ROYAL ENGINEERS

[alvic25]

Trying to find out the circumstances in which 101850 Sapper Royston Stephen Merrett ,was likely to have died. He died from drowning on the 5-5-1917, presumably in Lake Doiron. Only other details are SSTC RE Worcester , (He was born in Coventry) & he was in 11th Pack Wireless Section at time of death. Any supporting information would be appreciated.

[Rockdoc]

It doesn't help you directly but 11th Pack Wireless was on the Struma Front in July 1917 as it was detached from 91st AA Section in 16th of that month and transferred to a position at Monohi. Unfortunately, I can't tell you when they joined the AA Section. 7th Pack Wireless is noted as joining them on 23rd March 1917 but the Diary doesn't say when they were replaced by their counterparts in 11th PW. It could well have been in the May because that month is missing.

For the sake of argument, let's assume they joined 91st AAS or, at least, were in the Struma Valley, before the death. At this time, "A" Subsection was in the area around Marian and Nigrita. As the "A" position usually acted as the HQ for the Section that's where I'd expect the PW to be based. They're both near the River Struma so it's possible he drowned there. although since he's commemorated on the Doiran Memorial, his body can't have been recovered and that could mean he was lost in Lake Tahinos. I think the latter is the best scenario because, apart from Lake Butkovo at the very northern end of the valley (now subsumed by Lake Kerkini), there wasn't a large body of water north of Lake Tahinos. Otherwise he would have had to drown in the Struma and be carried downstream to the lake, which seems unlikely.

The 16 panels at the Doiran Memorial commemorate all of those who have no known grave that died anywhere in Macedonia and Serbia so there doesn't have to be a geographical connection for his name to be there.

Keith

[apwright]

The Doiran Memorial doesn't just commemorate those missing on the mainland (including lakes & rivers), but also those army personnel who were lost/buried at sea in connection with the Salonika Campaign and who are not commemorated at Mikra - i.e. who weren't aboard the Marquette, Ivernia, Arcadian, Britannic or Princess Alberta.

I'd guess that Spr Merrett was drowned in the sinking of HMT Harmattan, mined by UC-37 off the coast of Algeria on 5 May 1917. The sources I can find give a casualty figure of 36, but I think this refers only to the ship's crew (listed here:

The Harmattan was also carrying military personnel en route from Avonmouth to Salonika, including the recently-formed 917th (MT) Company, Army Service Corps, and a number of these were lost too.

The Doiran Memorial bears the name of another 16 men who died at sea on 5/5/17, and the service record of one that I've found confirms that he was aboard the Harmattan when she sank. (M2/101373 S/Sjt Alfred Henry Marshall, 917th (MT) Coy. ASC)

The men on the Doiran Memorial are:

917 (MT) Coy ASC: 2/Lt H.Lewis, S/Sjt A.H.Marshall, and Ptes E.V.Farrant, E.Griffiths, W.Pethick, W.Sanderson, D.Turner and F.J.Ward.

180 Heavy Btty RGA: BQMS F.A.Everingham and Gnrs W.Rogers and W.Warrington (for these last two, CWGC wrongly states 160 HB RGA! 180th is confirmed by both their service records on Ancestry)

188 Heavy Btty RGA: Gnrs J.Boulton and G.C.Dimes

Army Veterinary Corps: Cpl G.Roden, Ptes J.T.Roberts and A.Winwood (these last two attached from ASC)

The service records of Marshall, Farrant, Turner, Rogers and Warrington are on Ancestry, and all state drowned at sea on 5/5/17 en route to Salonika. Although only Marshall's record specifies HMT Harmattan, I think it's reasonable to assume that they were all "in the same boat".

The Merchant Navy crewmen are commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial, while the RNR men are on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.

Adrian

[alvic25]

Thankyou keith (Rockdoc) & Adrian (apwright) for your suggestions, both very feasible & very interesting . I will research both lots of information in depth & again thankyou very much for your time.

Regards

Rob

[tharkin56]

i read this title and somehow knew it was going to be about Royston Stephen Merrett. I have just finished by book that features him, you may be pleased to know he has a plaque in coventry's War Memorial Park 90 on saturday. I have a photo, press clippings etc as he is one of the men commemorated it was confirmed to his mother he had drowned at sea his plqaue states he was in the Wireless Section.

the plaque costs 25s in 1925