship he was killed on.

-Also drowned was Able Seaman Albert Patterson Wilson whose first daughter Frances was born only 4 weeks later on 14 November.

-Mariette Isabella Donald was born at the end of 1914, her father Martie Donald not returning to Carrickfergus to meet his newborn daughter.

-The Gorman siblings from Clifton Park in Belfast lost one brother, Charles on HMS Pathfinder in September only to hear of the death of another brother, Able Seaman James Toland Gorman, only one month later on HMS Hawke.

-Sullatober Flute band from Carrickfergus who lost one of their players Henry McMurran on HMS Cressy just 3 weeks before, suffered yet another tragedy with the loss of another member, Stoker (1st class) Andrew McAllister.

-Another loss for Ulster was Lieutenant Commander Ruric Henry Waring, the first of the sons of Colonel Thomas Waring JP of Waringstown to be killed. Ruric’s younger brother Major Holt Waring would be killed in 1918 at the Front.

In August 1914, at the outbreak of the First World War, Hawke was part of the 10th Cruiser Squadron, operating on blockade duties between the Shetland Islands and Norway. In October 1914, the 10th Cruiser Squadron was deployed further south in the North Sea as part of efforts to stop German warships from attacking a troop convoy from Canada. On 15 October, the squadron was on patrol off Aberdeen and HMS Hawke stopped at 0930 to pick up mail from her sister ship HMS Endymion. Hawke proceeded to return to her station without zig-zagging to avoid danger, and was out of sight of the rest of the Squadron when a single torpedo from U-9 struck Hawke and she quickly capsized. The remainder of the Squadron only realised something was wrong when, after a further, unsuccessful attack on Theseus, they were ordered to retreat and no response was received from Hawke. The destroyer Swift was dispatched from Scapa Flow to search for Hawke and found a raft carrying 22 men, while a boat with a further 49 survivors was rescued by a Norwegian steamer.

524 men drowned, including the ship’s Captain, Hugh P. E. T. Williams, and 49 Ulstermen. Only 74 men were saved, of which 6 were from Ulster.

A surviving Stoker explained:
‘Those on deck for an instant immediately after the explosion saw the periscope of a submarine which showed above the water like a broomstick. The Hawke was holed above the engine room and commenced to cant over to starboard with alarming rapidity. Her plates were twisted and torn and a huge gap was rent in her side. An attempt to man the guns was made but owing to the extra acute list of the vessel it was found impossible to train them on the submerged craft. The horror of the situation was added to when a tank of oil fuel caught fire and the flames advanced with fatal rapidity. Seeing there was not the ghost of a chance of doing any good by remaining in what was obviously a death trap I determined to make a dash for it. I scrambled precipitately up the iron ladder to the main deck. All this had happened in less time than it takes to tell.’

He continued:
‘But such is British pluck and coolness of nerve even in the face of such a situation that already after the initial shock the Captain, Commander and a midshipman were on the bridge and calmly on the fleet manoeuvre in the Solent, orders were given out and calmly obeyed. The bugler sounded the ‘Still’ call which called upon every man to remain at the post in which the call reached him. Apparently during the first minute or two, the belief was entertained that all that was wrong was the boiler explosion, but the rapidity with which the cruiser was making water on her starboard side rudely and quickly disputed all minds of this belief.’

Another survivor explained that:
‘The Captain, Commander and the midshipman had stuck bravely to their posts on the bridge to the last, and were seen to disappear and the ship finally plunged bow first amidst a maelstrom of cruel, swirling waters’

One survivor when interviewed pointed out that:
‘the crew for the most part were Irishmen, the reason being that at the outbreak of war the Hawke which was one of the oldest ships of the British Navy, was stationed at Queenstown… there were only around 24 active servicemen on board, the remainder being fleet reservists’

None of these men’s bodies was recovered for burial, most remaining where they drowned. The centenary of the sinking of HMS Hawke and the tragic loss of so many men of Ulster will be remembered at the Royal Navy’s annual Trafalgar Day Service in Belfast on 19th October 2014.

