The Merchant Navy Memorial

This page includes basic information about the ships and how they were lost, a photo of the relevant panel(s) of the Tower Hill Memorial and information about those that lost their lives extracted from the CWGC database. In the table I have included information about those who served on the ships but who had a normal burial as this seems appropriate to me. In some cases further family information about the individuals may be available on the CWGC website [7].

Crown Point

Crown Point was a 5,219 GRT steam cargo ship completed in 1900 by J. L. Thompson & Sons Ltd. for Norfolk & North American Steam Shipping Co. Ltd. and managed by Furness, Withy & Co. Ltd. She was sunk on 6 February 1917 by torpedo fired by German submarine U-83 at position 50° 06' N, 07° 46' W - approximately 55 nautical miles West of Scilly. She was en route from London to Philadelphia with a cargo of chalk and general goods.

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Grave Ref.	Additional Information
Chapman	C	54	06/02/1917	Chief Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial		Husband Of Mrs. C. Chapman, Of 112, Devonshire Rd., Forest Hill, London. Born At Isleham, Ely.
Forbes	Harry Denton		06/02/1917	Master	Tower Hill Memorial		Son Of The Late Major Peter Forbes; Husband Of Annie Forbes.
Higginbotham	George	31	06/02/1917	Second Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial		Son Of George And Henrietta Higginbotham; Husband Of Lilian Viola Higginbotham (Nee Barnes), Of 8, Richmond Terrace, Felling-On-Tyne. Born At Pelaw, Co. Durham.
Husain Muhammad			06/02/1917	Fireman and Trimmer	Bombay 1914-1918 Memorial, Mumbai	Penzance Cemetery, Grave S11.2
Jansson	A.W.	31	06/02/1917	Greaser	Tower Hill Memorial		Born At Stockholm, Sweden.
Rudder	P.J.	30	06/02/1917	Fireman	Tower Hill Memorial		Born In Barbados.
Williams	Griffith Gwilym	25	06/02/1917	Third Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial		Son Of Catherine Maria Williams (Nee Jones), Of Tan-Y-Bryn, Penmorfa, Portmadoc, Carnarvonshire, And The Late Griffith Williams. Born At Penmorfa.

Cruiser

Cruiser was a 144 GRT steam trawler completed in 1898 by Hall, Russell & Co., Ltd. for T. Devlin Jr. She was sunk on 2 May 1915 by gunfire from German submarine U-41 approximately 50 nautical miles South-East of Aberdeen.

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Grave Ref.	Additional Information
Fleming	Robert William	41	02/05/1915	Second Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial		Son Of The Late William And Sophia Jane Fleming; Husband Of Mary Fleming (Nee Milne), Of 39, St. Clair St., Aberdeen. Born At Aberdeen.
Jarwick	James	64	02/05/1915	Cook	Tower Hill Memorial		Son Of The Late James And Mary Jarwick; Husband Of Mary Hannah Jarwick (Nee Ryder), Of 36, East North St., Aberdeen). Born At North Shields.
Palmer	Alexander	48	02/05/1915	Skipper	Tower Hill Memorial		Husband Of Jessie Gordon Palmer, Of 77, Regent Quay, Aberdeen.
Wallis	H		02/05/1915	Deck Hand	Aberdeen (Trinity) Cemetery	Screen Wall. F. 4. 444.
Wallis	Herbert Sellars	17	02/05/1915	Deck Hand	Tower Hill Memorial		Son Of Charles Wallis, Of 43, Charles St., Aberdeen, And The Late Jane Wallis. Born At Hull.

Custodian

Custodian was a 9,214 GRT steam cargo ship completed in 1900 by Chas. Connell & Co. for Charente Steamship Co. Ltd. She was damaged on 20 March 1918 by torpedo fired by German submarine U-96 at position 54° 31' N, 05° 02' W - North-West of the Isle of Man. She was en route from Galvaston and New York to Liverpool with a general cargo.

