Tag Archives: Stoker

Commonwealth War Graves, County Durham, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Stoker, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Leading Stoker Andrew Blakey

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Leading Stoker Andrew Blakey

Andrew Dryden Blakey was born on 14th October 1873 in Jarrow, County Durham. One of twelve children, his parents were John and Jane Blakey. John was a joiner by trade, and the family were brought up at 71 Hedley Street, South Shields.

When he completed his schooling, Andrew was set on broadening his horizons. On 21st January 1899 he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker. Full details of his time in the navy have been lost to time, but by the time he reached the end of his contract, he had spent thirteen years at sea, and had risen to the rank of Leading Stoker.

On 4th February 1902, Andrew married Eleanor Slater, a labourer’s daughter from South Shields. The have five children, and, while her husband was at sea, she would take rooms with her uncle.

Leading Stoker Blakey was stood down to reserve status on 30th July 1913. His service records at that point show that he was 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, with blue eyes and a fair complexion. He was also noted as having a number of tattoos: clasped hands and a star on his right forearm, and his initials on the left.

When war broke out, Leading Stoker Blakey was called into action once more. After an initial assignment on board the battleship HMS Duncan, his time was split between HMS Pembroke and HMS Wildfire, the Kent shore bases at Chatham and Sheerness respectively.

Andrew’s health was becoming impacted by this point, however, and, in the spring of 1917, he was admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham with carcinoma of the colon. The condition would ultimately take his life: he died on 4th May 1917, at the age of 43 years old.

The body of Andrew Dryden Blakey was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, not far from the Chatham Dockyard, he had for so long called home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Pembrokeshire, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, Wales, war

Stoker 1st Class Edwin John

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Stoker 1st Class Edwin John

Edwin John was born in St David’s, Pembrokeshire, on 18th February 1898. The youngest of nine children, he was the son of farmer Henry John and his wife, Caroline. Edwin’s mum died when he was just five years old, and Henry was left to raise the family alone.

When he finished his schooling, Edwin found work on the farm. When war broke out, however, he was called upon to play his part and, on 19th July 1916, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service papers show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with dark hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion.

Stoker 2nd Class John was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon, for his training. He remained there for three months, before being given his first assignment, the light cruiser HMS Liverpool. She spent the second half of the conflict patrolling the Mediterranean, and this is where Edwin would serve his time.

Edwin’s time in the navy was uneventful. He was promoted to Stoker 1st Class in March 1917, and, while he was consistently noted as being of very good character, his ability was recorded as being satisfactory.

On 28th April 1918, Stoker 1st Class John returned to shore to be demobbed. Given the war had another seven months to run, it is unclear why he was stood down, although it may have been on medical grounds. At this point his trail goes cold, but it is likely that he returned home.

Edwin’s health was certainly suffering by this point, and, on 7th March 1919 he passed away from bronchitis. He was just 21 years of age.

Edwin John’s body was laid to rest in St David’s Parish Cemetery, Pembrokeshire, not far from where his father and siblings still lived.

Chief Stoker, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Stoker, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Chief Stoker Walter Pankhurst

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Chief Stoker Walter Pankhurst

Walter William Pankhurst was born on 21st March 1867, and was the third of four children – and the only son – to Thomas and Harriet Pankhurst. Thomas was a farm labourer from Staplehurst, Kent, but he and Harriet raised their family in Murston, to the east of Sittingbourne.

Walter initially followed his father into farm work, but he sought a bigger and better life and, on 3rd December 1888, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records show that, at 21 years of age, he was 5ft 7ins (1.7m) tall, with dark hair, hazel eyes and a ruddy complexion.

Given the rank of Stoker 2nd Class, Walter was sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. In the summer of 1889 he was given his first posting, on board the gunboat HMS Pigmy, and she would remain his home for the next three-and-a-half years.

When he joined up, Walter had committed to twelve years’ service, and this time was not wasted. By the time his contracted came up for renewal, he had served on three further ships, returning to Chatham in between voyages. He had also progressed through the tanks, to Stoker 1st Class in January 1890, Leading Stoker 2nd Class in March 1897 and, with the renewal of his service, to Leading Stoker 1st Class in February 1901.

