Kingston upon Hull War Memorial 1914 - 1918
The story of Hull in World War 1
Over, 7,500 Hull men died in the First World War. Over 1,200 of these were sailors working with the fishing fleet, or serving with the Merchantile Marine, the Royal Navy and the Royal Navy Reserve. They carried out vital war work, bringing in supplies, transporting troops and minesweeping the seas
There were nearly another 1,500 men who were born in Hull, but who lived elsewhere. They died fighting for Australia, Canada, New Zealand and America. There are many others, who enlisted in Hull or who were associated with the City, but are not usually remembered on Hull war memorials. As Hull had four large hospitals and was the port of entry for repatriated prisoner of wars, servicemen from all over the world are buried in Hull. The Kingston Upon Hull Memorial aims to remember all those with a Hull connection who died in the First World War.
There are over a hundred families on the Hull Memorial that lost two or more of their family. Sometimes fathers, sons and brothers were lost on the same day. Some families lost three sons, other Hull families lost four sons, including all their children in the First World War. At least one in six Hull families lost a direct relative. Many others would lose close friends, work colleagues or others known to them. Each death was irreplaceable and an individual tragedy for someone.
Unfortunately, not all deaths were recorded in official casualty figures, particularly if soldiers died of sickness, accidents or were discharged home with wounds, of illness. By 1924 the Ministry of Pensions reported that there were 20,000 war wounded living in Hull. Although they survived the war, they are rarely recorded on war memorials. What follows here are snippets of some of those people who died, whose deaths were reported in the local newspapers.
OPPY WOOD, 3rd May 1917 – The Hull Pals Attack After the fall of Vimy Ridge, the Germans withdrew to the high ground of Oppy Wood, North East of Arras, The Capture of Oppy Wood was an engagement between May and June 1917. The Germans were in possession of a fortified wood, to the west of the village of … Read more
World War 1, lasted four years, three months and one week (1,564 days). About about 10 million military personnel and about 7 million civilians died in World War 1, with some 23 million wounded – an estimated casualty total of 40 million people. As calculating casualties is often complex and controversial, others estimate that the … Read more
‘SOUTHWARD HO’ was a 169 GRT steam trawler completed in 1899 by Doig & Broadley for S. T. While & Co. Ltd. and registered at Hull as H.456. She was reported missing on 27 May 1915 and is believed to have been lost approximately 88 nautical miles East by North of Spurn Head as a result … Read more
HMT ‘EMLEY 123’ sunk in the Firth of Forth, on 28th April 1918, with the loss of 8 crew. COLLEY, ROBERT , Trimmer (no. 7801TS), H.M. Trawler Emley, †28/04/1918, Memorial:Chatham Naval Memorial FITZPATRICK, GEORGE WILLIAM , Deck Hand (no. 9198DA), H.M. Trawler Emley, †28/04/1918, Memorial: Portsmouth Naval Memorial MACDONALD, JOHN (20), Leading Deck Hand (no. 14142DA), H.M. Trawler Emley, †28/04/1918, … Read more
HMT ‘COMMANDER FULLERTON’, was a destroyer, lost on 12th December 1917, trying to protect a convoy in the North Sea. She was sunk by SMS EMDEN and destroyers of the German Third Half-Flotilla on 12th December 1917. 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 … Read more
On the 15th June 1915, the Hull vessel, was torpedoed by the submarine UC-11, off the Harwich coast. All seven Hull fishermen were lost: * ALDAN Albert (46), 4 St Andrews Street, Hull. Chief Engineer * BOWLES Fred (35), 6 Rugby Terace, Rugby Street, Hull. Deckhand * COWLAM Jack (29), 3 Willows Grove, Somerset Street, Hull. Fireman * SOARDES … Read more
CREW LOST ON ‘CELIA (H989)’, in the North Sea, 8th January, 1915. Never seen again. HALDENBY, Thomas (43), 7 Claremont-Villas, Liverpool Street, Hull. Cook KINGDOM, Thomas (23) , 2 Clumber-Ave, Flinton Street, Hull. Deckhand LAVERACK, Daniel (18), 9 Florence-Terrace, Wassand Street, Hull. Fireman LONGTHORNE, Wilfred (27), 8 St. George-Avenue, Selby Street, Hull. Skipper MITCHELL, Alfred (20), Florence-Avenue, Westbourne Street, … Read more
CREW LOST ON ‘SEBASTIAN’, lost in the North Sea, 22nd May, 1915. Lost with all hands. AGNES, W. A (26), 12 Arthurs-Terrace, Walcott Street, Hull. Trimmer COWLING, Frederick (23), 13 Seaton-ter, Walcott st, Hull. 2nd/Engineer ELLIS, Herbert (26), 12 Fern-Grove, Eastbourne st, Hull. Cook FLEY, Albert (28), 11 Welton-ter, Wassand Street, Hull. Bosun GILLARD, Arthur (16), 34 Edinburgh … Read more