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Additional Information
Gilmore	Frederick	17	20/03/1918	Fireman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of The Late Alfred And Anne Gilmore. Born At Liverpool.
Hart	James	29	20/03/1918	Fireman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Elizabeth Hart, And The Late Michael Hart; Husband Of Ellen Mary Hart (Nee Lanstrum), Of 66, Star St., Liverpool. Born At Liverpool.
Marlow	James	30	20/03/1918	Fireman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Felix And Kathleen Marlow; Husband Of Mary Ann Marlow (Nee Cooper), Of 12A, Gloucester Place, Low Hill, Liverpool. Born At Liverpool.

Cygnus

Cygnus was a 132 GRT steam fishing vessel completed in 1896 by Mackie & Thomson for Grimsby & North Sea Steam Trawling Co. and registered as GY21. She was last seen on 13 November 1914 and presumed mined.

There were no survivors

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Additional Information
Allenby	Frank	36	12/12/1914	Skipper	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Frank Allenby; Husband Of Elizabeth Beatrice Allenby, Of 383, Weelsby St., Grimsby.
Ashley	T	52	12/12/1914	Mate	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Caroline Ashley, Of 26, Camden St., Hull. Born At Lincoln.
Blewitt	T	37	12/12/1914	Second Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Mrs. Blewitt, Of 83, Ladysmith Rd., Grimsby. Born At Birmingham.
Chafer	George Thomas	19	12/12/1914	Third Hand	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Sarah Chafer (Nee Page), Of 98, Gillett St., Hull, And The Late George Thomas Chafer. Born At Grimsby.
Dewhurst	Charles	39	12/12/1914	Chief Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of The Late Rueben And Alice Dewhurst; Husband Of Laura Dewhurst (Nee Jenkins), Of 35, Cressey St., Grimsby. Born At Bradford.
Gallicham	W	52	12/12/1914	Deck Hand	Tower Hill Memorial	Born In Jersey.
Richardson	Reginald Heber	44	12/12/1914	Deck Hand	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Michael Joseph Richardson And The Late Eliza Richardson, Husband Of Emily May Richardson (Nee Thompson), Of 6, Ravenspun St., Grimsby. Born At Great Coates.
Scoterick	G		01/11/1914	Steward	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Mrs. Scoterick, Of 16, Station St., Boston, Lincs.
Shaw	John	18	12/12/1914	Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Mary Hannah Shaw, Of 22, Bedford St., Grimsby, And The Late Walter Shaw. Born At Hull.

Cymbeline

Cymbeline was a 4,505 GRT steam tanker completed in 1902 by Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. for Bear Creek Oil & Shipping Co. Ltd. and managed by C.T.Bowring & Co. Ltd. She was shelled and then sunk on 4 September 1915 by torpedo fired by German submarine U-33 at position 51° 16' N, 12° 04' W - approximately 29 nautical miles West by South of Fastnet.

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Additional Information
Austen	Albert John	50	04/09/1915	Boatswain	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of William Austen, And The Late Elizabeth Austen; Husband Of Elizabeth Clara Austen (Nee Bevan), Of 6, Brunswick Rd., Gravesend. Born At Ramsgate.
Crosbie	Sidney Andrew Hugh	19	04/09/1915	Assistant Steward	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Emma Sophia Crosbie, Of 262, Alice St., South Shields, And The Late Andrew Davidson Crosbie. Born At Sunderland.
Curtis	D	18	04/09/1915	Mess Room Steward	Tower Hill Memorial	Born At Bradford.
Mensforth	Robert	43	04/09/1915	Fireman and Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of The Late John And Ann Mensforth. Born At South Shields.
Rewcastle	Robert	28	04/09/1915	Second Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of William Hoffer Rewcastle And Frances Rewcastle; Husband Of Mary Ellen Rewcastle, Of 160 St. Vincent St., South Shields. Born At South Shields.
Wallbank	Edward	24	04/09/1915	Able Seaman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Edward And Catherine Wallbank; Husband Of Edith Wallbank (Nee Gradwell), Of 132, Laygate Lane, South Shields. Born At North Shields.

