Category Archives: Stoker

Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Arthur Haxell

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Stoker 1st Class Arthur Haxell

Arthur Frederick Haxell was born on 17th June 1897 and was the third of six children to Frederick and Ellen. Arthur’s father was a labourer from Tilbury in Essex, who raised his family in nearby Romford, where Arthur himself was born.

By the time Arthur was six, the family had moved to Kent; the 1911 census found them living in the then village of Welling. When he left school, he found work at a local mill. War was on the horizon, however, and things were about to change.

Arthur was called up on 22nd June 1916, joining the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.62m) tall, had fair hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. He was sent to HMS Pembroke – the shore establishment at the Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – and spent three months there being trained.

Stoker Haxell’s first sea commission was on board HMS Dartmouth, a cruiser that served in the Eastern Mediterranean which was involved in the Battle of Otranto Straits in the spring of 1917. He spent nine months on board, and received a promotion to Stoker 1st Class during this time.

By the start of July, however, Arthur was back in Chatham. HMS Pembroke was a busy place that summer, a sunken battleship and an outbreak of fever meaning that its barracks had reached capacity. Rather than being in the normal barracks, Arthur found himself billeted at the nearby Chatham Drill Hall instead.

By this point in the conflict, the German Air Force was doing all it could to minimise the losses it was suffering during its daylight raids. Instead, it trialled night flights and, on 3rd September 1917, Chatham was bombed. The Drill Hall Stoker Haxell was sleeping in received a direct hit; he died from his injuries the following day. He was just 20 years old.

Arthur Frederick Haxell was laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham, alongside the other 97 victims of the Chatham Air Raid.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Lancashire, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Benjamin Corker

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Stoker 1st Class Benjamin Corker

Benjamin Corker was born in Liverpool on 23rd June 1893, one of four children to James and Mary Corker. James was a railway foreman and porter from Helsby in Cheshire, who had moved to the city to get work.

Mary passed away in 1906, and this may have been the spur that got Benjamin moving. On 14th March 1910, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class, for the set term of twelve years’ employment.

Benjamin’s service records shed a little more light into his life. He was noted as being 5ft 10ins (1.78m) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. At the time that he enlisted, he was working as a capstan man for the railway, moving trucks in the goods yard using a rope device similar to that found on ships at the time.

The section on wounds, scars and marks notes that he had “tattooed tombstone, wreath and ‘in memory of my mother’, 3 crossed fishes, heart anchor and cross” on his right forearm; on his left were “heart flag, wreath flag, ‘mizpah’, KJ and two dots and indistinct letter C”. He also had a mole under his chin. The Hebrew word mizpah (remembrance, or emotional bond) is intriguing, and suggests that, while Benjamin was baptized at St Cleopas Church in Toxteth, there may have been Jewish heritage in his family line.

The last noteworthy entry on Stoker Corker’s naval records is that he had given his date of birth as 23rd June 1890, three years older than he actually was. He would have been 17 – and therefore underage – at the point he enlisted, which shows either a drive to follow his dream, or to escape some other reality.

Whatever his circumstances, Benjamin boarded HMS Acheron in Liverpool, and sailed from there to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for formal training at HMS Pembroke there. After three months he was given his first formal posting on board the battlecruiser HMS Indomitable. He spent eighteen months on board, and received a promotion to Stoker 1st Class in the process.

After a further spell of training in Chatham, Stoker Corker was then assigned to HMS Hibernia, another of the Royal Navy’s battleships. He spent more than five years on board, through to the summer of 1917.

Benjamin then returned to Chatham to await his next posting. HMS Pembroke was a busy place that summer, and, with its barracks having reached capacity, the glass-roofed Chatham Drill Hall was used as temporary accommodation. This is where Stoker Corker found himself billeted.

By this point in the war, the German Air Force was trying to minimise the losses it had suffered during daytime raids. Instead, it trialled night flights and, on 3rd September 1917, Chatham was bombed. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and Stoker Corker was killed along with close to 100 others. He was just 24 years old.

The victims of the Chatham Air Raid were buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham. Benjamin Corker was also laid to rest there, and lies within walking distance of the naval dockyard in which he had served.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Norfolk, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, war

Stoker 1st Class John Loose

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Stoker 1st Class John Loose

John Robert Loose was born on 3rd March 1891 in the village of Brancaster on the North Norfolk coast. One of seven children his parents were John and Agnes Loose.

John Loose Sr was a fisherman, as were most of the family’s neighbours and the sea was definitely in his oldest son’s blood. Within days of his eighteenth birthday, he had enlisted in the Royal Navy for a 12 year term. His service records show that he was 5ft 9ins (1.75m) tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker 2nd Class Loose’s first assignment was on board HMS Acheron and, over the next year he learnt his trade on board her, HMS Vindictive and HMS Hawke. In June 1910, he was serving on HMS Inflexible, and received a promotion to Stoker 1st Class.

