ARTHUR SHEARD

and

JOHN WILLIAM DENNY

The Group was recently in receipt of a grant from the Goole Community Wind Farm Fund which has allowed for two sets of First World War memorabilia to be framed.

Arthur Sheard was an Able Seaman aboard HMS Indefatigable when she was lost during the Battle of Jutland on 31st May 1916. Arthur was born 17th December 1893 in Reedness, eventually working as a keelman and living at an address in Roma Terrace, off Hodgson Street, Hull. Following his enlistment, on an unknown date, to the 5th Battalion King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry he was transferred to the Royal Naval Division on 17th August 1915, being posted to the training school at HMS Victory. On 23rd November he was posted to the battlecruiser HMS Invincible, from where just over two weeks later on 8th December he left to join the Indefatigable, being aboard officially from the following day. Both ships, along with sister ship Queen Mary were all lost during the Battle of Jutland.

Arthur married Adelaide Smith on 24th March 1913, eventually having two children – Arthur b.February 1914 and Edna b.May 1915. Following his death the Memorial Scroll and accompanying letter were sent to Adelaide. The Memorial Scroll, letter and photograph were donated to the Group from the estate of the late Carole Howard who was herself a family and local historian.

For reasons that are unknown today, Arthur is not named on any of the local  War Memorials.

The second set is comprised of a photograph of Private John William Denny, being with his wife Dora and their children, Edna and John and the British War and Victory Medals awarded to him for his service during the ‘Great War’.

No service record survives to detail John' enlistment but his BW&V Medal Roll page does show that he was in France with the KOYLI from 9th January 1917, as No.202942 before being transferred to 14th Entrenching Battalion on 16th February 1918. Ten weeks later on 5th May he is assigned to 13th Bn Rifle Brigade, as No.318430, with which he remains until 11th November 1918, then being posted to the 5th Bn London Regiment.

John was wounded on two unknown occasions as denoted by the wound strips on the left sleeve of his tunic. His name was included within the ‘Daily List’ for wounded on 25th August 1917, no other details known.

Within an article that celebrates his golden wedding anniversary to Dora, John is stated to have served in France with the KOYLI for three years, where he was wounded and gassed.

John later served with the Home Guard during the Second World War.

The medals were acquired by the Group via an online auction. Interestingly, instead of having the last unit of which he was assigned to inscribed on them, they are in fact inscribed as 202942 JW Denny KOYLI, which is how they are identified on the brass plaque below them.

The Group would like to thank Bill Reynolds, late of Gallery Framing Goole for his work on these and other items within our collection. They can all be seen at the forthcoming Goole History Exhibition at Junction, where the Group will be joined by Boothferry Family and Local History Group, Yorkshire Waterways Heritage Society and the militaria collection of Mike Howard between 18th-29th August 10am-2pm each day.

THE FIRST WORLD WAR SERVICE RECORDS OF GOOLE AND DISTRICT MEN AND WOMEN

Last weekend the Find My Past web site had a 'free access' policy allowing people to access a large number of records for no charge.

Given that this site has many records not available on Ancestry, Chris took the opportunity to take a look for any records regarding Goole men which the Group didn't already have, mainly concentrating on the 452 men named upon the Cenotaph. Detailed below is a summary of all of the records found to date.

As a result of research that started 9-and a half years ago, the Group now have 100 service records relating to some of those men named; this breaks down as 81 Army (including those men who served with Australian, New Zealand and Canadian Forces) and the Royal Flying Corps/Royal Air Force; and 18 who served with the Royal Navy, Royal Marine and Royal Naval Division - in addition to this number is the record of William Henry Dean, who had served briefly with the Royal Engineers but being deemed 'unlikely to make an efficient soldier' he was discharged, going back to sea, and eventually to HM Drifter 'Spotless Prince' upon which he lost his life on 26th October 1916. Two of the records relate the 'other ranks' service of two men who were later Commissioned (for some reason these pages were not included within their 'new' record when they completed Officer Training).

All of the above records, except seven of them, are also accompanied by the relevant Medal Roll pages detailing the medals awarded to each man for his service. The seven who are not named within the medal rolls didn't serve abroad during their time of service - three had already been discharged, with two of them, Charles Richard Marshall and George Dennison dying on dates that have yet to be ascertained.

