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Remembered Today:

Survivors of HMS Pathfinder


Watspoon

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Hello everyone! I have been researching the survivors of HMS Pathfinder for a small website I am making dedicated to the crews of Royal Navy ships that are a bit of a mystery. One of these ships is HMS Pathfinder as many of the roughly 48 survivors are unknown. Below I have listed 38 survivors, all of whom, besides Stokers Lindsey and Warwick, have the Pathfinder listed in their records (I believe). Lindsey and Warwick were likely to have been on board at the time, however. If any of you have names that could be added to this list, please let me know. Here is the list...

 

*Clicking on the linked names brings you to a photograph of them that I have put on Imgur. They have all been found on the internet, and I do know the location of photos of AB Marriott and ERA Heath, but they are under copyright and must be found using a British Newspaper Archive subscription. If you have one and would like to see the photos, please contact me.

 

Royal Navy Officers (Exactly 9)

Captain Francis Martin-Leake

Lieutenant-Commander Charles Gwillim Robinson

Lieutenant Frederick Cobb Finnis

Lieutenant (E) Cyril Bedford Evington

Staff-Surgeon Thomas Aubrey Smyth

Acting Sub-Lieutenant Edward Oliver Sonnenschein

Paymaster Lieutenant Alan George Bath

Carpenter Daniel Edward Wood

Assistant Clerk Charles Harbottle Rae

 

Royal Navy Ratings (At least 28)

Able Seaman Joshua Pengall Adcock 236036

Stoker 1st Class Arthur Henry Bannister SS109475

Stoker Petty Officer Walter Smith Binnington 300347

Able Seaman William Beaton Brett J25154

Acting Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Stanley Bruce M4285

Able Seaman Reginald Thomas Fothergill J13361

Telegraphist Henry Harness J1147

Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class James Edward Heath 272486

Stoker 2nd Class William Abraham Eric Knight Hughes K22058 

Able Seaman Arthur Ernest Jackson 230990

Mechanician Philip Jones 293071

Leading Signalman Samuel Edward Kevan 225053

Leading Telegraphist Arthur Edward Lawrence 231921

Stoker 2nd Class Ernest Walter Lewis K21852

Stoker 1st Class Herbert Lindsey SS101403

Able Seaman Charles James Marriott 162844

Acting Leading Stoker Joseph McDermott 297245

Stoker 1st Class Frederick Mead 298357

Stoker 1st Class James Noy K7603

Able Seaman Cecil Charles Payne 238159

Stoker 1st Class William Henry Pring K5035

Able Seaman Alfred Edward Reed 236617

Boy 1st Class William George Rogers J22621

Boy 1st Class Alfred Richard John Trimming J20967

Leading Seaman Patrick Alexander Turner 219960

Stoker 1st Class Harold Warwick K15237

1 Unknown Chief Petty Officer

1 Unknown Signalman

 

Royal Marines (At least 1)

Private James Marland RMLI Ch/11430

 

Died of Wounds (4)

Petty Officer Prentis Stephen Brash 180365

Telegraphist John Raywood Charlton J11654

Leading Cook's Mate Thomas James Howard M43

Stoker 1st Class Alfred Rumbles 223110

 

 

Feel free to use this information anywhere else, just don't claim this as your own original research if you found this here. I do not mean to be "that guy", but I have spent a large amount of my time researching this ship and would prefer others not to take credit. This does not mean you have to credit me, however.

 

Cheers

Edited by Watspoon
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11 hours ago, horatio2 said:

A correction - Marland's RMLI Register Number was Chatham/11430 (CH/11430)

Thanks very much! I accidentally left out the Ch and 0!

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  • 1 year later...

Hi, another survivor not listed anywhere appears to be K.11020 Stoker 1st Class J. Thompson. He joined Pathfinder on the 31/7/14, then HMS Pembroke II on the 6th September 1914 the day after the Pathfinders sinking.

I can only imagine his name was not updated on the ships company as war had only just broke out and Pathfinder sunk so early. I have his Naval General Service Medal with clasp Persian Gulf 1909=1914,  for his service on HMS Perseus. This was a re-issue in 1919 as I assume his original was lost onboard Pathfinder. His service records support all this, born in Belfast 1892, joined the Royal Navy 1911. I cannot find anymore out about him other than he survived the war and was entitled to a trio.

 

Paul

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15 minutes ago, Paul Hutson said:

I can only imagine his name was not updated on the ships company as war had only just broke out and Pathfinder sunk so early

His ADM 188 record clearly shows him drafted to PATHFINDER as List 17 on the Ship's Book. List 17 was for ratings drafted as "Supernumeraries borne for victuals only". He was not Ship's Company (List 5). This information does not positively confirm that he was actually in PATHFINDER when she was sunk but it is more likely than not.

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Thanks, yes it's probably one of those that we will never know for certain, but I do think with his NGS being re-issued as having lost his original and his character assessments dropping i.e time in cells following the sinking that it all points to some sort of incident affecting him. I shall carry on researching and one day hope to find out one way or the other.

