UK Nationals lost while serving on Irish Registered Vessels WW2

Discussion in 'Non-Commemorated War Dead' started by Billy McGee, Oct 25, 2020.

  1. Billy McGee

    Billy McGee Senior Member

    The 149 casualties recorded from neutral Irish registered ships of WWII are recorded on the Dublin Memorial. Amongst those lost were 18 British Merchant Seamen whose details have been overlooked by the Registrar General of Shipping & Seamen of the day and never recorded with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Working with records obtained from Peter Mulvany of the Irish Seaman's Relatives Association, I intend to have these names and details submitted to the CWGC commemoration team to have their records amended accordingly and officially commemorated.

    SS Ardmore:

    The Irish Registered vessel SS Ardmore [No 140454] owned by the City of Cork Steam Packet Company went missing with her crew of 24 on the 11th of November 1940 while on a voyage from Cork to Fishguard in Wales. In August 1997 following a request by Mr Con Galvin from Carrigaline Co Cork seeking to register the death of his grandfather Mr Edward Bruland, research was initiated to establish the cause of the loss of the SS Ardmore and to establish the final location of her wreck. On the 16th of February 1998 the Evening Echo in Cork published an article on this research which revealed publicly the location of her wreck. Mr Jim Power who had previously requested assistance in locating the wreck of the Ardmore was subsequently advised of her wrecksite enabling the relatives of her crew to have a dignified closure. On the 19th of November 1999 an inquest was held in Wexford into the loss of the SS Ardmore and her crew which was recorded and published by the Irish Times on 22nd of November 1999. The verdict of the jury is consistent with the evidence one submitted to the court; that the SS Ardmore and her Crew were lost on the morning of the 12th of November 1940 as a consequence of an explosion [mine] while they were on board.

    British Crew Lost:

    Thomas Ford 12 Fairfield Road, Warrington, Liverpool, Master, aged 55.
    A. Johnson, 47 Whiteout Avenue, Bedingon, Liverpool, Chief Engineer, aged 56.
    Sydney McNally, 24 Nicandy Road, Liverpool, 2nd Engineer, aged 49.
    Patrick Ryan 305 Weston Hill, Barry South Wales, 2nd Mate, aged 40.
    Edwin Speed, 60 Eastbourne Street, Liverpool, Fireman, aged 61.

    ST Leukos:

    The Irish Registered Steam Trawler Leukos [Reg No 137154] owned by the Dublin Steam Trawling Company was attacked without warning by the German Submarine U38 Commanded by Kapitan Heinrich Liebe approx 12½ Miles North West, off Tory Island, County Donegal, on the 9/3/1940 with the loss of 11 crewmembers.

    British Crew Lost:

    James Potter Thomasson, Fleetwood, Skipper, aged 28
    Robert Sumler, Fleetwood, Apprentice, Aged 16. (Thomasson’s brother law).
    Alexander McLeod, 53 Kenneth Street, Stornoway, Scotland, Chief Engineer.
    William Donnelly, 26 Thorben Grove, Blackpool, Mate.
    P J Scanlon, 5 Douglas Road, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, Bosun.
    Thomas Mulligan, Catholic Seamens Institute, Fleetwood, Deckhand.
    Anthony Pill, Catholic Seamen’s Institute, Fleetwood, Deckhand.

    Irish Pine:

    On the 15th of November 1942 the Irish Registered vessel Irish Pine [ Reg No159843] owned by Irish Shipping Ltd was attacked and sunk without warning by the German Submarine U 608 Commanded by Kapitan Leutnant Rolf Struckmeier. She immediately sank with the loss of 33 lives.

    British Crew lost:

    Robert Crichton, 25 Wellington Street, Edinburgh, 2nd Radio Officer, aged 20.

    SS Kerry Head:

    The Irish Registered vessel Kerry Head [ Reg No 128881] was attacked on the 22 October 1940 by German Aircraft off the Cork coast. This vessel was bombed and sunk with the loss of 12 crewmembers.

    British Crew Lost:

    William Davidson, Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, Chief Engineer.
    Charles Drummond, Blackpool, England, Captain.
    George Nicoll, 136 Monkstown Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, 2nd Engineer, aged 40.
    James Wilson, 232 Upper Road, Greenisland, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland, Fireman, aged 17

    SS Clonlara:

    On the 22nd of August 1941 the Irish Registered vessel Clonlara [ Reg No 147373] owned by the Limerick Steamship Company was attacked without warning while steaming in a British Convoy in the North Atlantic by the German Submarine U 564 Commanded by Korvetten Kapitan Reinhard Suhren. She immediately sank with the loss of 11 crewmembers.

    British Crew Lost:

    Joseph Reynolds, 63B Muirhead Avenue, Liverpool 13, Master, aged 41.
     
  2. temptage

    temptage I thought it would only take a few weeks......

    Obviously they are not commemorated on the CWGC, but do you know if all of the ships have memorials anywhere? I have one of my locals who died on the ST Leukos
     

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