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Remembered Today:

River Clyde at Gallipoli


Ian Burns

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The story of the River Clyde at V Beach is too well known to question.

 

But, all 'standard' accounts that I have been able to access only mention Acting Capt Edward Unwin, RN, as being in command.

However, how was the ship itself manned? Was the original Merchant Navy crew retained or replaced by Royal Navy personnel?

 

I have found several references to a John Kerr being captain of the River Clyde during the landings. He was in mid-1915 a Lt RNR commanding the seaplane carrier HMS Anne at Port Said and may have taken command of the seaplane carrier HMS Empress later in 1917.

 

Any details of Lt John Kerr, especially his role on River Clyde would be most welcome.

 

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Not in July 1914 Navy List.  If he was an RN Officer he would have a Service Record in the ADM 196 series at the NA.

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There is a John KERR as a Sub Lt on entry in RN,seniority date 28 Nov 1914. Kew file ADM340/79/31. He is shown as serving on HMS OREPOSA into 1916,having been elevated to Lt in 1915. He hailed from Carlingford,County Louth,Ireland. Born Dublin 1879.No ref to River Clyde on his papers.

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There was a Lt.John Kerr RNR who earned a DSC whilst serving on a Q-Ship later in the war.

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Further to my previous post - correction, it was a DSO

 

Name: KERR, JOHN 

Initials: J

Nationality: United Kingdom 

Rank: Lieutenant

Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Reserve 

Unit Text: H.M.S. "Mitchell."

Age: 36

Date of Death: 27/02/1918

Awards: D S O

Additional information: Son of John Kerr, of 17, Chetwode Rd., Upper Tooting, London; husband of Margret Kerr. 

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: General K. 19. 34.

Cemetery: FORD PARK CEMETERY (FORMERLY PLYMOUTH OLD CEMETERY) (PENNYCOMEQUICK)

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Please ignore my previous postings, as although having the same name, it is not the right chap.

 

John Kerr (born in Dublin) was the merchant navy Master in charge of River Clyde prior to it being converted to a landing ship at Cdr. Unwin’s suggestion. It was Unwin (former CO HMS Hussar) who was in command of River Clyde for the period of the landing on V-beach. (Incidentally, Mid Drewry also came off Hussar, so others may have cross-decked on to River Clyde too).

 

Kerr was appointed T/Lt RNR on 4th August 1915 and given command of the seaplane carrier Anne.

On 21st June 1917 he assumed command of another seaplane carrier HMS Empress and during this period he was awarded a DSO.

In 1918 he was back in the UK, posted to HMS Wallington (Immingham) and after being demobbed On 18th October 1919 he moved to Vancouver.


Postscript: AB’s Williams also Samson came from the Hussar, and Malleson off the Cornwallis, so looks like the ordinary merchant navy crew were replaced by RN for the landing.
Whilst woking pre-war in NSW Australia, River Clyde had a crew of 44, including 10 Chinese.

Edited by KizmeRD
Postscript added.
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I find it difficult to believe that, as a Lt, Kerr would be in command of a sea plane carrier. I am currently reading a book called Khaki Jack all about the RND. There is a whole section on Gallipoli and I will look out for Lt Kerr and report back. 

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As far as I recall, Unwin was in command of  Hussar until he proposed his scheme for the V Beach landing. Kerr may well have been the River Clyde's captain up to that point, however there is no doubt that on the 25th April 1915 Unwin was in command

Edited by michaeldr
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I'm not at home at the moment, however I believe that a glance at Stephen Snelling's latest book on the River Clyde will answer this question

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51 minutes ago, michaeldr said:

I'm not at home at the moment, however I believe that a glance at Stephen Snelling's latest book on the River Clyde will answer this question

 

Having done a quick check of the index of 'The Wooden Horse of Gallipoli' by Stephen Snelling,

there is no mention of a John Kerr.

The book is highly recommended.

 

Mike.

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2 hours ago, Lawryleslie said:

I find it difficult to believe that, as a Lt, Kerr would be in command of a sea plane carrier. I am currently reading a book called Khaki Jack all about the RND. There is a whole section on Gallipoli and I will look out for Lt Kerr and report back. 

Plenty to support the fact that Kerr was in fact put in command of the former German steamer ‘Aenne Rickmers’ after it was commissioned into the Royal Navy in Captain L.B. wheldon’s book ‘Hard Lying’. It became HMS Anne and served in the Eastern Mediterranean. There’ss also a photo of him in the book.

Kerr is also mentioned in ‘Beneath a Turkish Sky’ by Philip Lecane.

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10 hours ago, KizmeRD said:

Kerr was appointed T/Lt RNR on 4th August 1915 and given command of the seaplane carrier Anne.

On 21st June 1917 he assumed command of another seaplane carrier HMS Empress and during this period he was awarded a DSO.

