HMS ZARIA

[jamiefsmith]

hello,

I would be eternally grateful on any information i can get regarding my grandad serving in the 1st world war as a stoker on HMS Zaria.

His name was ARCHIBOLD LEES SMITH and was from the Stonehaven/Laurencekirk area of Scotland.

He servived being torpedoed many times and returned home.

many thanks

Jamie

[Terence Munson]

Jamie - Welcome to the Forum.

For starters Ship details and photo: CLICK HERE

Terry

[melliget]

Jamie.

Do you have his service record? A family history website says his date of birth was 01/12/1882. Is this correct? I did different searches of the National Archives DocumentsOnline but can't locate him. Perhaps he was in the Royal Naval Reserve, not the Royal Navy. Only a sample of RNR records are online.

regards,

Martin

[horatio2]

He was almost certainly RNR. HMS ZARIA, originally hired by the Admiralty as a stores carrier, was the Auxiliary Patrol depot ship in the Orkneys from early 1915. It is possible/probable that he was employed in one of the trawlers or drifters of the Aux. Patrol. The Fleet Air Arm Musueum has the RNR ratings indexes and all the original records of service from about 1907.

[sotonmate]

Jamie

Five Log Books at the National Archives for this vessel:

ADM53/

69286 Jul to Sep 1915.

69287 Sep 1915 to Aug 1916.

69288 Aug 1916 to Aug 1917.

69289 Aug 1917 to Aug 1918.

69290 Aug 1918 to Apr 1919.

Sotonmate

[jamiefsmith]

Jamie.

Do you have his service record? A family history website says his date of birth was 01/12/1882. Is this correct? I did different searches of the National Archives DocumentsOnline but can't locate him. Perhaps he was in the Royal Naval Reserve, not the Royal Navy. Only a sample of RNR records are online.

regards,

Martin

Hello Martin,

Many thanks for your reply.

i have been sifting through some family history stuff and found my grandads ship number ! it is "stoker number 3532"

He was born 12/01/1882 11.25pm 50 barclay st Stonehaven.

many thanks

regards

jamie

[jamiefsmith]

Jamie - Welcome to the Forum.

For starters Ship details and photo: CLICK HERE

Terry

Thank you Terry, its amazing to actually see a picture of this ship.

Regards

Jamie

[jamiefsmith]

He was almost certainly RNR. HMS ZARIA, originally hired by the Admiralty as a stores carrier, was the Auxiliary Patrol depot ship in the Orkneys from early 1915. It is possible/probable that he was employed in one of the trawlers or drifters of the Aux. Patrol. The Fleet Air Arm Musueum has the RNR ratings indexes and all the original records of service from about 1907.

Thank you Horatio, i am now starting to build up some very interesting information on my grandad.

Regards

Jamie

[horatio2]

my grandads ship number ! it is "stoker number 3532"

If he was an RNR stoker he should have an suffix letter to his official number, e.g. 3532.S or 3532.T

[Guest peelk]

Good day; I am a Canadian grandson of a RN sailor whose service record from early 1918 indicates he was on a vessel associated with the depot ship HMS Zaria in July 5-September 1, 1918. At that time the HMS Zaria was based at Longhope (indeed quarantined in July there with flu) in the Orkneys - perhaps involved in protection of Scapa Flow? However the name of the vessel he actually was on is very indistinct: can it be "Elirna"? No record that I can see. Does this suggest a very small "drifter" [what are they?] or trawler [requisitioned?] to which he was assigned as early on-the-water training? He "graduated" to be wireless operator on HMS Bruce in September 1918 and swerved with it until demobilization in early 1919. Any guideposts or ideas about the "Elirna"? What would it have been doing?

Any add-ons about service by HMS Bruce would be welcome, too! (I cannot readily get to Kew to visit the Archives!)

I have happily the 1914-1918 service medal awarded to him.

Thanks. -K.