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Merchant Navy Memorial, Tower Hill, London
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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:30 pm    Post subject: Merchant Navy Memorial, Tower Hill, London Reply with quote

This is the Comonwealth War Graves Commission memorial to Merchant Seaman who have no known grave.

It is on Tower Hill behind the Tower of London. I swithered about posting this memorial but I thought I would post a couple of images.

The ship's home port is also listed so it is possible to pick out the Scottish registered vessels. I have photographed several panels but I'm only posting the one of the SS 'Ashbury'



The picture below is the Second World War memorial which takes the form of a sunken garden where the walls are lined with bronze panels listing the names of the seamen. They are listed by the vessel they were sailing on when they died. I'm afraid I don't have any photographs of the statues. I was saving my disk space on the camera for the name panels



The Great War memorial sits in front of this memorial but was locked when I visited a couple of years ago. It is on the right of this photograph



Adam


Last edited by Adam Brown on Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:39 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 20, 2007 10:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The SS 'Ashbury' sank in a storm on 8th of January 1945 at the mouth of the Kyle of Tongue on the far North coast in Sutherland.

The vessel, a tramp steamer, would not have been considered seaworthy in peacetime but in war it was sent out to sea.

42 men died. A tragic and unneccessary loss of life.

Twenty-seven bodies were washed ashore over the next few weeks and taken to the mortuary in Thurso.

Fourteen bodies were buried in Thurso cemetery, eleven bodies were claimed by the next of kin, two are buried at Tongue. One identified, one not.

The remaining fifteen were never found and are listed on Tower Hill along with the unidentified body at Tongue.

If you count the names on Tower Hill though there are seventeen names not sixteen. James Thomas Addicott is buried in Tongue cemetery but is also listed as missing at Tower Hill. The only thing I can think of is that because he is buried at Tongue and not Thurso he was classed as missing. Perhaps he was only identified at a later date and at first two unidentified bodies were returned to Tongue. It's strange that two were returned to Tongue and fourteen kept at Thurso. I guess we'lll never know why.


Name: ADDICOTT, JAMES THOMAS
Initials: J T
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Third Engineer Officer
Regiment/Service: Merchant Navy
Unit Text: S.S. Ashbury (Glasgow)
Age: 37
Date of Death: 08/01/1945
Additional information: Son of James Thomas Addicott and Maria Addicott; husband of Alice Minnie Addicott, of Roath, Cardiff.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. G. Grave 15.
Cemetery: TONGUE PARISH CHURCHYARD


Adam
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kinnethmont



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PostPosted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Adam

I had this anomaly checked out by someone " in the know" on CWGC matters and have been advised the following.


Quote:
It is not an error - he is not on Tower Hill - officially.

Many men appeared on memorials to the missing but were later found to be buried somewhere. Their place of commemoration is then immediately moved to their grave site. However, the previous commemoration stays in place until the relevant panels are replaced.

There are many names on Tower Hill, Thiepval, Menin Gate etc etc waiting to come off. This can take years or even decades. In the case of a memorial with bronze panels such as TH, it could be a hundred years!

However, officially their name is not there and their place of commemoration is the grave as shown in the Debt of Honour.

You cannot go by the actual names on a CWGC memorial. The correct list is as per the Debt of Honour.

_________________
Jim

If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

www.kinnethmont.co.uk
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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Wed Aug 15, 2007 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jas

Thanks for checking this out. For Addicott to appear on the Tower Hill Memorial I think he was originally unidentified and that is also why he is in Tongue Churchyard and not Thurso. All the bodies recovered were taken to Thurso for the post-mortem but only two were returned to Tongue. One is still unidentified and Addicott must still have been classed as missing up until at least the late 1940s when the CWGC was collecting the information for the names to include on Tower Hill.

I must try and contact someone from Tongue to see if they can add anything to this.

