Merchant Navy War Grave Photos for reference

SKETT, First Radio Officer, WALTER LEONARD, M.V. British Petrol (London). Merchant Navy. 13th - 14th May 1942. Age 23. Son of Albert Wesley Skett, and of Florence Gertrude Skett, of Coventry. Buried Becklingen War Cemetery. 17. A. 4

First Radio Officer Walter Skett captured fom the tanker British Petrol sunk 13th June 1940 by the raider Widder and held captive at Milag Nord. Shot dead by a German sentry at 23.20 on the 13th May 1942, allegedly while trying to escape. Eye witnesses saw and heard two shots. The first shot was fired from behind Walter without warning only wounding him in the left shoulder. As he lay on the ground a second shot entered his right hip, exiting through the top of his head. At the time of the incident he was wearing only an overcoat, pyjamas and slippers. It is believed Walter had arranged trading relations with one of the guards after lights out. No one was ever charged with his murder.

This attached photo was taken at the Milag Nord Camp. Walter is on the extreme left of the middle row.

 

BRESLIN, Master, ANDREW, M.V. "Teasel" (Cardiff). Merchant Navy. 12th January 1941. Age 37. Husband of Kathleen Breslin, of Cabra. St. Ita. Buried Deane's Grange Cemetery, Dublin. Grave 24R.

Cargo ship Teasel, 290grt, (Levering & Sons Ltd) According to the Deathsat Sea Register, Captain Breslin died from shock and haemorrhage after being hit in the lung and heart from machine gun fire from an unknown aircraft.

 

KERR, Donkeyman, FRANCIS EDWARD, S.S. Samlong (London). Merchant Navy. 3rd August 1944. Age 30. Son of Thomas Kerr, and of Frances Helen Kerr, of Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Buried Bergen -Op-Zoom War Cemetery. 6. D. 2.

Cargo ship Samlong, 7,219grt, (MOWT, Prince Line Ltd mngrs) had been laying off the Normandy beaches in ballast when she was damaged by a German Marder midget submarine on the 3rd August 1944, killing two crew.

 

CARGILL, Fourth Engineer Officer, JAMES, S.S. Newton Ash (Newcastle-on-Tyne). Merchant Navy. 6th October 1944. Buried Arbroath Eastern Cemetery. Compt. M. Grave 364.

From the book "They Shall Grow Not Old...."

Cargo ship Newton Ash, 4,625grt, (Charles Strubin & Co. Ltd) loaded with a cargo of grain, military stores and mail for Hull, joined up with the 60 ship Convoy SC-118, sailing from New York on the 24th January 1943. The fate of eleven ships from the convoy had already been written as the Germans had decoded a message revealing the sailing time of this convoy, plus a captured Chief Engineer from a earlier sinking had also compromised SC-118 after accidentally revealing information on the slow convoy astern of his own. SC-118 was first sighted on the 4th February by U-187, but is sunk by one of the escort ships. During an emergency turn a number of ships miss the signal and the convoy breaks up. The first successful attack begins on the 5th and over the next four days eleven ships are sunk before the attack is called off. In the early hours of the morning of 8th February 1943, West of County Mayo, Ireland in position 56’ 25N 22’ 26W, the Newton Ash was torpedoed and sinks rapidly along with thirty-five of her crew. The four surviving crewmembers were picked up by US Coast Guard Cutter Ingham and landed at Reykjavik.

The date of Mr Cargill's death suggests he was one of the four survivors, who would eventually die from injuries or illness sustained during the sinking of the Newton Ash.

 

ARMSTRONG, Steward, LEWIS, S.S. Granta (Newcastle). Merchant Navy. 12th January 1940. Age 24. Buried South Shields (Harton) Cemetery. Sec. T. Grave 7604.

Cargo ship Granta, 2,719grt, (Witherington & Everett) had been sailing independently from London to Blyth in ballast. On the 12th January 1940, seventeen nautical miles North of the Cromer Knoll Lightvessel the ship detonated a mine and sank in positon 53° 13N 01° 21E, with the loss of twelve crew.