Ulstermen known to have died on HMS Hawke are:

Stoker (1^st class) Nathaniel Agnew, born Belfast

Able Seaman Robert Algie, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) David Bell, born Ballymena

Stoker (1^st class) George Jackson Campbell, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) John Chisim, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Hugh Patrick Cormican, born Belfast

Able Seaman Hugh Crawford, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Robert Creighton, born Larne

Stoker (1^st class) James Dickey, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Mariott (Martie) Robert D Donald, born Carrickfergus

Petty Officer (1^st class) William James Elkin, born Coleraine

Stoker (1^st class) Samuel Fee, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) William John Gillespie, born Lisburn

Able Seaman James Toland Gorman, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) William Greer, born Ballybay, Monaghan

Stoker (1st class) Robert John Hamilton, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) William James Harper, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Robert Hunter, born Belfast

Able Seaman William Johnston, born Carrickfergus

Stoker (1^st class) Isaac Lewis, lived Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Andrew McAllister, born Carrickfergus

Able Seaman David McCaugherty, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Hugh McComb, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) William McFarlane

Stoker (1^st class) James McNally, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) John Mills, born Belfast

Chief Petty Officer Charles Molloy, born Drumragh, Tyrone

Stoker (1^st class) Edward Mullen, born Belfast

Able Seaman William James Ross, born Belfast

Leading Stoker Joyce Power, born Ballymena

Stoker (1^st class) Thomas Henry Sefton, lived Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) John Smyth, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Archer Thompson, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) David Tully

Stoker (1^st class) Charles Edward Uprichard, born Lurgan

Stoker (1^st class) Henry Wasson, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) James Wilson, born Newry

Able Seaman Albert Patterson Wilson, lived Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) John Yates, born Belfast

Boy (1^st class) Clare Robert Adams, born Enniskillen

Stoker (1^st class) William Clarke, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Edward Crossin, born Belfast

Able Seaman John Thomas Gibson Dawson, born Belfast

Able Seaman James Charles Gamble, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Daniel Laverty, born Belfast

Stoker (1^st class) Alexander Mairs, born Ballymena

Leading Stoker Patrick McEvoy, born Dechomet, Banbridge

Stoker (1^st class) Hugh McGinley, born Inch Island, Donegal

Lieutenant Commander Ruric Henry Waring, born Waringstown

*Research by Karen O’Rawe, Chair History Hub Ulster and William Hull, Research Assistant, Now Project.

*Three years before, on 20 September 1911, Hawke, under command of Commander W. F. Blunt, collided in the Solent with the White Star liner RMS Olympic. In the course of the collision, Hawke lost her bow. The subsequent trial pronounced Hawke to be free from any blame. During the trial, a theory was advanced that the large amount of water displaced by the Olympic had generated a suction that had drawn Hawke off course. The decision of the first court to try the case provoked a series of legal appeals.

*There were 6 known Ulster men who survived the tragedy. These were: Charles Trainer from Derry, JA Allen from Belfast, Thomas H Doyle from Belfast, Thomas Hoy from Larne, John Aitken, from Belfast and James O’Neill, from Belfast.

*Newspaper photographs courtesy of History Hub Ulster member, Nigel Henderson at http://www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com

History Hub Ulster is a research group based in Belfast, but working on projects across Ulster.

Agnew, Nathaniel, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 19 Westminster Avenue Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Algie, Robert, Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 15 Ann Street Newtownards, Died, Oct 1914

Bell, David, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Ambleside Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Campbell, George Jackson, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 69 East Bread Street, Died, Oct 1914, snipped

Chisim, J, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 20 Haldane Street Belfast, Died, Dec 1914

Cormican, H P, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Aldergrove Crumlin Antrim, Died, 04-11-1914

Crawford, Hugh L, Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 56 Coolderry Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Creighton, Robert, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 49 Mountcollyer Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Dickey, J, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 21 Canton Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Donald, Martie, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Salutober Red Brae Carrickfergus ANtrim, Died

Elkin, W J, Petty Officer (1st Class), RN HMS Hawke, Coleraine, Died, Oct 1914, Snipped

Elliot, John, Stoker (1st Class), RN HMS Hawke, 17 Hardinge Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Fee, Samuel, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 28 Barbour Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Gillespie, W J, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Wolfhill Cottage Ligoniel Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Gorman, James, T, Seaman, Royal Navy (HMS Hawke), Summerhill Street Belfast, Missing, Oct 1914, snipped

Greer, William, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 16 Cluan Place Belfast, Unspecified

Hamilton, Robert J, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 38 Mersey Street Belfast, Unspecified, Oct 1914

