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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

S.S. Apapa, 28 Nov 1917, torpedoed off Anglesey


Andrew Hesketh

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Andrew

What do I know ! Here's another.

S

post-5992-1156174606.jpg

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.......and another..

post-5992-1156174733.jpg

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...........another.

post-5992-1156174861.jpg

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The wreck of the APAPA was located by a Trinity House survey vessel in 1931 with an estimated location of:

Latitude 53 degrees 26' 45" N

Longitude 04 degrees 18' 50" W

Depth 112 feet

Source and map: Shipwrecks around Britain by Leo Zanelli

Dave

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Sotonmate and Dave,

Thank you very much for the additional material. Most useful.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...

Hi i am trying to find out any info on a casualty of the S.S. Apapa.His name was John Wilson.I am also wondering what a trimmer was at that was his rank.Thank you for any help you can give. :mellow:

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Welcome to the forum.

A trimmer worked in the depths of the ship, shifting coal. Apapa was an Elder Dempster ship and you might get something from a company history, through your local library.

Daggers

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Thankyou for your help and also the link it has helped a lot.I know this is a simple thing but how do i find his m.i.c. as this is the frist time i have had to do reseach on mercantile marine.I did find John Wilson was born in Sierra Leone!! :D

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Here's what I can find:

APPAM, Toby Assistant Steward MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

BARTHOLOMEW, Bertie 2ndBkr MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

BECKHAM, Arthur Thomas Printer MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

BERGFORS, Frank Julius Quartermaster & Able Seaman MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

BLACK, Thomas Seaman MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

BOWYER, Walter Benjamin Pantry Steward MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

BROWN, Harold Edwin Ash Jun3rd Engineer MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

COLE, Joseph Fireman MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

COLE, W. H. Assistant Steward MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

CRAIGE, William John Barber MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

DAVIES, Victor Edward WT/Opr MM SS Apapa drowned 28.11.17

EGBA, S. S. AssEngr’s Steward MM Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

ELLAMS, John O’Niell CIk MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

FORSON, J. E. Assistant Steward MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

GUY, William Chief Engineer MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

HINE, Robert Lancaster Baden Ordinary Seaman MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

HUNTINGTON, Leonard Assistant Steward MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

JENNINGS, Thomas Boots MM SS Apapa 28.11.17

JOE, ? Trimmer MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

MACKAY, J. Able Seaman MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

MARSH, Harry, Steward MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

MAYOR, James Gordon 3rd Mate MM RMS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

MILLER, John Richard AssBed Steward MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

OVEREND, Frank Bkr & Conf MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

OXTON, Joseph Henry Greaser MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

PEPPEL, I. Fireman MM SS Apapa 28.11.17

RENNER, Joseph Fireman MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

ROMYN, Willem Seaman MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

SHAW, Arthur Butchr MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

STARLING, Harold Chief Steward MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

TAUBMAN, Charles August Percy Chief Mate MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

TAYLOR, Albert 2nd Steward MM SS Apapa 28.11.17

TAYLOR, Wm Greaser MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

THOMAS, John Fireman MM SS Apapa drowned 28.11.17

THOMPSON, George Edward Assistant Steward MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

TORBORH, Sam Assistant Cook MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

TOYNBEE, Arthur Quartermaster & Seaman MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

WILSON, John Trimmer MM SS Apapa (London) drowned 28.11.17

Cheers Ron

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He appears in the OVERSEAS DEATHS: GRO MARINE DEATHS INDICES (1903 - 1965) for 1918, from findmypast.com

post-5512-1205319080.jpg

Hope this is useful

NigelS

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Thankyou for this info it is very helpful.How do i find out about his medals as i have a pair and plaque for him and also would there be any records for him like there are for the army?? i am still very new at navy and mercantile marine reseach but i am getting into it. :D

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I have at home a mercentile marine pair to Thomas Jennings,

On th eCWGC site 2 are listed

1 died ww1 in SS Apapa

1 died WW2 in MV Apapa

Any info greatly appreciated.

Regards

James

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James Harvey : "I have at home a mercentile marine pair to Thomas Jennings, On th eCWGC site 2 are listed

1 died ww1 in SS Apapa

1 died WW2 in MV Apapa"

Here are they are on the OVERSEAS DEATHS: GRO MARINE DEATHS INDICES (1903 - 1965) for 1918 & 1940 from findmypast.com

post-5512-1205404278.jpg

post-5512-1205404318.jpg

were they related - father & son possibly? seems a remarkable coincidence to have two men of the same name lost on a ships with the same name 22 years apart.

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"were they related - father & son possibly? seems a remarkable coincidence to have two men of the same name lost on a ships with the same name 22 years apart."

I was intending to qualify this, like sons following their father in to particular regiments, the same is likely to have occured with merchant shipping lines. both vessels were, apparently, Elder-Dempster.

