BORN HULL 08/08/1873. SON OF JESSIE THOMAS & JOSEPH ATKINSON, AT 2 LUKE’S TERRACE, ST LUKE’S STREET, HULL (CWGC ADDRESS). SON OF A MERCHANT SEAMAN. EDUCATED AT ST PAUL STREET SCHOOL, HULL. WORKED ON THE WEEKLY BOATS AND WAS DELEGATE FOR THE SAILORS AND FIREMAN UNION. HE MARRIED LUCY ANN SCARBOROUGH, IN HULL ON 15/01/1900. THEY LIVED WITH THEIR SEVEN CHILDREN, (SIX DAUGHTERS) AT 7 KINGSTON GARDENS, KINGSTON STREET, HULL. HIS BROTHER JOHN ATKINSON, LIVED AT 112 WATERLOO STREET. HE WAS MOBILISED INTO THE ROYAL NAVAL RESERVE, ON 02/08/1914. SERVED AS ABLE SEAMAN, ON THE CRUISER HMS ‘HOGUE’,. TORPEDOED ON 22/09/1914. HE DROWNED. AGED 41. HAD HE LIVED UNTIL 1915, HE WOULD HAVE RECEIVED A MEDAL FOR 15 YEARS SERVICE IN THE ROYAL NAVAL RESERVE.
HIS FAMILY RECEIVED A LETTER FROM WINSTON CHURCHILL ON HIS DEATH. HE IS COMMEMORATED ON THE CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL. PHOTOGRAPHED IN THE HULL TIMES. AND RECORDED IN THE DE RUVIGNY ROLL OF HONOUR, VOLUME 1, WITH HIS PHOTOGRAPH. *
British cruiser from WWI, torpedoed by U-9. The U-9 was responsible for the killing of 1459 man in one single day, sending Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue or a total of 36.000 tons to the bottom. See documents for more info.
Jan Lettens 06/06/2009 Some sources say U-9 surrendered at the end of WWI and was broken up in 1919, others say she was scuttled. On September 22nd 1914, U-9 (Ltn. Otto Weddigen) became world famous when she sank three 12.000 ton British cruisers in less than one hour: Aboukir HMS, Cressy HMS and Hogue HMS, with the loss of almost 1400 men. Read more at wrecksite: https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?56