In the lead up to the outbreak of the First World War, John served on five further vessels. In between ocean assignments he was based on board HMS Pembroke, the shore-based establishment based at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

While he seemed diligent and hard working, Stoker Loose was not without his flaws, and had a couple of run-ins with authority. In June 1912 he was detained for 90 days for absence, drunkenness and for striking a Leading Seaman. Eighteen months later he was imprisoned for a further 28 days for being absent beyond his allotted leave.

When hostilities commenced, Stoker Loose was serving on board HMS Bacchante, an armoured cruiser that was part of the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet. He spent a total of eighteen months on board, returning to Chatham in February 1916.

A further lengthy posting followed, as he was assigned to HMS Calliope, a light cruiser that served in the North Sea, and which was involved in the Battle of Jutland later that spring. Again, Stoker Loose’s record was not without blemish: he spend a week in the brig, although there is no confirmation of his misdemeanour this time around.

By August 1917, John was back on dry land in Kent. HMS Pembroke was a busy place that summer, and, with its barracks having reached capacity, Chatham Drill Hall was used as temporary accommodation. This is where John found himself billeted.

The German Air Force, by this point was trying to minimise the losses it was suffering during raids it carried out in daytime. Instead, it trialled night flights and, on 3rd September 1917, Chatham found itself in their flight path. The Drill Hall Stoker Loose was sleeping in received a direct hit, and he was killed. He was just 26 years old.

The 98 victims of the Chatham Air Raid were laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, walking distance from the Drill Hall where John Robert Loose had been living.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class William Curd

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Stoker 1st Class William Curd

William Alfred Curd was born on 14th November 1891, the oldest of nine children to William and Emily Curd. William Sr was a carter and labourer on a farm, and his William Jr was to follow suit when he left school. The 1911 census recorded the family as living in Dover, Kent, living in a four-roomed house near the centre of the town.

By this time war was knocking at the door, and, living in Dover, the Curd family were in the front line. William Jr continued his carting work, but was eventually called up in the summer of 1916. He enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 31st July and was dispatched to HMS Pembroke – the shore-based establishment at Chatham Dockyard.

William’s enlistment papers show that he was just over 5ft 3ins (1.61m) tall, had brown hair, blue eyes, a fresh complexion and tattoos on both of his forearms.

After three months’ training, Stoker Curd was assigned to HMS Dartmouth, a light cruiser. She served in the Mediterranean and, during his time on board, was involved in the Battle of the Strait of Otranto, off the coasts of Albania and Italy.

At the beginning of July 1917, William returned to Chatham, and was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. HMS Pembroke was a busy place that summer, and its barracks had reached capacity. Chatham Drill Hall was used as temporary accommodation, and this is where Stoker Curd found himself billeted.

By this point in the war, the German Air Force was looking to minimise daytime casualties, and was, instead, trialling night raids; on 3rd September, Chatham found itself in their flight path. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and Stoker 1st Class Curd was killed, along with close to 100 others. He was just 25 years old.

The victims of the Chatham Air Raid were laid to rest in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, walking distance from the Drill Hall where William Alfred Curd and his colleagues had died.

Cambridgeshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, London, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class William Walton

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Stoker 1st Class William Walton

William Walton was born in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, early in 1868, the oldest child of William Moran and Hannah Walton. The couple married shortly after William’s birth and went on to have six further children. William Sr was a bricklayer’s labourer from Cambridgeshire, and until his mother’s death in 1903, William Jr used his father’s surname.

By the time of the 1881 census, William Sr had moved the family to London, where work was more plentiful. It was here that his eldest son met Annie Vigo; they married in Bethnal Green in August 1886 – using Hannah’s maiden name – and went on to have a son – also called William – the same year.

William was also working as a labourer by this point, but by the mid-1890s he and Annie had five children, and he needed a steadier income. In August 1895, he enlisted in the Royal Navy for a period of 12 years. His service record show that he stood 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, had brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted to have a scar on his head and an anchor tattoo on his left forearm.

Stoker 2nd Class Walton was initially based at HMS Victory, the training base in Portsmouth. By April 1896 he had been given his first off-shore assignment, HMS Fox. This was a cruiser, and he spent more than three years aboard, gaining a promotion to Stoker 1st Class in the process.

The summer of 1899 saw William back on land, as he was assigned to HMS Pembroke, the shore-based establishment at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham. He remained here for the next three years, and returned to the dockyard in between assignments at sea.

In August 1907 Stoker Walton’s term of service with the navy came to an end, and he was placed on reserve. By this point he and Annie had had two more children, bringing the total to seven. The 1911 census found the family living in London, where William was still recorded as a stoker.