 

The log books of HMS EMPRESS record that Lt Cdr Edward D DRURY RNR (later Acting Commander RNR) relieved Lt Cdr Reginald E MARCON RN in command of EMPRESS on 10 February 1916. Thereafter, until at least mid-1918, the log books are signed off with the signature of A/Cdr ED DRURY RNR, Captain. So Lt KERR cannot have commanded EMPRESS. He was still in command of HMS ANNE in December 1916. Moreover, KERR's award was the DSC not DSO (LG 20 July 1917 - Lieut. John Kerr, R.N.R. For services in command of a seaplane-carrying vessel on the East Indies and Egypt Station during the period 1st April, 1916-31st March, 1917.)

Dick Cronin in his "RN Shipboard Aircraft Developments 1912-1931" records;

" Lt J Kerr, RNR  took command of ANNE on 10 May [1915]. A Scot from the Isle of Arran, he could speak Gaelic, and when excited always spoke with an appalling American accent. He had been at sea since the age if 13 and been skipper of square-rigged ships, salvage vessels and tramp steamers {RIVER CLYDE ??]. In addition he had served for a short time in the American cavalry!"  Notes: he took command of ANNE three months before he was commissioned on 4 August and just two weeks after the Gallipoli landings. Cronin continues with the information that on 29 May 1915 "ANNE was to be commissioned into the Royal Navy wearing the White Ensign, and that the captain [KERR] and officers were to be given RNR commissions."  I expect the commissions of HMS ANNE and Lt Kerr RNR were on the same date in early August.There is a  photo of Lt KERR on p.189 of the book. ANNE was paid off in August 1917.

 

2 hours ago, Lawryleslie said:

I find it difficult to believe that, as a Lt, Kerr would be in command of a sea plane carrier.

 

The records clearly show that Lt KERR comanded the seaplane carrier HMS ANNE for nearly two years 1915-17.

 

Edited by horatio2
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The NMM Crew Lists website records a Glasgow-born John KERR as master of the RIVER CLYDE until 4 June 1915, See the two entries here:-

https://1915crewlists.rmg.co.uk/crew-member?crew_member_search[lastName]=kerr&crew_member_search[firstName]=john&crew_member_search[vesselName]=river+clyde&crew_member_search[capacity]=&crew_member_search[birthPlace]=&crew_member_search[submit]=

 

The problem lies in the lack of movement details linking him to HMS ANNE in Egypt in May 1915.

None of this answers Ian's original questions:- However, how was the ship itself manned? Was the original Merchant Navy crew retained or replaced by Royal Navy personnel?

 

Personally, I would be very surprised if the entire crew of the RIVER CLYDE was replaced by RN personnel. I expect at least some of the more specialist merchant crew were retained (officers, engineers, etc) while non-essential deckhands, cooks, stewards, seamen and boys were off-loaded - especially the non-UK ones.

 

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Julian Thompson's "IWM Book of the War at Sea 1914-1918 states on p,235 "..The rest of the [RIVER CLYDE] company comprised nine seamen, nine stokers, one carpenter's mate, the Captain's servant and the original ships steward [of course!]"

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From 'Hard Lying' by Capt. L B Weldon MC

“On the 10th May (1915) I again went on board the Hussar, where I was told definitely that Captain Gaskell was not coming back to the Aenne Rickmers, and that we were to be sent Captain Kerr, late of the River Clyde......

By the time that I got back to the Aenne our new skipper was on board...”

.........................................................................................................................

 

Info & quotes from Stephen Snelling's book 'The Wooden Horse of Gallipoli'

Earlier in April, Unwin had asked the crew of the River Clyde to volunteer for 25th April,

however their Captain (presumably Kerr at this point) had immediately replied in the negative;

“I don't think you can expect us to be there when the bricks begin to fly about.”

 

At this point Unwin returned to the Hussar and “selected six seamen and six engine room ratings to whom Wemyss added some extra petty officers.” Unwin also took the Hussar's warrant engineer, the ship's carpenter and the naval surgeon Peter Burrows Kelly. Unwin's second in command was Midshipman George Drewry.

 

Several days after the River Clyde's crew were selected, Unwin was approached by members of the original merchant navy crew, who claimed that the captain (Kerr?) had not consulted them when he turned down Unwin, and they stated that they now wanted to volunteer.

Unwin told them that it was by now too late, however he did make room for the ship's steward “who, though the brother of the River Clyde's captain, apparently possessed, according to Unwin's harsh remark, 'more guts than his brother'.”

 

 

Edited by michaeldr
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Thanks Michael, I think that clears up the question about how the River Clyde was manned for the Gallipoli landing quite well.