Harper, William James, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 7 Linden Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Hunter, Robert, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 80 Derwent Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Johnston, William, Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 9 Kitchener Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Lewis, Isaac, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 17 Chatter Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

McAlister, A, Seaman, Royal Navy (HMS Hawke), Carrickfergus Antrim, Died, Dec 1914, snipped

McCaugherty, David, Able Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 30 Hurst Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

McComb, Hugh, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 97 Ogilvie Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

McFarlane, William, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 24 Fifth Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

McNally, James, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Grosvenor Road Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Mills, John, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 20 Coolderry Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Molloy, Charles H, Petty Officer, RN HMS Hawke, 76 Clementine Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Mullan, Edward, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 76 Sugarfield Street Belfast, Died, 03-11-1914

Power, Joyce, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, Raceview Ballymena Down, Died, Oct 1914, snipped

Ross, William J, Seaman, RN HMS Hawke, 234 Upper Newtiwnards Road Belfast, Died, 03-11-1914

Sefton, Thomas H, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 20 Kendal Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Smyth, John, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 26 Conningsby Street Belfast, Died, Nov 1914

Thompson, Archer, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 5 Teutonic Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Tully, David, Stoker (1st Class), RN HMS Hawke, 95 Bristol Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Upritchard, Charles, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 12 Rosebank Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Wilson, James, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 63 Britannic Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Wilson, P, Stoker, RN HMS Hawke, 20 Moneyrea Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

Yates, John, Stoker (1st Class), RN HMS Hawke, 25 Springmount Street Belfast, Died, Oct 1914

[Show slideshow]

The Livebait Squadron: One of the largest Naval disasters in history with 31 of Ulster’s men lost to just one U-boat

September 20, 2014 by hhulster Posted in News Tagged First World War, HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy, HMS Hogue, Livebait Squadron, Royal Navy, U-9, Weddigan, World War One

Exactly seven weeks into the First World War, the action of 22^nd September 1914 saw three large but old British Royal Navy cruisers, manned mainly by reservists and referred to as the Livebait Squadron, sunk by just one German submarine while on patrol in the North Sea. In all 1,459 men were lost off the Dutch Coast, on the three ships HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy and HMS Hogue. Of these, at least 31 men had connections to Ulster, most of them Stokers and three quarters of them part time reservists. Their average age was only 27 years old. 30 Ulstermen are buried at sea, with only 1 Ulsterman with a known grave.

HMS Aboukir

The cruisers were part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, which was assigned patrol duties in the North Sea. Although concerns had been expressed about the vulnerability of these old ships, no changes had been made. There was less concern about submarine attacks at this point in the war than later, despite the previous sinking of HMS Pathfinder.

The morning of 22 September found a single U-boat, U-9 passing through the Broad Fourteens on her way back to base. Surfacing after taking shelter from a storm, U-9 spotted the unprotected British ships and moved to attack.

She fired one torpedo from a range of 500m, which struck Aboukir, flooding the engine room and causing the ship to stop immediately. Aboukir capsized and sank within 30 minutes. It was assumed that the ship had hit a mine, and the other two cruisers closed in to help.

U-9 resurfaced to observe Hogue and Cressy trying to rescue men in the water, and fired two torpedoes at Hogue from a range of 270m. Despite the ship opening fire on U-9, the two torpedoes struck Hogue and within 15 minutes she capsized.

HMS Hogue

The last remaining cruiser Cressy was left to face U-9 alone but failed. Hit by two torpedoes, she capsized and floated upside down for 40 minutes before sinking.

One survivor explained how the men were;

‘much bruised and the skin was knocked off their bodies by the buffeting of the waves and contact with the wreckage’

Another man writing to his mother told of his experiences;

‘the sea was literally alive with men struggling and grasping for anything to save themselves. To add to the horror of the scene the Germans kept firing their torpedoes at us.’

He goes on to explain how he lost both of his brothers, all three of them serving on HMS Cressy;

‘I was just going to jump when I saw dear brother Alfred coming along the deck which was then all awash. Together we lingered for a moment, shook hands and told each other that whoever was saved to tell dear mother that our last thoughts were of her. We then kissed, wished each other goodbye, and plunged into the sea together, and we never saw each other again. Nor did we see any sign of brother Louis’

Witness reports of the time are inconsistent with survivors saying that anything up to 20 submarines where involved and that at least 2 were destroyed. In fact the only submarine involved, U-9 returned home the next day to a hero’s welcome with Commander Weddigen and his crew all receiving the Iron Cross. U-9 and Commander Weddigan would go on to sink HMS Hawke three weeks later with the loss of 524 men, over 40 of them from Ulster.

