BORN HULL 1877. A FISHERMAN BEFORE THE WAR. MARRIED AT HULL IN 1896. HUSBAND OF EDITH SIPLING (1877-1913), OF 26 WITTY STREET, HULL (1911 CENSUS). SKIPPER OF THE TRAWLER “COMMANDER FULLERTON” LOST AT SEA ON 12/12/1917, AGED 40. HE LEFT £103 IN HIS WILL TO HIS DAUGHTER, TERCEIRA EMMA MARIE WHELAN. (CWGC RECORDS RECORD HIS SURNAME AS “WHELAN”, CENSUS RECORDS AS “WHELAN”.
The COMMANDER FULLERTON (Admiralty No: FY 3063) was sunk by SMS EMDEN and destroyers of the German Third Half-Flotilla on 12th December 1917. ICW Destroyers PELLEW and PARTRIDGE together with trawlers COMMANDER FULLERTON, LIVINGSTONE, LORD ALVERSTONE and TOKIO were escorting a Scandinavian convoy when attacked by the Germans. The Skipper, John William Whelan was killed and all the ships in the convoy were sunk, as were all the escorts with the exception of PELLEW, which was damaged.
Casualties of H.M. Trawler COMMANDER FULLERTON. Killed in action protecting convoy in North Sea 12th December 1917.
LONG, Trimmer, John William, 7153TS, Royal Naval Reserve.
WHELEN, Skipper, John William, Royal Naval Reserve. Age 40. Native of Hull.
On 12th December 1917, an entire convoy, consisting of 6 merchants ships (BOLLSTA, BOTHNIA, CORDOVA, TORLEIF, KONG MAGNUS, MARACAIBO), the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Partridge and 4 escorting trawlers (HMT TOKIO, COMMANDER FULLERTON, LIVINGSTONE, LORD ALVERSTONE) was sunk by the German destroyers V-100, G-101, G-103 and G-104, 37 miles from Marsteinen Fyr. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?155608