War was imminent, and, when hostilities broke out, William was recalled. This time, and probably because of his age, he was wholly based on land, spending nine months in Portsmouth, and the rest of the time in Chatham.

HMS Pembroke was a busy place and, in the summer of 1917, it had reached capacity. The Drill Hall was used as temporary accommodation, and this is where Stoker Walton found himself billeted.

On 3rd September, the German Air Force was trialling night raids on English locations to avoid suffering casualties in daylight; that night Chatham found itself in their flight path. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and Stoker 1st Class Walton was killed, along with close to 100 others. He was 49 years old [the gravestone suggests a different age].

William Walton was laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, within walking distance of the dockyard that had become his home. He was buried alongside the other victims of the Chatham Air Raid.

William’s younger brother Arthur Moran was also involved in the hostilities of the First World War. As a Bombardier in the Royal Garrison Artillery, he was caught up in the fighting on the Western Front, losing his life on 6th February 1917, seven months before his older brother. He was laid to rest in the Cité Bonjean Military Cemetery in Armentières, France.

Cambridgeshire, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, Norfolk, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Charles Lemmon

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Stoker 1st Class Charles Lemmon

Charles Lemmon was born in Norwich, Norfolk on 12th July 1892. He was one of ten children and the son of bricklayer Henry Lemmon and his wife Sophia.

When Charles left school, he found work as an errand boy; by the time of the 1911 census, he had moved to Cambridge. He was living with John Buol, a Swiss confectioner and pastry chef who had set up a restaurant in the centre of the city, opposite King’s College.

The move from Norfolk to Cambridgeshire must has ignited a yearning for travel, however. Within a year, Charles had enlisted in the Royal Navy, and was taken on as a Stoker 2nd Class. His naval records show that he stood at 5ft 2ins (1.57m) tall, had brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion. It was also noted that he had a scar on his left leg.

Stoker Lemmon was set to see the world. After his initial training at HMS Pembroke – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – he was assigned to HMS Berwick, an armoured cruiser that sailed between England and the Americas.

The following year, Charles was reassigned to HMS Swiftsure, and received a promotion to Stoker 1st Class. He returned to HMS Pembroke in May 1916, and, after a couple of months on land, boarded HMS Titania, a submarine depot ship that had recently seen action in the Battle of Jutland.

Stoker Lemmon spent just under a year on the Titania, before again returning to Chatham in the spring of 1917. HMS Pembroke was a crowded place that summer, Charles was billeted in temporary accommodation in the dockyard’s Drill Hall.

On 3rd September, the German Air Force was trialling night raids on English locations; Chatham found itself in the line of fire. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and Stoker 1st Class Lemmon was killed, along with close to 100 other servicemen resting there. He was just 25 years of age.

The servicemen who lost their lives in the Chatham Air Raid, including Charles Lemmon, were laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, Surrey, war

Stoker 1st Class William Shirley

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Stoker 1st Class William Shirley

William Leonard Shirley was born in the spring of 1896, the second of six children to Edward and Helen Shirley. Edward was a brewer’s drayman who raised his family in South Croydon, Surrey.

When William left school, he found work as a baker’s delivery boy. War was on the horizon, however, and he was destined for the Royal Navy. His full service details are not available, although it is clear that he had enlisted as a Stoker by 1917.

William seems to have been based at HMS Pembroke – the shore-based establishment at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent. Again, details are sketchy, but he was definitely there in September 1917.

This was a busy time for HMS Pembroke, and the barracks were using the dockyard’s Drill Hall as temporary additional accommodation for the overflow of servicemen there at the time. Stoker 1st Class Shirley was based there on the night of the 3rd September, when the German Air Force performed their first night raid on England. The Drill Hall received a direct hit, and William, along with nearly 100 others, was killed. He was just 21 years of age.

William Leonard Shirley was laid to rest with the dozens of other victims of the Chatham Air Raid in the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, killed in action, London, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, Surrey, war

Stoker 1st Class Alfred Finlay

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Stoker 1st Class Alfred Finlay

Alfred James Finlay was born in Croydon, Surrey on 7th September 1893. His mother was Emily Finlay, although there is little more information to confirm details of his early life.

He was working as a shop porter when he was drawn to a life at sea and, on 9th April 1912 he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. Alfred’s enlistment papers confirm that he was 5ft 5ins (1.66m) tall, had brown hair and brown eyes. While he had a fair complexion, he was also noted to have a scar above his left eye, another on his left thigh, and had a tattoo of a pierced heart on his left arm.

After his initial six months’ training at HMS Pembroke – the shore-based establishment at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – he was assigned to the cruiser HMS Lancaster, where he spent a couple of months. He had another few weeks at HMS Pembroke, before being sent to another cruiser, HMS Chatham.

