BORN BELFAST 1899. SON OF GEORGE & LEAH CAMPBELL – 16 MOUNT COLLIER AVE, BELFAST. LOST AT SEA, ON 30/11/1915, AGED 16. HIS NAME IS LISTED IN THE HULL MERCHANT NAVY RECORDS.
SS Middleton, built by W. Gray & Co. Ltd., West Hartlepool in 1895 and owned at the time of her loss by Alexander Shipping Co. Ltd. (Capper, Alexander & Co.), Hull, was a British steamer of 2506 tons. On November 30th, 1915, Middleton, on a voyage from Mudros to Alexandria with a cargo of sand bags, was sunk by the German submarine U-39 (Walter Forstmann), 75 miles SWxW of Gavdo Island. 4 persons were lost.
Jan Lettens 22/01/2011
At 8.20 a.m. on the 30th November, 1915, the s.s. Middleton was shelled by a submarine while endeavouring to escape, one man being killed and several dangerously wounded. The crew took to the boats. The submarine ignored the boats, and returned no answer to an appeal for bandages for the wounded. It was not until ten hours afterwards that the boats were picked up, and in the meantime two of the wounded men had died. Another man died on board the ship which picked them up. There were three other wounded men, who survived.