 

And as regards Horatio’s question concerning the lack of movement details linking him (Kerr) to HMS ANNE in Egypt in May 1915 I would advise that ‘Anne’ (not yet a commissioned warship) had run aground in Mundros on 6th April and wasn’t seaworthy again until Kerr arrived onboard to assume command on 10th May (patched up by the Reliance). Thereafter a temporary crew sailed her to Alexandria for more permanent dockyard repairs, which were completed on 18th June. 

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Thanks, Michael.

More from Dick Cronin's book: AENNE RICKMERS was "commanded" in Jan - Apr 1915 by Capt LB Weldon, Dublin Fusiliers and Intelligence Officer to GOC, Egypt. The master was named Gaskell and it must be assumed that Weldon had operational command of the ship. After AENNE RICKMERS completed damage repairs at Mudros, and upon his arrival back at Mudros on 4 May to sail AENNE RICKMERS back to Egypt "...Weldon was informed that the captain and crew of the RIVER CLYDE ... were to be transferred to ANNE. ... The new crew came on board at 0830 on 12 May- mostly Scandinavians but also an Irishman and an Australian. The officers and engineers were Scots. .. on 14 May she sailed for Alexandria."

It seems clear, therefore, that the RIVER CLYDE's crew had been largely supplanted by the RN crew and the MN men had been acccommodated ashore at Mudros before transferring to AENNE RICKMERS.

A search of the officers medal roll turns up three MMR offficers who qualified for their medals in ANNE:

Mate MMR John McNEILL;  Engineer MMR Septimus L PETERS; and Chief Engineer MMR John PYLE

Edited by horatio2
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Also found that the NMM crew list 2nd Mate BH BUCK was commissioned 10/7/15 - Sub Lt Bertie Henry BUCK RNR - in HMS ANNE. 

Edited by horatio2
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Just a brief note to add that the Aenne was at Mudros having been torpedoed at 02:05hrs on 11th March. She entered Mudros the next day, 12th March, and remained afloat until the 6th April when her cables parted and she had to be beached. She was eventually repaired (as stated above) by the Reliance

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Yes (army) Capt. Weldon (who wrote the book) was in operational control, and Lt. Kerr RNR (Ex River Clyde) was the Captain of the ship. Initially from May to August 1915 he was the merchant navy Master of the ‘Anne’, but once it commissioned as a warship, he became its CO. Most of the officers from the old River Clyde switched to the Anne and in time (like Kerr) they too were given RNR commissions. Lt. Bishop was Chief Engineer and the only non-Scott in the wardroom was S/Lt Bertie Buck RNR from Adelaide. The rest of the crew were mainly locals hired in Alexandria recruited to replace the largely Scandinavian deck hands (who crewed the ship for the voyage from Mundros).

Edited by KizmeRD
Added comment concerning temporary Scandinavian crew (Mundros to Alexandria)
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Thank you gentlemen,

You have been having a fine exchange of information whilst I slept the sleep of the just here in the colonies.

 

Within the information above is the answer I was seeking, at least I think so.

1) John Kerr was the civilian captain of River Clyde, but removed when the ship was taken over for the landings.

2) He an a goodly number of his crew were at a loose end.

3) HMFA Aenne Rickmers was in need of a crew.

 

Aenne Rickmers was employed at Port Said as a seaplane carrier from late 1914. She usually operated a section of two Nieuport floatplanes from l'escadrille de Port-Said, a French naval air squadron. She had been operating off the coast of Palestine, Gaza to be precise, in late February 1915 when recalled to Port Said and sent to support RN operations off Smyrna, arriving there in the forenoon of 6 March. At the time her captain was Lt Gaskell, RNR, and army Capt Weldon was in his words, Liaison, Intelligence and Commanding Officer rolled into one. Weldon actually worked for Major Percival Elgood, Chief Intelligence Officer, HQ Canal Defence Zone, Port Said, representing the Department of Military Intelligence in Cairo

Aenne Rickmers was torpedoed by the Turkish torpedo-boat Demishisar at 02.05 11 March whilst at anchor off Chusan (or Long) island in the Gulf of Smyrna.

She reached Mudros, with a 20ft by 12 ft hole in number 1 hold, on the afternoon of 12 March.

 

To cut a long story short. Her original crew was removed, with the exception of Weldon and the French airmen, and it was 12 May before a temporary repair was installed. She now needed a crew - enter Kerr and his men from River Clyde. They sailed the ship back to Alexandria for repairs. The ship almost did not reach Alexandria as the temporary repair began to fail whilst on passage between Crete and Egypt. Repair were completed in early July.

 

HMS Anne was commissioned on 5 August 1915 with, now, Lt John Kerr, RNR, as her captain. Anne continued as a seaplane carrier for the French and later RNAS until the end of 1917 - but, that is another story.

 

 

 

 

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Getting there is most of the fun!

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