Even without a service record, details are contained within the medal rolls of men who arrived in France, Egypt (some being bound for Gallipoli), or the Balkans throughout the latter part of 1914 and all of 1915. Further details are recorded for those men who had served with other units prior to the one with which they were serving when they lost their lives.

With regards to those who served with the Army (and RFC/RAF) records that give the amount of pension paid to next-of-kin are found within the 'Register of Soldier's Effects'. The weekly amount paid was based on rank, marriage and any children. All of these records also bear another amount paid in 1919 - a 'War Gratuity' payment, this being a 'one-off' payment again based on the criteria above. Most of the men for whom service records and medal rolls have been found also have these pages accompanying them - though three would appear to have either been lost or misidentified.

An opportunity to further research men named on the Cenotaph but about which no information regarding any service during the First World War had so far been located was also taken; this has led to one very intriguing story.

Within the Goole Times' 1916 Almanac is the following entry, 'Stephen Jos. Kelly, Swinefleet, seaman in the Royal Navy'. Within the 1917 'Roll of Honour' booklet is this, 'S.J. Kelly, Swinefleet, Seaman, RN.; died from pneumonia'; and within a list of fallen men from Goole, nearly all of whom being named on the Cenotaph, that was printed in the Goole Times on 28th November 1919 is this entry, 'Stephen Joseph Kelly (HMS Pembroke)'.

Among the records for Goole who men who served with the Royal Navy is a record for one Stephen Kelly, which shows that he was born in Goole on 15th January 1894. On 10th March 1914 he enlists in the Royal Navy, stating that he wants to serve for 12 years, assigned to HMS Pembroke as a Stoker Class II. On 17th April 1914 it is recorded under 'If discharged, whither and for what cause' as 'DD' - 'Discharged Death'. Stephen had been admitted to Chatham Hospital with Broncho Pneumonia. Is this record related to the 'Kelly SJ' named on the towns' Cenotaph? Stephen's name is also included on a Chancel Screen within Swinefleet Chapel that lists Swinefleet men who had fallen during the Great War - though his name is not recorded on Swinefleet Memorial.

Unfortunately at the time of writing there are 16 men who are named upon the plaques on the Cenotaph which bear the names of the fallen from Goole about whom no information has been found. All of these men are named with the Goole Times edition of 28th November 1919 under the headings Royal Navy and RND; Army; and Mercantile Marine, but even with this information details as to their individual service and deaths remain elusive.

Similar endeavours to look for records regarding those men who had some association to Goole who also lost their lives but who aren't named on the Cenotaph is continuing. Why weren't they named on the Cenotaph? This was, and still is, solely down to the preference of the family concerned. This particular list currently contains 309 men, some of whom spent their whole lives within the town prior to serving (Fred and Arthur Moody, both Mercantile Mariners; Fred enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force, killed at Gallipoli; Arthur aboard s.s. Duckbridge, lost off north Scottish coast), while for others their only connection to Goole is that they formerly worked within the town (as did Clifford Riley, ex Master, Goole Secondary School, killed 1st July 1916) or that they enlisted within the town.

What of those men who survived their time within the Forces, either being placed on the 'Reserve' and liable for a return to service should the Armistice fail, or who were discharged owing to wounds. To date 399 records, from the barest detail (name listed within the London Gazette announcing the award of the Military Medal, for example) through to full service histories have been found. As with the service records detailed above, it is hoped within time to have each of these records interpreted so that other people can read the details of the men, and women, from Goole who served with distinction and courage during the 'Great War'.

It isn't just Goole though that the Goole First World War Research Group is looking at in terms of those men who enlisted. A great deal of work has been done by one of its members, Alan Dodsworth, in researching the men of the Marshland villages (Swinefleet, Reedness, Whitgift, Adlingfleet and Eastoft). Having a smaller number of men and records to deal with, Alan's work also includes more family background information (from the Census records), as well as the Wills filled in by the men, detailing to whom their belongings, and in some cases, to whom the pensions payable on behalf of their service should be paid to - more often than not named within the 'Register of Soldier's Effects'.

