BORN SPEETON, BRIDLINGTON, 15/3/1895. SON OF GEORGE & ELLEN FORD, OF 50, KINGS BENCH STREET, HULL, NORTH FERRIBY, YORKSHIRE, AND 2, LABURNUM AVENUE, GARDEN VILLAGE, HULL (WAR PENSION ADDRESS). HIS FATHER WAS THE NORTH FERRIBY STATION MASTER. SERVED AS AN ABLE SEAMAN ON THE ‘CAMBRIC’. LOST AT SEA ON 31/10/1917, AGED 22. WILLIAM LEFT BROTHERS & SISTERS AND HIS DEATH WAS REPORTED IN THE HULL DAILY MAIL. LISTED ON THE TRINITY HOUSE ROH.
William was a Gunner on board the British steamship Cambric SS, which was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-35 when 14 miles W. of Cape Shershel, Algeria, on October 31st, 1917 when on route from Tunis for England, with a cargo of iron ore. The captain and 23 of the crew were killed. Four men were taken prisoner by the submarine. The SS Cambric was a Defensively Equipped Merchant Ship (DEMS). The captain of U-35 was Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière, who is famous for scrupulous adherence to prize rules, allowing crews of enemy merchant ships to board their lifeboats and giving them directions to the nearest port before sinking their ships. Under his command, U-35 claimed to have sunk 195 ships, making him the most successful submarine commander in history. On 18 November 1915, Kptlt. de la Perière took command of U-35. He led 15 missions, primarily in the Mediterranean, and sank 189 merchant ships for a total of 446,708 GRT. Additionally, U-35 sank the British gunboat HMS Primula on 29 February 1916 and the French gunboat Rigel on 2 October 1916. On 26 February 1916, she successfully torpedoed and sank the Armed merchant cruiser SS La Provence, carring 1,800 French troops, near Cerigo Island with a loss of 990 men. U-35’s fourteenth patrol (26 July to 20 August 1916) under de la Perière stands as the most successful submarine patrol of all time. During that period, 54 merchant ships totaling 90,350 GRT were sunk. She also sank on 4 October 1916, the French transport ship SS Gallia, leading to the death of between 600 and 1,800 men.
The British steamship Cambric SS was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-35 when 14 miles W. of Cape Shershel, Algeria, on October 31st, 1917 when on route from Tunis for England, with a cargo of iron ore. The captain and 23 of the crew were killed. Four men were taken prisoner by the submarine.
PEOPLE ON BOARD SS CAMBRIC
ABDUL MUHAMMAD , Fireman, S.S. CAMBRIC, Indian Merchant Service, †31/10/1917, Memorial: Bombay 1914-1918 Memorial, Mumbai
ANDERSON, ALFRED ERNEST (19), Mess Room Steward, S.S. Cambric, Mercantile Marine, †31/10/1917, Son of Alfred and Elizabeth Anderson, (nee Beall), of 113, West Parade, Hull, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial
ANGELO, NICOLAS (38), Fireman, S.S. Cambric, Mercantile Marine, †31/10/1917, Born in Greece, Memorial: Tower Hill Memorial
BARTON, EDWARD , Seaman (no. 2135A), S.S. Cambric, Royal Naval Reserve, †31/10/1917, Son of Fredrick and Alice Barton, of Folkestone; husband of Emily H. Barton, of 114, Guildhall St., Folkestone, Memorial: Chatham Naval Memorial
BITROS, COSTAS (27), Sailor, S.S. Cambric, Mercantile Marine, †3
Ford, William Albert
First name:
WILLIAM ALBERT
Regiment:
Military Number:
5874
Rank:
Able Seaman
Date Died
31/10/1917
Place died:
Sea
Age:
22