On 15th June 1904, Walter married Ellen Goddard. A gardener’s daughter from Eastling, Kent, by the time of their wedding, she was working as a domestic servant for a chemist in Hampstead, Middlesex. The couple exchanged their vows in St Stephen the Martyr’s Church, Hampstead, Ellen’s sister Susan acting as one of the witnesses.

Back in the Navy, Walter’s career continued its progression. Regularly noted as being of very good character, within three months of his wedding he was promoted to Acting Chief Stoker. By October 1905 the role was formalised, and he would end his naval career in December 1910 as Chief Stoker.

Stood down to reserve status, Walter made the move to civilian life. The 1911 census found him and Ellen living at 95 Glencoe Road, Chatham, a small terraced house with just four rooms. The couple had had three children by this point, and Susan was also living with them. A naval pensioner, Walter was still employed by the navy, and was working as a bootmaker’s labourer in the dockyard.

When war was declared in the summer of 1914, Chief Stoker Pankhurst was called into service once more. For the next couple of years he would be based at HMS Pembroke, either working in the dockyard’s boiler rooms or training new recruits.

In the spring of 1917, Walter was taken ill. He was suffering from haematemesis, and the condition was to prove his undoing. He passed away on 22nd May 1917, at the age of 50 years old.

The body of Walter William Pankhurst was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, a few miles from where Ellen was now living on Luton Road, Chatham.

By the time Walter passed, he and Ellen had had four children. His widow never remarried, but when she died, on 7th April 1961, she was buried alongside her husband. She was 90 years of age.

The couple’s eldest daughter, Nancy, remained a spinster throughout her life, initially supporting her mother after Walter died. Nancy was buried with her parents, when she died in 1995: she was also 90 years old.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, Kent, London, Merchant Navy, photography, Stoker, story, war

Stoker John Webb

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Stoker John Webb

John Robert Webb was born at the start of 1894, and was the youngest of eight children to William and Catherine Webb . William’s work as a wharf labourer found the family in Wapping, East London, and this is where John was born.

According to the 1901 census, the Webbs were living in rooms at 1 Meeting House Alley, close to the docks. William, Catherine and John were still living there in the next census, taken in 1911. By this point, John was 17 years of age, and employed as an office youth.

Over the next few years, John’s trail goes cold. By the time war broke out, he had changed careers, and was working as a Stoker for the Mercantile Marine Service. The boat he was assigned to – a tug named Labour – was based out of Chatham in Kent.

Sadly, there is only one more document connected to Stoker Webb, and that relates to his passing. His pension record confirms that he died on 18th December 1917 from an illness. While the location of his passing is unclear, it is likely to have been either at the Royal Naval Hospital in Chatham, or the town’s dockyard. He was 23 years of age.

The body of John Robert Webb was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Frederick Webber

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Stoker 1st Class Frederick Webber

Frederick Webber, of Westexe-south, Tiverton, stoker in the Royal Navy, has died at the age of 40. He had been in the Navy 15 years, and was on board HMS Dartmouth when she was torpedoed, and on HMS Sylvia when she sank a submarine. While home on leave in November he was taken ill. He partially recovered, but had a relapse and died on December 28th.

[Tiverton Gazette (Mid-Devon Gazette): Tuesday 1st January 1918]

The early life of Frederick Webber is a challenge to piece together, as his is not an uncommon name for the area and period.

His widow is recorded as Elizabeth Webber, and marriage record from August 1907 suggests his father’s name was also Frederick. Stoker Webber’s entry on the military pension ledger confirms two children – Frederick and Frank.

When he enlisted on 10th February 1903, he gave his date of birth as 26th December 1880 and his place of birth as Exeter, Devon.

This combination of details doesn’t give any definite results from the 1891 or 1901 census, so it’s not possible to confirm the early stages of his life.

Based on Frederick’s naval records, he was working as an engine driver when he joined up. He was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with dark brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having a tattoo on his right forearm

Stoker 2nd Class Webber was sent to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport. Enlisting for an initial period of 12 years, he would spend that time serving on a total of ten ships, returning to his Devon base in between voyages.