 

Regards

Paul

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  • 4 months later...

Hi Watspoon

Very interested in Pathfinder survivors being a relative of Telegraphist Harry Harness.  I've looked at your list of survivors and noticed Stoker Petty Office Walter Smith Binnington born 1883 in Beverley Yorkshire. I'm particularly interested in tracking down men from the East Riding of Yorkshire and have found Binnington's service record but he does not appear to have been on the Pathfinder. Does anyone have any suggestions?  Also I came across an article in The Globe of 16th September 1914 reporting the experience of a 'Hull Man'. Is this another survivor or could he be the unknown signalman you refer to?  

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Welcome to the GWF @oldamos

Youe are correct about Binnington's record: he was on the books of HMS HALCYON (Lowestoft base) until 3 September 1914 and then on the books of HMS PEMBROKE II (Chatham) from 4 September. I can see nothing to associate him with PATHFINDER.

@Watspoon, who started this topic, may have additional information but he has not visited the GWF since February 2020, You could try sending him a personal message.

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  • 2 years later...

Hi,

I believe my grandfather (my father's father) John Samuel Estaugh (DoB 11 Sept 1895) served on Pathfinder.

His service record shows:

  • An entry In the "Date and Period of Engagements" section of "11 Sept 1913" (his 18th birthday),
  • An entry from 20 Feb 1914 on Pathfinder (with no "To" date entered) with a rating "Ord"
  • An entry from 1 Sept 1914 to 5 Sept 1914 on Pathfinder (with a rating "AB"),
  • An entry from 6 Sept 1914 on Pembroke (I believe it says "Pembroke 1" but that part of the document is slightly smudged)
  • There are a number of other entries before and after the Pathfinder entries also, which end on 10 Sept 1919.

The reference printed on his service record document is J.25109; I have a copy of it if you would like to see it.

Look forward to hearing from you. I would be keen to validate this with you and have his tenure on Pathfinder recorded as part of your project.

Ed Estaugh

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  • Admin

Welcome to the forum. @Watspoon hasn’t visited the forum since they made 3 posts in February 2020. My tag may or may not alert them to your post.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Edestaugh

I was interested to see your post.  As far as I can see your grandfather was indeed on the Pathfinder when it was sunk. I have been searching for survivors of the Pathfinder as my great uncle was on board and survived.  Watspoon posted a list of survivors in 2020 but some of these do not appear to have been on the Pathfinder.  Newspaper reports and War Dept seem to have given out confusing data and I am interested to find out about survivors.  The National Archives carried out a volunteer transcription exercise on all marine service records for WWI years but this is not available to the public as yet.  I will add your grandfather to my list of survivors so far.

Thank you for your information.  It was nice to hear from a fellow 'ancestor survivor'.  I have various pieces of information including newspaper reports and an enquiry into the sinking of the Pathfinder which was carried out immediately afterwards.  If you are interested in any of this you can contact me by email. I believe my email should be included in the members' area.  Otherwise post here again.

Best wishes

oldamos

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On 21/11/2023 at 16:03, oldamos said:

Hi Edestaugh

I was interested to see your post.  As far as I can see your grandfather was indeed on the Pathfinder when it was sunk. I have been searching for survivors of the Pathfinder as my great uncle was on board and survived.  Watspoon posted a list of survivors in 2020 but some of these do not appear to have been on the Pathfinder.  Newspaper reports and War Dept seem to have given out confusing data and I am interested to find out about survivors.  The National Archives carried out a volunteer transcription exercise on all marine service records for WWI years but this is not available to the public as yet.  I will add your grandfather to my list of survivors so far.

Thank you for your information.  It was nice to hear from a fellow 'ancestor survivor'.  I have various pieces of information including newspaper reports and an enquiry into the sinking of the Pathfinder which was carried out immediately afterwards.  If you are interested in any of this you can contact me by email. I believe my email should be included in the members' area.  Otherwise post here again.

Best wishes

oldamos

Hi,

Many thanks for your post I would be very interested in any further information you might be able to share as to the enquiry / newspaper reports. My email is (removed by moderator) if you are able to email me. Apols - I'm new to the forum and wasn't able to find your email address.

Many thanks and kind regards,

Ed

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4 hours ago, edestaugh said:

My email is

Ed, strongly recommend you edit your post to remove the e-mail, which is otherwise in danger of being harvested by spambots. There is a D/PM (Direct/Personal Message) facility which can be accessed by clicking on your correspondent's username and then on the envelope icon.

Welcome to the forum :)

PS you can find the Edit function by clicking on the three dots ... to the right of your own username.

Edited by seaJane
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@Michelle Young are you still a moderator and can you edit the email out of Ed's post? He's not getting the Edit option. Thanks in advance!

sJ

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  • Admin

Sorted. 

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