Regards

Adam
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KevinStoke
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 2:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote



Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald
29/12/1916

The sad news of the death of Robert Barclay, 3rd Engineer, youngest son of Mr and Mrs Robert Barclay, Kirkland Terrace, Glengarnock, was conveyed to his parents by letter on Saturday morning.
He was 3rd Engineer on board the s.s. “Itonus,” which was torpedoed by German submarine on Thursday, 21st December, whereby he was drowned. He was 28 years of age, and had taken his Chief’s certificate in January last. It is exactly six years by the 31st of December since he first went to seas, having previously worked as an engineer at Clydebank. He was a young man of quiet, unassuming temperament, faithful and true as a companion, a skilful workman, and a loving, devoted son, and greatly beloved by his parents. He left home in May, and expected ultimately to return to his former station in India with the B.I.S.N. Coy. He was a member of Glengarnock U.F. Church, and fitting reference was made by the Rev. R.B. Andrew at the close of the forenoon sermon to the sad event. Mr Andrew spoke highly of his character and career. Much sympathy is extended to the parents in their sorrowful calamity.
Built by Vickers, Sons & Maxim, Ltd., Barrow and named Anglia in 1898 for Telegraph Construction & Maintenance Co., Ltd., London. She was 449 feet long with a beam of 54.2 feet. In 1906, she was sold to Hamburg-Amerika Linie but stranded en route to Belfast for conversion.
She was salvaged, sold, refitted and re-entered service the next year, under the ownership of T. W. Tamplin & Co., London. In 1908, the steamer was sold to A. Currie & Co. Pty. Ltd., Melbourne and renamed Itonus. Five years later, British India Steam Nav. Co., Ltd., Glasgow bought the ship.
She was used a troop carrier and was used as a hospital ship during the Dardanelles campaign ( Capt T Costello - master), returning to her former service in 1916.
Itonus was torpedoed and sunk on December 20, 1916 by U 38 60 miles from Malta, while on a voyage from Marseille for Sydney with a cargo of tiles. Five engine room men were killed and the master was taken prisoner. Itonus was a 5,340 grt vessel when sunk.
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Billy McGee



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PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

While doing some recent research, I uncovered more of our Merchant Seamen who have been omitted from the CWGC WWII remit and am hoping to have this rectified.

SS Lochgarry, 1,670grt, (David McBrayne Ltd). Converted to a Government Transport ship, she had previously been requisitioned and involved in Dunkirk evacuation. While OHMS on a trip from Glasgow to Oban to collect a group of soldiers bound for the Faroes she struck rocks off the Mull of Kintyre. Drifting, crippled, & straying off course in gale force winds on the night of 20th January 1942 the Lochgarry sank off Torr Point, Rathlin Island, just over a mile South-East of the Rue Point Lighthouse in position 55' 15N 06' 10W. Twenty-two men lost their lives when their life-boat was smashed against the rocks North of Doon Bay. Twenty survived. The three DEMS gunners killed from Lochgarry all received War Grave status, two being buried ashore with the third being commemorated on Plymouth Naval Memorial. None of her Merchant Seamen killed were granted the privilege and have no official commemoration.

This loss is no different to that of the SS Ashbury lost with all hands 8th January 1945. The bodies, both that of Merchant Seamen & Royal Navy DEMS gunners recovered from the Ashbury sinking were buried with full war grave status and have official CWGC headstones and those who have no grave but the sea are commemorated on Tower Hill Memorial on Panel 10, so why not the Lochgarry crew.

Lochgarry casualties named below are from an official copy of her 1942 Log Book & Crew Agreements which I purchased from The National Archives at Kew. I will be sending all the relevant details and documents to the CWGC, hopefully to have this rectified and have them all commemorated as official war dead and recorded as such.

ADAMS, Greaser WILLIAM PARK. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 44, of 18 Finnieston St. Glasgow. (died from accidental cold & exposure)

BROADLEY, 2nd Engineer, JOHN MORRISON. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 56, of 190 Campsie St. Balornock, Glasgow. (died from accidental shock & multiple fracture of ribs)

BUCHANAN, Fireman, ROBERT NORMAN. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 40. C/o Campbell, 76 Ballmulloch Road, Glasgow. (died from accidental cold & exposure)

CRUIKSHANK, Donkeyman, WILLIAM. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 53, of 14 Fonthill House. Owen Road, Liverpool. (died from accidental cold & exposure)

FISKIN, 1st Radio Officer, WILLIAM. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 45, of 280 Crow Road, Glasgow. (died from accidental cold & exposure)

FLETCHER, Greaser, ROBERT. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 29. C/o White, 33 McLean St. Glasgow. (supposed drowned)

GIRARDOT, Second Officer, JOHN FRANCIS. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 39. C/o Stewart, Marchiston Cresent, Edinburgh. (died from accidental cold & exposure)