HMS Cressy

Despite rescue attempts by Dutch merchant vessels, of the combined crew of 2296 men there were only 837 survivors. 1459 men, mostly part-time men from the Royal Naval Reserve rather than regular sailors, had died. For weeks after this catastrophe bodies of British sailors were washed ashore on the Dutch coast, a few men buried at cemeteries in Holland.

The disaster shook British public opinion and the reputation of the Royal Navy. There were reprimands and criticisms for those in charge. The reputation of the U-boat as a weapon of war was established. Sceptics in Germany fell silent and the Royal Navy never underestimated the U-boat threat again. In later years, it is estimated that 15,000 seamen fell victim to torpedo attacks. In this first major incident alone one tenth of that number perished.

There were at least 31 casualties related to Ulster on board HMS Aboukir, HMS Cressy & HMS Hogue:

HMS ABOUKIR

Stoker (1^st) Norman Sidney Burrard, born Monaghan, died aged 20

Stoker (1^st) Matthew Cleland, born Belfast, died aged 26

Stoker (1^st) Hugh Donnelly, born Belfast, died aged 26

Stoker (1^st) John Foster, born Dromore, lived Belfast, died aged27

Stoker (1^st) William James Gordon, born Downpatrick, died aged 27

Stoker (1^st) William Johnston Kerr, born Belfast, died aged 25

Stoker (1^st) William Martin, born Belfast, died aged 22

Stoker (1^st) Gilbert McBride, born Belfast, died aged 26

Stoker (1^st) Francis Leonard McLoughlin, lived Ballycashon, died aged 21

Stoker (1^st) Edward Thomas Quinn, lived Belfast, died aged 29

Stoker (1^st) Hugh Sands, lived Belfast, died aged 24

Able Seaman Edward Henry Everall, born Annalong, died aged 26

Sick Berth Steward Reuben John Johnston, born Belfast, died aged 37

Able Seaman Frederick Charles Hamilton, born Lisburn, died aged 35

HMS CRESSY

Stoker (1^st) Peter Breslin, born Ardara, Donegal, died aged 27

Stoker (1^st) Samuel Chancellor, born Belfast, died aged 22

Stoker (1^st) Joseph McBride Hilland, born Belfast, died aged 24

Stoker (1^st) Thomas Joseph Hughes, born Belfast, died aged 29

Stoker (1^st) Alexander Jamison, born Doagh, lived Belfast, died aged 28

Stoker (1^st) David Lewis, lived Belfast, died aged 25

Stoker (1^st) John Logan, born Belfast, died aged 23

Stoker (1^st) Isaiah Marshall, born Belfast, died aged 23

Stoker (1^st) Henry McMurran, born Whitehead, lived Carrickfergus, died aged 27

Stoker (1^st) Thomas Murphy, born Newry, died aged 31

Stoker (1^st) Charles Neill, born Belfast, died aged 26

Stoker (1^st) William Joseph Redmond, lived Belfast, died aged 29

Leading Carpenter’s Crew Joshua Singleton, born Hillsborough, died aged 37

Engine Room Artificer William Wright, born Belfast, died aged 31

Lieutenant Philip Arthur Graham Kell, linked to Portrush, died aged 37

HMS HOGUE

Stoker William Clair, born Belfast, died aged 41

Stoker (1^st) David Graham, born Whiteabbey, lived Whitehouse, died aged 36

Only one of these men’s bodies was recovered for burial, most remaining where they drowned. They are remembered at either Chatham or Portsmouth Naval Memorials. The wrecks of the three cruisers still rest on the seabed, the mass graves of so many men, although these are not protected and it is alleged that the wrecks are being salvaged for metal. The anniversary on 22^nd September will be marked at the Historic Dockyard, Chatham with a Drumhead service and fall of 1,459 poppy petals, one for each life lost.

Research by Karen O’Rawe, Chair of History Hub Ulster.

Servicemen images courtesy of History Hub Ulster Member, Nigel Henderson at http://www.greatwarbelfastclippings.com