Arthur John Fishwick of the S.S. Goolistan

I don't know anything about naval matters, but a small coincidence has me digging around into the history of the following man. I was searching eBay for old photographs when I came across this picture:



When I saw the name A.J. Fishwick it immediately rang a bell with me and I started playing with possible pronunciations of the surname with a sense of déjà vu--Google showed why. This boy's name appears on the war memorial board in my old school library (the school mentioned in the text) and I must have gazed at it for countless hours and probably wondered the same thing about his name.

Sadly, this means he didn't survive the war.

Apprentice
FISHWICK, ARTHUR JOHN
Died 23/11/1942
Aged 19
S.S. Goolistan (Newcastle-on-Tyne)
Merchant Navy
Son of Arthur Fishwick and of Charlotte Fishwick (nee Hyland), of Maidstone, Kent.

On November 23rd, 1942, the British cargo ship GOOLISTAN, built in 1929 by Short Brothers and owned by Common Bros., on voyage from Archangel to Loch Ewe with a cargo of timber and cellulose, was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-625, between Bear Island and Spitzbergen. The crew, abandoning the burning GOOLISTAN, went for the boats, but 52 people (42 crew and 10 gunners) lost their lives.



Crewlist from Goolistan (British steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net

Can anybody supply any more information?
I'm afraid that I don't know the first thing about the Merchant Navy.

 

UK, Merchant Seamen Deaths, 1939 -1953
Name: Arthur John Fishwick
Age: 19
Birth Date: abt 1923
Birth Place: Maidstone, England
Death Date: 23 Nov 1942
Death Place: At Sea
Mother: Charlotte


UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947
Name: Arthur John Fishwick
Age: 19
Birth Date: abt 1923
Death Date: 23 Nov 1942
Cemetery: The Tower Hill Memorial Part V Ead-Fyn
Burial Country: England
Father: Arthur Fishwick
Mother: Arthur Fishwick
Region or Memorial: Memorial Register
Other Records:

England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2005
Name: Arthur J Fishwick
Mother's Maiden Surname: Hyland
Date of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec 1923
Registration district: Maidstone
Inferred County: Kent
Volume Number: 2a
Page Number: 1384

There is a family tree on Ancestry that includes him

TD

 

Top stuff, TD.

Does the fact that his name is recorded on a memorial suggest that his body was not recovered and buried?

And is that 'family tree' in a single image you could capture? I have relatives in the area and I'd like to know whether he has surviving descendants.

 

1939 REGISTER TRANSCRIPTION
691 Tonbridge Road, Maidstone M.B., Kent
NAME DOB OCCUPATION
Arthur Fishwick 02 Nov 1894 School Teacher Retired
Charlotte Fishwick 11 Feb 1894 Unpaid Domestic Duties
Sorry, this record is officially closed.

 

Thank you.
I used to live a few minutes from there.

 

It does I'm afraid to say

I will look into the other question -

TD

 

Panel from my photo collection Tower Hill Memorial S.S.Goolistan

 

He had 2 sisters

Hilda M 1926 - 1935

Doris M 1920 - ?
Married Richard W L Preston 1945

Do you want me to check further?

TD

 

Does that suggest that Doris is still with us? That's another snippet to have. The only thing I'd like to try to check is whether either sister had children or grandchildren.

 

He is also Remembered on the Barming War Memorial,

Roll of Honour - Kent - Barming

 

As one sister (Hilda) died aged 8 or 9

I will follow the marriage of the surviving sister and see what unfolds

TD

 

OK - there are 2 Preston births with a mothers maiden name of Fishwick,

David F Preston Oct-Nov-Dec 1943 Cardiff Glamorganshire

Robert J Preston Jul-Aug-Sep 1946 Hammersmith Devon, Cornwall, Scilly. Dorset, Somerset

As the parents married in 1945 (Kensington) I can only assume Robert, born 1946, is likely to be their son, in fact their one and only child as far as I can make out.

