FIRST WORLD WAR

James T. Gordon

James Thomas Gordon, Second Engineer, S.S. Edernian (Cardiff), drowned, aged 27, as result of an attack by an enemy submarine. He was the son of Mary Gordon (nee Thom) of 13 Howburn Place, Aberdeen, and the late John Barclay Gordon. He had been born at Aberdeen.

SS Edernian, 3588 tons was built by the North Eastern Marine Engineering Co Ltd. Sunderland for Owen and Watkin Williams of Edern, Wales. She entered service in 1906 and spent the next eleven years mostly on the South American run. She suffered her first war damage on 30 March 1917 when she struck a mine in the English Channel. However, she managed to reach Dieppe where she was repaired in a dry dock. In August of the same year she was torpedoed and sunk by a U-boat six miles south-east of Southwold, en route from Middlesborough to Dieppe with a cargo of steel. Fourteen of the crew were lost.

William Esson Martin

Midshipman on board S.S. Otaki (Plymouth) of the New Zealand Shipping Co. He was killed on 10 March 1917, aged fourteen, while helping the gunner during the action with the German raider Moewe. He was the son of Mrs Margaret Martin of Cultercullen, Udny Station, Aberdeenshire, and had been born in Auchindoir, Aberdeenshire.

Archibald Bisset Smith

Captain, S.S. Otaki (Plymouth), New Zealand Shipping Co. He went down with his ship, aged 38, on 10 March 1917 as a result of an action with the German raider Moewe. He was posthumously inducted into Royal Naval Reserve, as a Temporary Lieutenant, so that he could be awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry. The citation can be found in the London Gazette 24 May 1919. He had been born on 19 December 1878 at Cults, Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

The German raider Moewe came across the refrigerated meat ship Otaki , 9575 tons, on 10 March 1917. They were 350 miles east of the Azores. Otaki was equipped with a single 4.7” gun. The action took place at very short range because of the rough seas and before she was sunk Otaki obtained three hits on the Moewe. A fire was started in the Moewe’s coal bunkers which took two days to put out. When the Moewe returned to Kiel on 22 March after her cruise of four months she had sunk or captured twenty-two steamers and three sailing ships. As well as Smith and Martin four others were lost with the Otaki.

SECOND WORLD WAR

Sydney James. Cormack

Able Seaman on S S Ceramic (Southampton), a ship of Hogarth & Co., Glasgow. He was lost at sea, aged 21, on 7 December 1942 when his ship was hit by three torpedoes launched from U-515. He was the son of George and Margaret Cormack, of Woodside, Aberdeen.

S S Ceramic left Liverpool on 23 November 1942 en route for St Helena, Durban, and Sydney. She had on board 378 passengers (of which 134 were civilians), 278 crew(including fourteen DEMS gunners), and 12362 tons of cargo. West of the Azores she was hit by three torpedoes from U-515. After three hours she sank. There was only one survivor. He was taken aboard U-515.

John Dinnie

Radio Officer, on the Norwegian tanker M V Svenor which was lost on 28 March 1942. He was aged 19 when lost and was the son of George and Sarah R Dinnie (nee Glass), of Lumphanan, Aberdeen. He had trained at the Scottish Wireless College. Before attending Robert Gordon College he was educated at Lumphanan and Kintore schools. He was born on 19 July 1922 at Burnside, Birse, Aberdeenshire.

John B. Dougall

2nd Officer, cargo boat of Glagow Shipping Co., lost 1942

(not listed as UK Merchant Navy but there is a J B Dougall in Canadian MN)
John Birnie Dougall, Third Mate. S.S. Gretavale (Glasgow). 2 Nov 1941. No age given. Halifax Memorial. Son of Mr and Mrs P Dougall of Stratford, Ontario.

Albert Victor Frain

He was the Second Engineer Officer on board the British India Steam Navigation Co. ship S.S. St Vincent De Paul of Shanghai. He died, aged 48, on 23 July 1945 in the Stanley Internment Camp in Hong Kong and is buried in Stanley Military Cemetery. He was the husband of Marguerite Frain, of Aberdeen.

James Watt Hutton

Fourth Engineer Officer of the 4917 tons cargo ship M V Scottish Prince of the Blue Star Line. He was lost at sea, aged 27, on 17 March 1942 when his ship was attacked by U-68. He was the son of William MacPherson Hutton and Elizabeth Hutton, of Aberdeen.

James Gordon Kerr

Junior Officer (CWGC says Apprentice) on S S Tiberton of the Chapman Line, Newcastle-on-Tyne, lost 14 February 1940. James, who was 20 years old when he was lost with the rest of the crew, was the son of James Taylor Mackee Kerr, and of Elizabeth Kerr, of Bridge of Don, Aberdeenshire.

S S Tiberton was a 5225 tons steam freighter which had been built by Richardson Duck & Co Ltd, Stockton on Tees and was completed in March 1920. She could make eleven knots.

Eric Charles Middleton

Captain of S.S. Parkhill of Methil, 500 tons. He was lost, aged 31, when his ship was sunk on 17 November 1939 by U-22. CWGC gives no family details.

John Milne Deans Middleton

2nd Engineer Officer on S S Arletta, a steamer of the Ellerman Line, lost 5.8.1942 when attacked by U-458. John was 22 years old when lost. CWGC gives no family details.

Also killed on this ship was one of the fourteen boys aged fourteen, the youngest of those lost serving with the Merchant Navy during the Second World War. This was Mess Room Boy John Watson of S.S. Arletta, the son of James and Agnes Watson, of Larbert, Stirlingshire

Charles Meston Milne

Captain, S.S. Bramden (Liverpool), sunk 16.9.1939

He was aged 47 when he died and is buried in Calais Southern Cemetery. He was the son of Alexander Meston Milne and Elizabeth Milne, and husband of Ethel May Milne, of Barry, Glamorgan. SS Bramden was a cargo ship of 1594 tons en route from Dunkirk to Blyth when she hit a mine off Dunkirk. Two of her crew died.

Edward Mitchell

First Officer (CWGC says Second Officer) lost at sea on 9 June 1941 on M.V. Silverpalm of London. He was aged 27. CWGC gives no family details. All hands were lost. The ship was bound for Murmansk and sunk in the central North Atlantic by U-101.

There is some confusion over the loss of this ship. www.uboat.net suggests 12 June and U-371.

There are several illustrations of the Silverpalm on the web. It is also possible to purchase a 1:1200 scale model of the ship.

William Newton

T/Lieut. (E) W. Newton, R.N.R, HMS Jervis Bay was lost, aged 58, on 5 November 1940. HMS Jervis Bay, an armed merchant cruiser with seven six-inch guns, was sunk after twenty-four minutes of action with the German pocket battleship Admiral Scheer, six eleven-inch guns in defence of the scattering of convoy HX 84 en route from Halifax to the UK. Only five of the thirty-seven merchant ships in this convoy fell to the guns of the Admiral Scheer. 190 of the Jervis Bay’s ship’s company were killed, presumed killed or died of wounds. There were sixty-five survivors. He was the son of John and Jessie Newton.