Frederick’s career seems to be one of doing just enough to satisfy his superiors. His annual reports noted his character and ability as being good or satisfactory, and he spent three periods of time in the brig – for three days in 1904, 14 days in 1906 and five days in 1910.

Frederick’s was promoted to Stoker 1st Class in July 1906 and, unusually, he remained at that rank for the rest of his career. It may be that promotion didn’t come his way, or simply didn’t appeal to him, and he was happy doing what he was doing.

Stoker Webber came down with bronchitis while he was on leave in November 1917. Based on his service records, he had just turned 47 years of age when he passed.

Frederick Webber was laid to rest in Tiverton Cemetery, not far from his grieving family’s home.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, Leading Stoker, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Leading Stoker Charles Ching

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Leading Stoker Charles Ching

Charles Ching was born in Torquay, Devon, on 22nd March 1885. The oldest of three children, his parent were Joseph and Sarah Ching. Joseph died by the time Charles was just four years old. The 1891 census found Sarah living with their three sons – plus her other son from a previous marriage – on Pannier Street in Paignton. There is no evidence of work for any of the family, but it is likely that Charles’ half-brother, George, would have been bringing some money in, as he was 14.

Moving forward ten years, and Sarah was employed as a charwoman. Her three boys with Joseph were still at home, and Charles and his younger brother Henry were both working as errand boys.

Charles had his sights on bigger and better things, however, and on 21st March 1903, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records show that he had given up a job as a gardener, and he would continue with manual labour, taking on the rank of Stoker 2nd Class. The document also confirms that he was 5ft 8ins (1.73m) tall, with brown hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion.

Throughout his naval career, Stoker Ching would be based out of HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport. Over the twelve years of his service, he was assigned to six ships, and rose through the ranks. In June 1904, he was given the rank of Stoker, and two years later was promoted to Stoker 1st Class.

On 1st July 1907, Charles was given a posting on board the cruiser HMS Forth. She would remain his home for five-and-a-half years, during which time, a number of things changed. A previously unblemished record was tainted by seven days in cells in November that year, although his misdemeanour is not noted.

In December 1908, Charles married Florence Tucker. The daughter of a carter from Totnes, her mother’s maiden name was Ching, although whether there was any connection to Charles’ late father is unknown.

On 1st September 1911, Charles was promoted again, taking on the rank of Leading Stoker. When his initial term of service came to an end in March 1915, war was raging around the world. He re-enlisted, and his records not that he had grown an inch (2.5cm) over the previous decade, but had also gained a number of tattoos. These included a woman’s head, a rose pierced by a sword and a Japanese woman on his right arm; there was also a peacock, clasped hand, heart and butterfly on his left.

Leading Stoker Ching’s health was beginning to suffer at this point, and by September 1915, he had returned to his short base, HMS Vivid. Suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, he was invalided out the Royal Navy just a month later.

At this point, Charles’ trail goes cold. He seems to have settled in Totnes with Florence, her father having passed away there in 1915. His health was to get the better of him, however. He passed away on 9th January 1917 at the age of 31 years old.

Charles Ching was taken to Paignton for burial. He was laid to rest in the town’s cemetery.

Florence remained in Totnes after her husband’s passing. Her life there would not be a lengthy one: she passed away in March 1919, aged 29.

Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, London, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Naval Reserve, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Joseph Hawke

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Stoker 1st Class Joseph Hawke

Joseph Hawke was born in Paignton, Devon, on 8th January 1887. Details of his early life are lost to time, although the 1891 census suggests that he was one of five children to Maria Hawke, who had been widowed by that point. The family had taken rooms at 104 Pembroke Street in Devonport.

When he finished his schooling, Joseph initially found work as a packer. However, possibly driven by his proximity to the Devon dockyards, he soon stepped up to take a job in the Royal Navy. Joining the training cruiser HMS Northampton, he was given the rank of Boy 2nd Class, as he was under the age to enlist.