 

Barkingside (Ilford) Cemetery

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

Barkingside (Ilford )Cemetery

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

Brockley Cemetery Screen Wall

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

City of London Cemetery

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

City of London Cemetery

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

City of London Cemetery

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

Dorking Cemetery

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

Dovercourt (All Saints) Churchyard

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

Dovercourt (All Saints) Churchyard

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

Dovercourt (All Saints) Churchyard

CWGC :: Casualty Details

 

The three below pictures are the three unknown seamen/sailors of the Merchant Navy buried in the above cemetery.

 

BROWN, Master, CHARLES COTTEW, O B E, Merchant Navy. S.S. Sithonia (London) 29th August 1946. Age 66. Son of James Allen Cottew Brown and Mary Brown, of South Shields; husband of Beatrice Maud Brown, of South Shields. Buried South Shields (Harton) Cemetery. Sec. Q. Grave 8286.

Cargo ship Sithonia, 6,723grt (H.M. Thomson) had loaded a cargo of coal at Barry for Montevideo and sailed to the Belfast Lough where the ship joined up with the 40 ship Freetown bound Convoy OS-33, which departed Liverpool on the 1st July 1942. Once clear in to the Atlantic the Sithonia left the convoy and set her course for Montevideo. In the early hours of 13th July the ship is sighted by U-201 who sinks the ship West of the Canary Islands in position 29' 00N 25' 00W with the loss of seven crew. Two lifeboats are launched which later become seperated, with the Chief officers boat being found fourteen days later by a Spanish fishing vessel, landing the survivors at Las Palmas. The lifeboat and survivors in charge of by the ships Master, Captain Charles Cottew Brown landed at Timiris, Senegal after eighteen days and were interned by the Vichy French authorities at Port Etienne, Mauritania.

Captain Brown's death in 1946 has to be attributed to his ordeal in 1942.

 

HALL, Steward's Boy, CYRIL MCDONALD, S.S. Terlings (London). Merchant Navy. 21st July 1940. Age 21. Son of Beckwith Devonport Hall and Elizabeth Hall, of South Shields. Buried South Shields (Harton) Cemetery. Sec. L. Grave 9809.

Cargo ship Terlings, 2,318grt, (Lambert Bros.) had sailed in ballast from Southend and joined up with the Falmouth bound 31 ship coastal Convoy CW-7, with orders to join an outward bound convoy to Sydney, Nova Scotia. On the 20th July 1940 the convoy came under heavy attack from a large number of German aircraft, with the loss of one ship and a further three damaged. The following day off St. Catherine's Point, Isle of Wight the convoy again comes under attack from enemy aircraft and the Terlings is sunk ten mile off St. Catherine's Point, with the loss of nine crew. Another crew member would die five months later from wounds received in the attack.

 

HUNTER, Cook Steward, GEORGE WILLIAM, S.S. Philipp M. (London). Merchant Navy. 25th February 1944. Age 23. Son of Benjamin Mason Hunter and Jane Elizabeth Hunter. of South Shields. Buried South Shields (Harton) Cemetery. Sec. R. Grave 9611.

Cargo ship Philipp M. 2,085grt, (Mooringwell SS Co.) had loaded a cargo of coal on the Tyne for London and joined up with the 4 ship coastal Convoy FS-1371 (FS-71/Phase 14) which had departed Methil on the 23rd February 1944. The following day off Great Yarmouth two miles North of the Hearty Knoll Buoy the Philipp M. is attacked and sunk by a German E-boat and sinks in position 52' 45N 02' 12E with the loss of seven crew.

 

LINKLATER, Second Engineer Officer, IAN GRAHAM, S.S. Empire Tristram (Sunderland). Merchant Navy. 23rd June 1944. Age 25. Son of Thomas Baikie Linklater and Sarah Linklater, husband of Louise Linklater, of South Shields. Buried South Shields (Harton) Cemetery. Sec. 1. Grave 498.

Cargo ship Empire Tristram, 7,167grt, (MOWT, J&J Denholm Ltd) had loaded a cargo of phosphates at Casablanca and sailed to the UK in the 26 ship Convoy SL-158 from Freetown, arriving at Liverpool on the 4th June 1944. The ship was then routed to London via Methil and the Tyne and eventually arrived at the Surrey Commercial Dock for discharging. On the 23rrd June 1944 the ship was struck by a VI rocket and caught fire killing three crew members. On the 12th July 1944 whilst undergoing repairs at the King George V drydock the ship was further damaged by another VI rocket killing two DEMS gunners and three shore labourers.