RFA Mollusc

[Gibeltarik]

Old Salts,

Some help please RFA Mollusc - would anyone have any details of when in 1918 and where she was attacked/lost(?) and also how many of the crew were killed please?

I have the following names of the crew who were lost - Deck Hand John Dennis, Able Seaman P Glanville and Fireman Henry Pawsey - were there any more please and would you have their names?

Your help please

Chris

[Wrecktec]

Hello Chris

I found four, but one was HMS, so not sure about him; another thing was all the dates they died are different ?

BRYMNER, John Linesmn (DiversMate) MMR HMS Mollusc 10.12.18

DENNIS, John Samuel Corringham Deckhand MMR RFA Mollusc 16.11.18

GLANVILLE, P Able Seaman MMR RFA Mollusc 30.11.18

PAWSEY, Henry Fireman MMR RFA Mollusc 7.12.18

Cheers Ron

[Gibeltarik]

Hello Chris

I found four, but one was HMS, so not sure about him; another thing was all the dates they died are different ?

BRYMNER, John Linesmn (DiversMate) MMR HMS Mollusc 10.12.18

DENNIS, John Samuel Corringham Deckhand MMR RFA Mollusc 16.11.18

GLANVILLE, P Able Seaman MMR RFA Mollusc 30.11.18

PAWSEY, Henry Fireman MMR RFA Mollusc 7.12.18

Cheers Ron

Ron,

The RFA in WW1 was a right mess now seen from nearly 90 years later. Those ships which wern't going to the USA were still RFA's but manned by RNR officers and MMR Ratings. The CWGC has quite a few RFA's shown as HMS - eg HMS Perthshire in 1917 when she had been an RFA for the last two years (RN Cemetery at Lyness).

BRYMNER is new to me and as there was no HMS Mollusc in the Navy List I think it is safe to assume that this was the RFA Mollusc.

Thank you for your help.

Chris

[Jarvis]

Hello Chris, another casualty from RFA Mollusc (also dated late 1918) :

Name: SAMUELS, ARTHUR

Initials: A

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Able Seaman

Regiment/Service: Mercantile Marine Reserve

Unit Text: Royal Fleet Aux. "Mollusc."

Date of Death: 21/11/1918

Service No: 362723

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: 43. C. 10.

Cemetery: GRIMSBY (SCARTHO ROAD) CEMETERY

Searching the web for Mollusc with a Grimsby link also brings up 2 names of men who served and survived :

Thorpe, Alfred Ernest - 82 Sixhills St. Ldg.Stoker - H.M.S. Mollusc

Harmston, Herbert - 67 Rendel St. A.B. - H.M.S. Mollusc

Not sure if this additional information is of any help to you.

Regards. Jarvis.

[Gibeltarik]

Hello Chris, another casualty from RFA Mollusc (also dated late 1918) :

Name: SAMUELS, ARTHUR

Initials: A

Nationality: United Kingdom

Rank: Able Seaman

Regiment/Service: Mercantile Marine Reserve

Unit Text: Royal Fleet Aux. "Mollusc."

Date of Death: 21/11/1918

Service No: 362723

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead

Grave/Memorial Reference: 43. C. 10.

Cemetery: GRIMSBY (SCARTHO ROAD) CEMETERY

Searching the web for Mollusc with a Grimsby link also brings up 2 names of men who served and survived :

Thorpe, Alfred Ernest - 82 Sixhills St. Ldg.Stoker - H.M.S. Mollusc

Harmston, Herbert - 67 Rendel St. A.B. - H.M.S. Mollusc

Not sure if this additional information is of any help to you.

Regards. Jarvis.

Jarvis,

Many thanks - most helpful.

Cheers

Chris

[sotonmate]

Chris

Today at the Southampton Special Collections and no reference to the loss of any RFA MOLLUSC,either in the Mercantile List from Lloyd's,or from a search of wrecks around the coastline of the UK. Jane's Fighting Ships had no ref either,I guess no surprise at there must have been a multitude of vessels press-ganged into service.

There was one MOLLUSC which began life in the military as a steam yacht converted into an auxiliary patrol vessel on 12/1/1915 then converted again to an Anti-Submarine yacht on 22/3/1919 and named MEDUSA,then finally in 11/1939 named MOLLUSC and sunk by aircraft bombing 2 miles off Northumberland's St Mary's Island Lighthouse.

Best wishes

Sotonmate

[Guest]

Hello Everyone:

I stumbled across your fascinating discussion when googling RFA Mollusc in search of any further genealogical information on a very distant relation and find that you have discovered him also: namely, Arthur Samuels.  I was going to put in my two penneth when you pipped me to the post(ing)!  I believe the suggested diagnosis of flu is probably the most likely cause of death, certainly given the date AND the fact that there were several others occurring around the same time, presumably all from "disease" (as in Arthur's case) and not specifically listed as casualties of war or drowning.  What a tragic end, among many others.  

Regards,

Alyson 

[MKC]

Probably doesn't add much, but RFA Mollusc, built 1916, had the Admiralty identification code number X34.

 

Mike

[Fattyowls]

On 22/12/2018 at 22:38, USLimey said:

Hello Everyone:

I stumbled across your fascinating discussion when googling RFA Mollusc in search of any further genealogical information on a very distant relation and find that you have discovered him also: namely, Arthur Samuels.  I was going to put in my two penneth when you pipped me to the post(ing)!  I believe the suggested diagnosis of flu is probably the most likely cause of death, certainly given the date AND the fact that there were several others occurring around the same time, presumably all from "disease" (as in Arthur's case) and not specifically listed as casualties of war or drowning.  What a tragic end, among many others.  

Regards,

Alyson 

 

Alyson, thank you for reminding me of this post. My French friend Jack Thorpe's grandfather Alfred Thorpe was a shipmate of Arthur Samuels on the Mollusc but died in 1921 of I think typhoid fever and is buried in Scartho Road. I will have a look back through my emails to Jack to confirm this; it may not be pertinent to Arthur's death in 1918 which as you say may well have been the Spanish flu.

 

Happy holidays,

 

Pete.

[temptage]

According to their burial records in Grimsby Scartho Road Cemetery, John Samuel Corringham Dennis died of influenza, and Arthur Samuels died of pneumonia, 5 days apart.