Merchant Seaman missing from CWGC register.

[Tony Lund]

In November 1916, the SS Connemara collided with the SS Retriever in Carlingford Lough. Both ships sank and 94 lives were lost, one of them was Holmfirth's John Beever.

Before the war twenty-two year old John Beever worked in his father’s textile business, at Swan Bank Mill, Holmfirth, but his real interest was always radio.

When the war broke out he was medically rejected, first by the army, and then by the navy, so he applied to be registered as a wireless operator; and he did so well in the examinations that the Royal Naval Air Service offered him a commission. But once again he failed the medical.

He then took a job as a wireless operator with the London and North Western Railway Company’s ferry service, where he had near miss from torpedoes on more than one occasion during the two years that he served with them before his death. He was also shot at when his ship called at Dublin to pick-up Sinn Fein prisoners after the Easter Rising.

He joked that the first time he ever needed to send out a SOS call would also be the last, and this proved to be the case. His body was later recovered and identified by a relative, but I do not know where he was buried. I assume that he was registered as a merchant seaman, and that the seas around Ireland were classed as a war zone. But I don’t know the rules for merchant seamen, should he be registered with the Commission?

Tony.

[Tony Lund]

People who read this the first time I posted it will have found a topic with no post, due to some sort of Internet connection problem just as I clicked Post New Topic I think, but it is here now.

Tony.

[Northern Soul]

Tony,

Since he lost his life in an accident rather than in action or as a direct consequence of being in contact with the enemy then, under the charter of the CWGC, he is not entitled to War Graves status. There must be hundreds if not thousands of Mercantile Marine personnel (later Merchant Navy in WW2) who do not qualify because of this distinction. There is a similar case of a man on one of my local memorials.

It has never really been clear to me why such individuals should not be commemorated since all those in uniform who died in accidents or of natural causes are entitled to be commemorated. Personally, I should have thought their sacrifice worthy of commemoration; the Government disagrees.

Andy.

[Liam]

That explains why I have not been able to locate any records for my great grandfather who was a Marconi wireless officer in the Merchant Navy and died on board ship in 1944. I understod that he was buied in Freetown, Sierra Leone but have yet to clarify it.

[Terry Denham]

The Mercantile Marine was one of what are called the Recognised Civilian Organisations.

There were not too many of these during WW1 but far more during WW2.

Members of one of these RCOs are entitled to War Grave status and CWGC listing if they died whilst on duty AND of a war cause or the increased threat brought on by war.

Therefore a merchant seaman who died because of a collision does not qualify but a seaman who died when his ship hit a mine does.

[Tony Lund]

Thank you, that clears it up nicely.

Tony.

[Hywyn]

Tony

This article was in the North Wales Daily Post today re the Connemara.

I thought you would like to see it.

http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/r...-name_page.html

Hywyn

[Tony Lund]

Thank you for that. Interesting stuff.

Tony.

[GHLJohnston]

Greetings Tony,

below is a photo of the subject John Beever b.1895, from my family photo collection.

(John's grandmother Mary nee Haddock of Holmfirth is my 3x Great-Grandaunt.)

On the back, written with fountain pen is:

"John Beever

went down in

the Irish Sea in

the Connemara.

Wireless Operator"

Let me know if you'd like the higher res scan of the (postcard type) photo.

May I use what you've discovered about John in my genealogical notes ?

Cheers, Geoffrey

[Tony Lund]

Geoffrey, that is excellent, thank you very much. My information comes from the Holmfirth Express 1916. I will dig out the copy for you this afternoon.

Tony.

[per ardua per mare per terram]

Welcome to the forum Geoffrey,

Do you have John Beever's results for the Marcorni exams?

[GHLJohnston]

Thanks for the welcome, I was directed here.

Gratifying to be able to put a face to a name, I've an old hat box of sepia faces but not much else.

Would there be any record of SOS calls received?

[grantowi]

There is a downloadable record card for a John Beever on the national archives for £3.50, not sure what it contains.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documen...p;resultcount=1

Grant

[per ardua per mare per terram]

The Marconi wireless exam results are held at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/