Now it starts becoming complicated as there was anothe Robert J Preston born in 1946
Name: Robert J Preston
Mother's Maiden Surname: Greenland
Date of Registration: Apr-May-Jun 1946
Registration district: Lambeth
Inferred County: Greater London
Volume Number: 1d
Page Number: 205

The reason I have put that in is because there is a Robert J Preston (I dont know which one) appearing in:
UK, Electoral Registers, 2003-2010
Name: Mr Robert J Preston
Birth Date: 1945-1947
Residence Date: 2003-2005
Address: 74, Dallin Road, SE18 3NU
Residence Place: London, London, England

and one of then died:
England and Wales, Death Index, 2007-2015
Name: Mr Robert John Preston
Gender: Male
Age: 68
Birth Date: 1946
Death Date: 24 May 2014
Residence Place at Death: London, England
Postal Code District: Se1

and I have no idea which one it was

TD

 

Appreciate your mole work, TD.

It looks as if the family moved away and--unsurprisingly--don't own the old house.
They don't see to have much luck in the mortality stakes as a family.

As I say, I don't know anything about the merchant Navy--are there 'service records' stored like the forces?

 

I will tell you where to look but bear with me please. I am pushed for time at the moment but will get back soon.
Hugh

 

Thanks, Hugh.

I'd be very interested in reading any accounts of the sinking if you know of any.

 

Charley

You have read - Goolistan (British Steam merchant) - Ships hit by German U-boats during WWII - uboat.net ??

TD

its not the crew list

Notes on event
At 00.56 hours on 23 Nov 1942 the unescorted Goolistan (Master William Thomson), a straggler from station #53 in convoy QP-15, was hit by one of two torpedoes from U-625 between Bear Island and Spitzbergen. The U-boat had spotted the ship one hour earlier and approached for a submerged attack, but experienced some difficulties due to the ice cold weather as important gauges were frozen, the periscope became stuck on twelve meters and the periscope head had to be constantly freed from ice by diving. The explosion set the cargo on fire and the crew began to abandon ship when she settled slowly. At 01.45 hours, the burning vessel sank after being hit underneath the bridge by a coup de grâce at 01.18 hours. The Germans questioned the occupants of the lifeboats and were told that the master had remained aboard when they asked for him. However, the survivors were never found, the master, 41 crew members and ten gunners were lost.

 

Yes, I got that one--and it's good.

I wondered whether there were reports by the survivors themselves. I suppose that when a ship was lost there would have been some form of investigation/accounting from the Navy.

 

This is fairly good:

...SS Gooistan’ was part of Convoy PQ 18, one of the Arctic convoys sent from Britain to aid the Soviet Union in the war against Nazi Germany. The convoy departed Loch Ewe, Scotland on 2 September 1942 and arrived in Arkhangelsk on 21 September 1942.

Following the disastrous losses to Convoy PQ 17, the British were determined to provide the convoy with air cover. The new escort carrier HMS Avenger had arrived from the United States and formed the core of the escorting force.

The convoy consisted of forty merchant ships (11 British, 20 US, 6 Soviet and 3 Panamanian) and 4 Fleet auxiliaries; 2 oilers, a rescue ship and a CAM ship (catapult aircraft merchant ship). Despite being attacked all the way by German aircraft and surface vessels, the convoy arrived on 19 September.

Thirteen ships had been lost, but 28 had arrived safely, and the Arctic convoy route, which had been suspended since the loss of PQ 17, had been re-established. Furthermore, three U-boats had been destroyed, and 40 German aircraft had been shot down.

Returning from Archangel, SS Goolistan was torpedoed by German submarine U-625, Commander Hans Becker, when 300 miles WNW of North Cape, Archangel bound for Manchester with timber and general cargo. There were no survivors – see below. (75.50N 16.45E)

At 00.56 hours on 23 November 1942 the unescorted Goolistan (Master William Thomson), a straggler from station #53 in convoy QP-15, was hit by one of two torpedoes from U-625 between Bear Island and Spitzbergen.

The Official History recorded the loss as: ” At 00.56 hours on 23 Nov, 1942, the Goolistan (Master William Thomson) in convoy QP-15 was torpedoed by U-625 west of Bear Island. The vessel sank at 01.45 hours after being hit by a coup de grâce at 01.18 hours. The master and 41 crew members were lost. “

Able Seaman Ronald Alfred HOSSACK - Ruskington War Memorials​

 

From this I dont think there will any reports from survivors

I'm sure Hugh may have the route to any official investigation/account

TD

 

No, there were no survivors. November in those waters--it doesn't bear thinking about.

Those who drowned when the ship went down may have had it better.