One final question - what remains to be found? The easy answer would be 'don't know'. There is no general index on what records survive, it is only when a search is conducted that records regarding the men of Goole and District come to light. Chris compares it to a jigsaw - "Imagine a jigsaw to which you have no picture to work with, you don't know how big it is and you don't know how many pieces there are when it's finished."

Goole and the first shots of War at Sea

The men of Goole whose calling was the sea bore a heavy burden throughout the years of 1914-18.

Not only did they have to brave the sea’s torment as a result of nature, they also had to overcome the very real threat of facing an enemy that was more deadly, and at times unseen.

 The submarine, used by Germany in an attempt to curb British shipping movements – both militarily and mercantile, was seen by some high-ranking officers of the Royal Navy as the use of underhand tactics; but the nature and conduct of warfare was changing and the seamen of Goole and other ports were going to be in the ‘front-line’.

Its effect on Goole was to be seen first-hand on a number of occasions, but the first was time was not just a local loss but a national one. On the morning of 22nd September, 1914, His Majesty’s Ships Cressy, Hogue and Aboukir, forming 7th Cruiser Squadron were in the North Sea, steaming at about 10 knots approximately 30 miles south-west of Ijmuiden, when at about 0630 Aboukir suffered an explosion to her starboard side. The first belief was that the ship had struck a mine and her Captain, J.D. Drummond, signalled her two consorts to come alongside to assist. Only one cutter was launched before power was lost, and despite counter-flooding to reduce the twenty-five degree list, Aboukir heeled over about 25 minutes after the explosion.

Due to the initial assumption as to the cause of her loss, both remaining ships steered close to the survivors to aid their efforts in taking them aboard. The Captain of HMS Hogue, W.S. Nicholson, though, was starting to believe that a submarine was in the area and ordered a sharp look-out to be kept for periscopes. Despite this, and after starting to manoeuvre away once her boats were lowered, Hogue was struck twice in quick succession by two torpedoes to her port side, and at the exact same time a U-boat was seen to surface off her port quarter. Fire was immediately opened on the enemy vessel, but no hits were registered as she quickly submerged. After settling due to the inrush of water, which quickly flooded the quarterdeck, some ten minutes after being struck the Hogue steadily rolled over and sank.

HMS Cressy 

The Captain of the Cressy, R.W. Johnson, despite the obvious threat posed by the enemy, steamed slowly about the wreck site of the Aboukir, and was ultimately, surrounded by boats, flotsam and men of both ships. At 0717 two torpedo tracks were sighted, and even though she presented an easy target, one passed to the stern while the other struck amidships on the starboard side. Gunners fired their weapons at what was assumed to be the submarine’s conning tower, when a third torpedo struck on the port beam. The Cressy started to flood quickly, and unlike her sister ships, rolled over on to her back for a few moments before disappearing from view.

The loss of three ships totalling 36,000 tons in less than an hour was a severe blow to the Royal Navy, and senior officers were left dumbfounded that a ‘toy’ could do such deeds. Each of these armoured cruisers had a complement of about 700 officers and men; 1,397 officers and men were lost, the 60 officers and 777 ratings who survived were rescued by the Dutch merchant ships Flora and Titan, and also two trawlers.

Seamen Ernest Clark, Royal Naval Reserve, was 22 years old when he was ‘called up’ two days prior to War being declared on Monday 4th August. He joined his ship at Chatham on the following Thursday. Prior to then he was an AB/Cook aboard the ‘Lanky’ boat Spen, and his home was in Phoenix Yard, Bridge Street, where he lived with his wife, Annie; after his death she moved to her parent’s, in Bridge Street. The fate of Ernest was not readily ascertained as his name did not appear on the list of known casualties, and it was only in response to a letter from Annie that the Admiralty confirmed he was not among the survivors.

The commander of the submarine U-9, Otto Weddigen, was lauded as a hero for his actions on this day, being awarded the Iron Cross First Class. The contrast against the captains of the ships he sank couldn’t be more severe; all were criticised for their actions, both before and after the first torpedo hit HMS Aboukir, though the Admiralty recognised that Captain Johnson was placed ‘in a cruel position…in waters swarming with drowning men’. Captain Johnson was the only commander of the three ships to lose his life.