Over the next few years, Joseph proved his mettle. In May 1904 he was promoted to Boy 1st Class and, when he came of age on 8th January 1895, he was formally inducted into the Royal Navy, taking the rank of Ordinary Seaman. His service papers show that he was 5ft 3ins (1.6m) tall, with fair hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. It was also noted that he a mole on his right shoulder and abdomen, a scar on his chin, and tattoo marks on the back of his left hand and on his right forearm.

Ordinary Seaman Hawke would serve on three ships in total. On 26th February 1906 he became a Stoker 2nd Class, a role change that might be seen as a semotion, although his records suggest he was of very good character. By November 1906 Joseph had become Stoker 1st Class, but within twelve months, he gave up his life at see, buying himself out of the Royal Navy.

This change of heart may have been driven by love as, on Christmas Day 1908, he married Ellen Saunders, in Tower Hamlets, London. Their wedding certificate gives Joseph’s father’s name as cabinet maker George Hawke, but doesn’t suggest that he is deceased.

The document also gives Joseph’s job as a stoker, later confirmation suggesting that he was employed by the electrical works in Paignton, Devon. Joseph and Ellen would go on to have five children – Marie, Joseph, Albert, Harry and Ellen – between 1909 and 1917.

When war broke out, Joseph was called upon to play his part once more and, as part of the Royal Naval Reserve, he was assigned to HMS Gibraltar in November 1914. Over the next four years, he would serve as a Stoker 1st Class on four more ships, each time returning to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, in between voyages.

By the spring of 1918, Joseph’s health was struggling. He was medically dismissed from active service on 22nd May, and returned home to Paignton. His condition was to worsen, however, and on 17th October 1918 he passed away froma combination of dysentery and influenza. He was 31 year of age.

Joseph Hawke was laid to rest in Paignton’s sweeping cemetery, not far from his family home in Laura Terrace.

Chief Stoker, Commonwealth War Graves, Essex, Great War, history, illness, Kent, Leading Stoker, Malta, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Chief Stoker William Beadle

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Chief Stoker William Beadle

William Henry Beadle was born in Heybridge, Essex, on 23rd April 1870. The youngest of three children his parents were William and Sophia Beadle. William Sr was a waterman-turned-labourer, and the young family lived with Sophia’s parents.

When Sophia died in 1875, her widow and their children remained with his in-laws. William Sr died in 1887, and by the time of the 1891 census, his son was living with his now widowed grandmother. The document notes that she was a pauper, but he was a moulder in the local iron works.

William sought bigger and better things and, on 13th August 1891, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service records show that, as 21 years of age, he was 5ft 8ins (1.72m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Beadle was initially sent to HMS Pembroke, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for his training. He would spend the next six months split between there and HMS Wildfire, a shore establishment downriver at Sheerness.

In 1892, William spent six months on board the troop ship HMS Tyne. He returned to Chatham in July of that year, and was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. Over the course of the next eleven years, he would go on to serve on four ships, each time returning to his base port, HMS Pembroke.

William’s service record is pretty much mark free. He was confined to cells for seven days in October 1895, although his offence s unclear. In April 1896 he was promoted to Leading Stoker 2nd Class, and made Leading Stoker 1st Class three years later. In December 1902, while on board the cruiser HMS Diana, William was promoted again, to Acting Chief Stoker, and the following August, his initial contract of service came to an end.

By this point William was a married man. He married Clara Walford in Rochford, Essex, and, while the couple did not go on to have children, there is little additional information about her.

William re-enlisted as soon as his initial twelve-year contract came to an end. In December 1903 he was promoted to Chief Stoker, and he remained at this rank until he war formally retired on 16th August 1913. He had spent more than two decades in the Royal Navy ,and travelled the world: the 1911 census recorded him as one of the crew of HMS Lancaster, moored in Malta.

Chief Stoker Beadle’s time away from the Royal Navy was not to be lengthy and, when war broke out less than a year later, he was called upon once more. He spent nine months back at HMS Pembroke, before being assigned to the new cruiser HMS Calliope. She would be William’s home for the nearly three years, and it was not until March 1918 that he came back to shore.

William’s return to Chatham seemed to coincide with a downturn in his health. He was admitted to the town’s Royal Naval Hospital with nephritis, and this is what would take his life. He died on 8th March 1918: he was 47 years of age.