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As the 2nd 1 was 38 years old he may have served in ww1 so they may have been his medals

or they may in fact be the 36 year olds who died in ww1

The joy of researching medals

Thanks for the help

James

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  • 7 months later...

Details from above link (Its my work, so I don't mind copying it!)

LIEUTENANT ERNEST ARTHUR HEBBES

Died 28th November 1917

Nigeria Regiment, 4th Battalion, Royal West African Frontier Force. (Attached from Suffolk Regiment, 4th Battalion Territorials)

Born: 1876, Great Catworth, Huntingdon

Ernest was the fourth son of Henry and Elizabeth Hebbes. Henry was Sexton of St. Michaels for 28 years, (1893-1921) and they had had their Golden Wedding in July, 1917. Ernest was closely connected to the church and also the Unionist party. He worked as an election agent for the Unionist candidate in a previous election, and acted as agent in the Isle of Wight, where the Unionists took the Liberal seat of Sir E. J. Seeley.

He was gazetted in 1915, and sent to West Africa for "...special Government work" in October of 1916. There was fierce fighting in West Africa, with both side using local natives in their armies.

He was returning on the SS Apapa for leave, after being in Africa for a year, when it was torpedoed by U-boat U-96. The SS Apapa was a 7832 tonne merchant ship from the Elder, Dempster and Co. line, which had been armed for defence. It was sunk 3 miles northeast of Lynas Point, off Anglesea, at 4am. No warning was given and 77 lives were lost, split about evenly between crew and passengers. The U-boat fired a second shot when the life boats were launched. Ernest was aged 41.

The news was brought by his brother. Ernest was said to have seen much action in West Africa. He is listed on the Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton. Listed on the Woburn Sands Memorial. His army service papers have not survived, which may have told us much about his “...special Government work...”

So...Any comment on the "Specialist Govt Work part"? Also, do I have the casualty figures right? I think not, having read this thread...

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  • 2 months later...

I was photographing war graves in Bangor Glanadda cemetery for The War Grave Photographic Project.

There is a group of three graves from the SS Apapa (Peppel, Thomas and Jennings) who are all listed by the CWGC. But behind these is the grave of Gertrude M Hunting who died in 1918, it also commemorates her son "Harold" age 28 of the Apapa though the date is inscribed as 1817.

I can't see his name anywhere in the lists, she died in Bangor so presumably he was also local.

I did hear at a conference last year that the CWGC only recognise as war casualties those merchant seaman killed directly by enemy action so someone dying later of exposure might not be listed.

Has anyone any record of a Harold Hunting on the SS Apapa?

Martin Briscoe

Fort William

post-42468-1229932370.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

I have been researching a man who according to my source, which is a school register was killed when the SS "Agape" was torpedoed off the Welsh coast in 1918. Not sure of its final destination but it certainly called at Sierra Leone which is where he was based for most of the war.

Its possible the spelling may be incorrect but having tried google I'm now at a loss and am hoping the maritime experts may be able to help

Thanks John

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Jeff

Many thanks for your reply this is indeed the vessel. I followed the thread and saw Steve's postings from the Times one of which included a list of some of the dead but my man wasn't on it which was a disappointment. Instead I did a search of the Times and there he was, died at sea on that date on the Apapa

The school register is clearly wrong!

Matin

Thanks for the tip but my man was a civilian and I think I'm right that they weren't recorded by CWGC in the first war

For the record he was Edward Alfred Roper who was District Commissioner of Sierra Leone

Thanks to you both

John

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Having been guided to this amazing thread today I can add another civilian victim to the list

Edward Alfred Roper

Killed by enemy action on the 28th of November 1917 aged 31

He was born on the 4th of February 1886 the son of Henry Alfred and Kate Roper of 27 St Saviour’s Road, St Leonards on Sea. He was educated at the King’s School Canterbury from 1898 to 1905 where he was granted a junior scholarship in 1900 and a senior scholarship in 1902. He was appointed as a monitor in September 1903 and Captain of School in September 1904. He was editor of the Canturian and President of the Debating Society. He won his sports colours in 1905 holding the record for the half mile and won an open classical scholarship to Queen’s College Oxford where he gained a 2nd Class honours degree in 1907 and a 2nd Class Lit Hum in 1909. He was president of the college athletics club in 1907 and in the college boat in 1908.

He took up teaching in 1908 but in 1911 he was appointed as Assistant District Commissioner in Sierra Leone and in 1914 was appointed to District Commissioner.

On the outbreak of war he offered to resign this position and take up a commission but his work was considered too valuable to be relinquished.

He joined the doomed vessel at Sierra Leone while coming home on leave

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Having been guided to this amazing thread today...

Ditto.

I'd missed the interesting additions since my last post above so many thanks to all for the further contributions.

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John

if you see my petition that is something Im trying to change

Chris

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