HIGHET, Chief Officer, IAN. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 23. C/o Muirhead, 6 Joppa Gardens, Edinburgh. (died from accidental shock & skull fracture)

MacALPINE, Chief Steward, JOHN McKENZIE. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 32, of Dallas, Anderson Terrace, Ardrossan. (supposed drowned)

MacCLEOD, AB/Lamptrimmer, RODERICK. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 20, of Seaside, Meavig, Tarbert. (supposed drowned)

MacDONALD, Messroom Boy, JAMES. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 18, of 10 Moodiesburn St. Glasgow. (died from accidental cold & exposure)

MacDONALD, Sailor, NEIL. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 26, of Grosebay, Harris. (supposed drowned)

McENANEY, Fireman, BERNARD. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 20, of 28 Balmano St. Glasgow. (died from accidental cold & exposure)

McKENZIE, Sailor, JOHN. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 21, of Seaview House, Geocrab, Harris. (died from accidental cold & exposure)

McPHEE, Carpenter, DAVID. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 24, of 9 Russell St. Paisley. (supposed drowned)

MUNRO, Cook, JOHN, SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 48, of 7 Joss St. Invergordon. (supposed drowned)

NICHOLSON, Greaser, GEORGE,. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 47, of 268 Paisley Road, Glasgow. (supposed drowned)

ROBERTSON, Galley Boy, THOMAS. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 16, of Cumbrae View, Nelson St. Dunoon. (died from accidental cold & exposure)

SMITH, Fireman, FREDERICK GEORGE. SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 27, of 30 Soho St. Smethwick, Birmingham. (died accidental asphyxia from drowning)

DEMS Gunners lost from Lochgarry. Commemorated under the CWGC remit.

DAVIE, Able Seaman, ARTHUR, P/JX 291007. H.M.S. President III. Royal Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 20, of 33 Brook St. Leicester. Son of Alfred and Charlotte A. Davie, of Leicester. (died from accidental cold & exposure) Buried Belfast City Cemetery. Glenalina Extn. Sec. D. Grave 16.

KELLY, Able Seaman, JOHN HORACE, P/JX 289262. H.M.S. President III. Royal Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 21, of 3 Craig Road, Troon. (died from accidental cold & exposure) Commemorated Plymouth Naval Memorial. Panel 64, Column 1.

McCANN, Able Seaman, CHARLES, D/JX 183563. H.M.S. President III. Royal Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 38, of 7 John Mitchell St, Newry. (died from accidental cold & exposure) Buried Newry Old Chapel Roman Catholic Cemetery. Sec. A. Grave 29-30.
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spoons



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PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fascinating. Welcome to the Forum and please keep us informed of progress.

\Paul
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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2008 12:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Billy McGee wrote:
MUNRO, Cook, JOHN, SS Lochgarry (Glasgow). Merchant Navy. 20th January 1942. Age 48, of 7 Joss St. Invergordon. (supposed drowned)


Bill

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your task. I checked Seaman Munro's name on the Invergordon War Memorial and he is listed there so he was not forgotten by his community. The Scottish National War Memorial have him listed as well so that should hopefully make it easier for him to get recognition by the CWGC.

MUNRO, John
Date of death 21/01/1942
Place of birth Inverness
Other S.S. "LOCHGARRY"
SNWM roll MERCHANT NAVY & FISHING FLEETS (Part 2)
Rank Ship's Cook
Theatre of death Unknown

Regards

Adam
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Billy McGee



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PostPosted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 3:16 pm    Post subject: Update from CWGC Reply with quote

I am sorry for the delay in responding to your enquiry about Merchant Seamen lost with the RMS Lochgarry, I was hoping to be able to provide a full response following a CWGC MOD meeting held on 26 February 2008 at which Merchant Navy commemoration was discussed. Unfortunately the issue of the ratification of additional Merchant Navy casualties for commemoration was not resolved, although steps towards achieving a solution were achieved.

I can provide some clarification in relation to the commemoration of Royal Naval casualties who perished when the Lochgarry was lost. The rules for the commemoration of Royal Naval personnel as war casualties are different and much simpler to interpret than those rules which apply to Merchant Seamen. If you were a serving member of the Royal Navy and died whilst on active service during the war period you would qualify for commemoration as a Commonwealth war casualty.Verification of Royal Naval casualties is still possible via the UK MOD who have access to personnel records and who are responsible for instructing the Commission to commemorate a particular individual. Verification of casualties from other Commonwealth nationalities is also possible via the relevant Commission Member Government and their records.