William Henry Beadle was laid to rest in the military section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the naval base he had called home for so long.

Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, illness, photography, Royal Navy, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 2nd Class Herbert Andrews

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Stoker 2nd Class Herbert Andrews

Herbert Andrews was born on 9th December 1890 in the Devon village of Buckfastleigh. One of nine children, his parents were William and Elizabeth Andrews. William worked at a local woollen factory, and the family initially lived on Silver Street in the village before moving to Market Street by the turn of the century.

Herbert does not appear on the 1911 census, and at this point William and Elizabeth, both in their 60s, were living on their own. Interestingly, the census inadvertently reveals neither may have been able to write: the return was completed by James Dyer, who lived at 5 Plymouth Road in the village.

The next document available for Herbert relates to his military service. When war broke out, he seems to have quickly stepped up to play his part, giving up his job as a gardener to enlist in the Royal Navy on 7th January 1915. His records confirm that he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall, with black hair, hazel eyes and a fresh complexion. He was also noted as having an operation scar for appendicitis.

Stoker 2nd Class Andrews was initially sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, for training. This did not seem to go smoothly, and on 9th May he was detained for 21 days for disobeying orders and being insolent.

On 6th June, Herbert was assigned to the battleship HMS Marlborough. Again, however, this posting did not last for long, and mental health issues may have come to the surface. By 1st July 1915, Stoker Andrews was back ashore in the Royal Naval Hospital in Plymouth, Devon. Within a matter of weeks, he was medically discharged from the navy, and was “discharged to Exminster Asylum on 1.9.15 as a dangerous lunatic.”

At this point, Herbert’s trail goes cold. He passed away on 21st August 1916, at the age of 25 years old. It seems likely that he was still admitted to the mental institution when he died, as his death was registered in Exeter.

Herbert Andrew’s body was taken back to Buckfastleigh for burial. He was laid to rest in the graveyard of the town’s Holy Trinity Churchyard, alongside his brother, Henry, who had died fifteen years before.

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

Stoker 1st Class Joseph Ward

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Stoker 1st Class Joseph Ward

Joseph Ward was born in Wednesbury, Staffordshire, on 13th January 1890. The four of five children – all boys – his parents were William and Caroline. William was a coal miner-turned-weighman, but Joseph found work as a riveter when he completed his schooling.

It seems that Joseph sought any employment to avoid going down the mines, and, on 26th August 1910, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records show that he was 5ft 3ins (1,6m) tall, with brown hair, grey eyes and a sallow complexion. He was also noted as having a dot or mole on the back of this left forearm and another on the back of his left hand.

Joseph was given the rank of Stoker 2nd Class, and was sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport, Devon, for training. This would be his base of operations, and he would return there a number of times in the coming years.

On 4th January 1911, Stoker Ward was given his first posting, on board the armoured cruiser HMS Cumberland. he remained on board for more than two-and-a-half years, and gained a promotion to Stoker 1st Class during this time.

In October 1913, Joseph returned to Devonport, remaining on shore for more than three months. His service record notes he was confined to the Dockyard Sick Quarters for three days, although the cause is not given. In January 1914, he returned to sea again, on board another cruiser, HMS Highflyer. This would prove another lengthy assignment, and Stoker Ward would not return to HMS Vivid for more than three years.

During his short spell ashore, Joseph returned to Staffordshire. He married Lily Wright, a tailoress from Wednesbury. Their honeymoon was brief, however, and he was given a new assignment.

Stoker Ward was attached to HMS Valkyrie, a newly commissioned destroyer attached to the Harwich Force. On 22nd December 1917, she was escorting a convoy to the Netherlands when she struck a mine. Twelve of the crew – including Joseph – were killed, while a further seven subsequently succumbed to their injuries. The Valkyrie was towed to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, for repairs.

Joseph Ward was 27 years of age when he was killed. He was laid to rest in the naval section of Woodlands Cemetery in Gillingham, not far from the Kent naval base.

Tragically, Lily was pregnant when her husband was killed. On 25th February 1918, she gave birth to their child, Flora, the daughter Joseph would never know.