Alfred spent more than three years on Chatham, and was promoted to Stoker 1st Class during his time aboard. Returning once again to Kent, his service from here on in seems to have been mainly shore-based: HMS Pembroke in Chatham; HMS Vivid in Devonport; HMS Victory in Portsmouth.

Stoker Finlay returned to HMS Pembroke in the summer of 1917. It was a busy period for the Naval Dockyard in Chatham, and a lot of the servicemen there – Alfred included – were billeted to temporary accommodation at the nearby Drill Hall. It was here that he was sleeping on the 3rd September, when the German Air Force undertook their first night raid over England. One of the bombers scored a direct hit on the Drill Hall, and Alfred was killed. He was just 24 years old.

Alfred James Finlay was laid to rest, along with the dozens of other victims of the Chatham Air Raid, at the Woodlands Cemetery in nearby Gillingham.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, Kent, Lancashire, Leading Stoker, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Leading Stoker Joseph Craven

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Leading Stoker Joseph Craven

Joseph Craven was born in Liverpool on 6th January 1870. There is little information available about his early life, but by the time of the 1891 census, he was boarding with a blacksmith and his family in Bootle, Lancashire. By this point he was working as a fireman – probably a stoker-type role, rather than for the fire service.

The following year, Joseph found an opportunity to broaden his horizons and, on 21st October 1892, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His papers show that, at the time of joining up, he was 5ft 4ins (1.62m) in height, had dark brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. No distinguishing marks were noted.

Joseph’s previous employment seemed to have stood him in good stead. After initial assessments at HMS Pembroke – the shore-based establishment at the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent – he was quickly moved on to HMS Wildfire, based in Sheerness. His first sea posting was aboard the battlecruiser HMS Howe, and, within a couple of months, he had been promoted to Stoker 1st Class.

By the time Joseph’s initial twelve-year contract came to an end, he had served on board nine ships and travelled the world. When the time came, he voluntarily renewed his contract and continued his life at sea.

When back in port, he developed a private life. He met a young widow called Sarah Baker in Portsmouth, and the couple married in 1908. The census three years later found Joseph as the head of the household, living in a seven-room house with Sarah, her 13-year-old daughter, 80-year-old widowed mother and two boarders.

Stoker Craven’s naval service was, by this point, continuing apace. By the time hostilities were declared in August 1914, he had served on twelve further ships, and been promoted again, this time to the role of Leading Stoker. In between his voyages, he was based primarily at HMS Victory, Portsmouth Dockyard’s shore-base.

By the end of the following year, Joseph was almost entirely shore-based, moving from HMS Victory in Portsmouth to HMS Pembroke in Chatham and HMS Attentive in Dover. On 26th November 1916, he was serving in Chatham. A local newspaper picks up on what happened to him next:

Joseph Craven… belonging to Portsmouth, met his death under shocking circumstances at Chatham Dockyard on Sunday. When walking by the side of his ship, which was in dry dock, he tripped over some hose and fell headlong into the dock, turning two or three somersaults in his descent, and falling upon his head at the bottom, 80ft [24.3m] below. He was killed instantly.

Kent Messenger and Gravesend Telegraph: 2nd December 1916

An inquest on the 46-year-old’s death was held, and a result of accidental death was returned.

Joseph Craven was laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, walking distance from the dockyard in which he lost his life.

Commonwealth War Graves, Greaser, Great War, history, illness, Ireland, Kent, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Stoker, story, Wales, war

Greaser Humphrey Donoghue

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Greaser Humphrey Donoghue

Humphrey Donoghue was born in Kerry, Southern Ireland, on 13th December 1859. He was the oldest of two siblings, boys to John and Mary Donoghue. John was a labourer who, by the time Humphrey’s younger brother was born, had moved the family to the village of Llantarnam in South Wales, presumably for work.

Humphrey seemed to be looking for adventure, and the trip across the Irish Sea may have been the spur for that. By the time of the 1891 census, he was recorded as being a Stoker on board HMS Tretis. This was a screw corvette ship which, on the day of the census, was plying the waters of the Pacific.

Sadly, full records of Humphrey’s life at sea are no longer available, so it’s not possible to track his progress over the following years. It would seem that he Stoker Donoghue persisted with his naval career, continuing through what would have been his initial twelve years’ service. Whether he had any breaks in that service is unknown, but he was certainly still serving – or had been called back into duty – by the time of the Great War. His gravestone confirms that was serving as a Greaser – maintaining the engines – on HMS Achtaeon.

The next available document for Humphrey is the record of his death. He passed away on 26th February 1917, at the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, Kent, having been admitted there with pneumonia. He was 57 years old.

Humphrey Donoghue was laid to rest in the Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, Kent, close to the Naval Dockyard where he may have been based.