UK Merchant Seamen lost during WWII should, according to the rules, only be commemorated when they are lost as a result of increased war risk and the loss is confirmed by the Registrar General of Seaman and Shipping. The Merchant Seamen lost from the Lochgarry were not reported to the Commission as war casualties and so have not been commemorated. Unfortunately, we also currently have no UK body which is able to consider and verify any additional commemoration of Merchant Seamen. To try and provide you with an explanation we are undertaking some further research ourselves to try and uncover some documentary evidence to either establish or disprove the case for commemoration of the Lochgarry crew. This is taking some time and if we do establish that the Merchant Seamen from the Lochgarry should be commemorated we will still have the problem of ratification to resolve, however as mentioned previously we have made some headway towards a solution following our meeting of 26 February.

I do hope that you find the information provided of some interest and that you are able to understand how the Commission is currently placed with regard to Merchant Navy casualties.

Yours sincerely

Nicholas Andrews
Records and Enquiries Manager
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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Billy McGee



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PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 4:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The CWGC has rejected the 21 crew lost from the Lochgarry and they will receive no official commemoration. Below is their explanation. Crying or Very sad

"Thank you for so much for your continued patience, following further research I am now able to confirm the reasons behind the non commemoration of the Merchant Naval casualties from SS Lochgarry.

As previously explained to qualify for commemoration as a Commonwealth War Casualty WW2 Merchant Seamen needed to be reported to the Commission by the Registrar General of Seaman and Shipping as having lost their lives due to direct enemy action or increased war risk. The Commission was not instructed by the Registrar General of Seaman and Shipping to commemorate any of the Merchant Seamen lost from the Lochgarry, hence these casualties are missing from our records. If the wreck report for the Lochgarry is consulted it is apparent that the loss of the Lochgarry was not attributable to either direct enemy action or increased war risks and, on this basis, the Registrar General of Seaman and Shipping decided not to instruct the Commission to commemorate the Merchant Seamen lost. Please follow the link below to the relevant wreck report:

http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCLibraries/WreckReports/14163.asp

The wreck report for the SS Ashbury is also available and confirms that the Registrar General of Seaman and Shipping considered that this vessel was lost as a result of increased war risks. Instructions were therefore given to the Commission to commemorate the Merchant Seaman lost with this vessel and they are commemorated by the Commission as Commonwealth War Casualties. Please follow the link below to the relevant wreck report:

http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCLibraries/WreckReports/14191.asp

As a result of the information uncovered during our investigations and given the criteria applicable for WW2 Merchant Navy casualties, it can be concluded that the Merchant Sailors lost with the SS Lochgarry did not qualify for commemoration by the Commission. I do hope that you are able to appreciate that this case has been considered and a decision taken as a result of the correct application of a rule set, even if you are disappointed by the resultant non commemoration of an undoubtedly brave group of sailors who lost their lives whilst contributing to the British war effort"

Yours sincerely

Nicholas Andrews
Records and Enquiries Manager
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are a few more images

The location at Tower Hill



The Great War Memorial



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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 10:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote













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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 11:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

3rd September is Merchant Navy Day, it is on the same day the first British merchant ship was sunk during the Second World War i.e. the first day of the war when SS 'Athenia' was torpedoed by U-30 with the loss of 117 lives.
A large ceremony had taken place on Sunday 5th September 2010 and many wreaths and red ensigns had been left at the "Sea of Remembrance". Not all commemorated the World Wars and there were ones remembering sailors who had died in peacetime accidents.







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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 11:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The sunken garden within Trinity Gardens which list the 24,000 men of the Merchant Navy who died in the Second World War and have no known grave was designed by Sir Edward Maufe and the sculpture was by Charles Wheeler.





Around the sunken garden between the name panels are relief carvings by Wheeler representing the seven seas. I don't know which sea this is...

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Adam Brown
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 11:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The memorial is in Trinity House Gardens. The old Trinity House can be seen behind the memorial, it has to be one of the grandest buildings in London.



Nearby is the Merchant Navy Falklands War Memorial. I don't think it justifies its own entry on this forum but its proximity to the CWGC memorials at Tower Hill means I think it should be included in this thread.



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