SS LEICESTER Casualties, S. Onsey & W. Howard, Non-Coms? Options

[TcM59]

12 February 1916
Great Central Railway’s Grimsby registered S.S. Leicester 1,002 gt. Requisitioned 1914 as a store carrier was on passage from Portsmouth to Cromarty with general cargo when she was sunk by a mine two and a half miles S.E. by E. of Folkestone Pier. A minefield had been laid in that location by the German submarine UC 6 (Matthias Graf von Schmettow).
Most sources state: "Seventeen lives lost. The captain was among the survivors", but nineteen names are recorded on the memorial board in The Fisherman’s and Seaman’s Memorial Chapel, Central Hall, Grimsby.
Seventeen of those are commemorated although there are some discrepancies in spelling, Mem Board v CWGC - Houge / Hague, Carlton /Charlton, Larsen / Larson. F. Barker’s date is incorrect on the CWGC site (1915 instead of 1916) but correct on his headstone. The two I cannot find are:
F. Onsey and W. Howard.

Cheers, Terry

[chrisharley9]

Terry

on this one Im stumped - there are no Times reports of her loss so difficult to say what happened to any of the crew - Fred Barker is shown as having died at Dover

Chris

[Silent Warrior]

Hi Terry

According to Larn's Shipwrteck Index of the British Isles, the vessel carried 600 tons of cargo when she dretonated the mine at 1030hrs; the master and six hands were saved by trawlers and landed at Dover. From her crew of twenty-four, seventeen were lost.
PRO ADM 137/2963

Must admit that I can only find severnteen in my database too.

Cheers Ron

[Martin Elliget]

Terry.

ONSEY is an unusual name. Given the number of errors on the memorial, I wonder how much the spelling can be relied upon? By the way, it's "F. ONSEY" on the memorial.

This news article from the Yorkshire Post (2006) might be of interest. Has a couple of references to s.s. LEICESTER.
http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/R...-war.1871120.jp

Ken Grainger, of the Great Central Railway Society, did most of the research for the ROH mentioned. Perhaps it might be worth contacting the society to see if the two names are mentioned and, if so, what further info they have.

Martin

[Silent Warrior]

Hi Terry

Disaster at Sea by Hocking also says "Seventeen persons were killed. The captain was among the survivors."

Cheers Ron

[chrisharley9]

BRUMUND G F W GERHARD FREDERICK WILLIAM Cook Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 41 Killed by mine Son of Henry and the late Betty Brumund; husband of Frances Annie Brumund (nee Coleman), of 48, Crow Hill Avenue, Cleethorpes. Born at Grimsby.
CHARLTON R ROBERT First Engineer Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 44 Killed by mine Son of Elizabeth Charlton and the late George Brown Charlton; husband of Miriam Charlton (nee Stapleton), of 172, Wellholme Rd., Grimsby. Born at Grimsby.
COSMAN E ERNEST Second Engineer Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 41 Killed by mine Son of the late John Cosman and Eliza Cosman; husband of Sarah Annie Cosman (nee Pyman), of 136, Legsby Avenue, Grimsby. Born at Hull.
EDMONDS G E GEORGE EDWARD Able Seaman Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 58 Killed by mine Son of the late George and Emma Edwards. Born at Brighton.
GOODEY E EDWARD Fireman Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 32 Killed by mine Son of the late Jonathan Goodey; husband of Harriet Goodey (nee Johnson), of 28, Phelps St., New Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. Born at Grimsby.
HAGUE E ERNEST Second Mate Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 39 Killed by mine Son of the late John William and Eliza Hague; husband of Sarah Ann Hague (nee Wilson), of 15, Victoria Avenue, Wellsted St., Hull. Born at Hull.
HARRINGTON G H GEORGE HERBERT Able Seaman Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 26 Killed by mine Son of Thomas and Eliza Harrington, Back of 13, Grimsby Rd New Cleethorpes, Grimsby. Born at Grimsby.
HOLLINGSWORTH A ARTHUR Donkeyman Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 22 Killed by mine Son of Joseph and Kate Hollingsworth; husband of Elizabeth Hollingsworth (nee Webster), of 31, Tennyson St., Grimsby Born at Grimsby.
HUDSON A ALBERT Donkeyman Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 52 Killed by mine Son of Mary Bush Hudson, of 27, Queen St., Grimsby, and the late Thomas Hudson. Born at Muckton, Louth, Lincs.
LARSON C B CHARLES BADEN Mess Room Boy Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 15 Killed by mine Son of Eva Violet Coo (formerly Larson), and the late William Larson, of 32, Levington St., Grimsby. Born at Gorleston-on-Sea.
PARKER A ARTHUR Fireman Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 43 Killed by mine Son of Susan and the late Henry Parker; husband of the late Lilian Parker (nee Raworth). Born at Runham Market.
SHEPHERD E EDWARD Fireman Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 31 Killed by mine Son of Martha Shepherd and the late John Lewis Shepherd; husband of Mary Jane Shepherd (nee Marfleet), of 1, Lyndhurst Terrace, Cleethorpes, Lincs. Born at Grimsby.
SMITH H C HARRY CLARKE Fireman Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 53 Killed by mine Son of the late William and Rhoda Smith. Born at Ely.
WRINGE A G ARTHUR GEORGE Fireman Mercantile Marine S.S. "Leicester" (Grimsby) 12-Feb-16 51 Killed by mine Husband of Ellen Wringe (nee Osman), of 110, Stirling St., Grimsby, Lincs. Born at Brightlingsea.


14 listed on Tower Hill

[chrisharley9]

Name: CUMBLIDGE, JOHN HENRY
Initials: J H
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Steward
Regiment/Service: Mercantile Marine
Unit Text: S.S. "Leicester."
Date of Death: 12/02/1916
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 42. D. 5.
Cemetery: GRIMSBY (SCARTHO ROAD) CEMETERY

Name: DALES, ALFRED
Initials: A
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Able Seaman
Regiment/Service: Mercantile Marine
Unit Text: S.S. "Leicester."
Age: 50
Date of Death: 12/02/1916
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: 42. D. 7.
Cemetery: GRIMSBY (SCARTHO ROAD) CEMETERY

Plus Fred Barker shown above

[Northern Soul]

There was an Onsey family at Grimsby on the 1911 Census (Henry and Eliza Ann). Henry was 66 and a clerk in the steamship office. There is also a grandchild, a 10-year old Edna May Good. Can't pick them up on any other census.

Hence, I don't think that you have a spelling mistake because there was a definite Onsey family with the necessary connection to the shipping business.

Best wishes.

Andy.

[TcM59]

Martin - I've no idea how, why or where that 'S' came from!
Thanks for the links, I'm going to check local papers at the library next, hopefully tomorrow.

Andy / Ron Thanks again.

Chris - I have photos of the other two graves and also Fireman G Karlson S.S. DIDO.

While checking section 34 today I came across the BRUMUND family grave in dilapidated condition. Gerhard is remembered on the end kerb. See attached (Higher Res available):

Inscription reads: THEIR SON GERHARD
WHO LOST HIS LIFE ON THE S.S. LEICESTER
MINED OFF DOVER FEB. 12TH 1916 AGED 42 YEARS

Cheers, Terry