Cymrian

Cymrian was a 1,014 GRT steam cargo ship completed in 1905 by A. Vuijk, Capelle a/d Yssel for Golden Cross Line Ltd. and managed by O. & W. Williams. She was sunk on 25 August 1917 by torpedo fired by German submarine UC-75 approximately 13 nautical miles South-East by South of Tuskar Rock. She was en route from Newport to Dublin.

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Additional Information
Campbell	E.W.		25/08/1917	Fireman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Anna Campbell, Of 1801, North Gay St., Baltimore, U.S.A. Born In U.S.A.
Couch	John Husband	20	25/08/1917	Mess Room Steward	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of The Late William And Margaret Gyles Couch; Husband Of Nancy Thomas Couch (Nee Perkins), Of 3, Salubrious Place, St. Ives, Cornwall. Born At St. Ives.
Grey	Robert		25/08/1917	Fireman	Tower Hill Memorial
Hughes	Henry William	48	25/08/1917	First Mate	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Elizabeth And The Late Thomas Hughes; Husband Of Mary Hughes (Nee Roberts), Of The Post Office, Trevor, Chevilog, Carnarvon, N. Wales. Born At Dinas, Llanengrad, Anglesey.
Lloyd	Edwin	17	25/08/1917	Sailor	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Jane Lloyd, Of Fair Lon, Nevin, Carnarvonshire, And The Late John Lloyd.
Moppett	Charles	23	25/08/1917	Able Seaman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son of the late Henry and Ellen Moppett, of Brighton. Mr. Moppett was a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and is also commemorated on panel 28 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
Roberts	John	28	25/08/1917	First Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Thomas Roberts And The Late Catherine Roberts; Husband Of Isabella Roberts (Nee Laverick), Of 37, Pomeroy St., Cardiff. Born At Conway.
Roberts	William	15	25/08/1917	Ordinary Seaman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of John Jones Roberts And Catherine Roberts (Nee Jones), Of Cae Rhyg Nevin, Carnarvon. Born At Wavertree, Liverpool.
Rowlands	John	19	25/08/1917	Sailor	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of John And Margaret Rowlands (Nee Roberts), Of Gwydr Mawr, Trwr, Carnarvonshire.
Slatter	Christopher William	22	25/08/1917	Leading Seaman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son of F. J. W. and Annie J. L. Slatter, of 29, Dovercourt Rd., East Dulwich, London. Employee of the Pearl Assurance Society, Holborn, London. Native of Peckham Rye, London. Mr. Slatter was a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and is also commemorated on panel 27 of the Chatham Naval Memorial.

Cymric

Cymric was a 12,647 GRT steam passenger/cargo ship completed in 1898 by Harland & Wolff Ltd. for Oceanic Steam Navigation Co. Ltd. and managed by Ismay Imrie & Co. She was sunk on 8 May 1916 by torpedo fired by German submarine U-20 approximately 140 nautical miles West-North-West of Fastnet. She was en route from New York to Liverpool with a general cargo.

According to Charles Hocking [35]:

The White Star liner Cymric was a victim of the notorious submarine raider U-20, Commander W. von Schwieger. On April 29th 1916 she left New York for Liverpool with cargo but no passengers, having a crew of 110. At about 4 PM on May 8th, when 140 miles W.N.W. of Fastnet she was attacked by the submarine. She sustained hits from three torpedoes. The Cymric remained afloat until 3 AM on the 9th, when she sank, the survivors getting away in the boats. Four men were killed by the explosion and a steward was drowned whien leaving the ship.

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Additional Information
Bergin	Dennis	42	08/05/1916	Fireman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of The Late William And Catherine Bergin. Born At New Ross.
Kenny	John	34	08/05/1916	Greaser	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Thomas And Margaret Kenny; Husband Of Winifred Kenny (Nee Mccormack), Of 31, Newholm St., Liverpool. Born At Liverpool.
Malcolm	James Bannerman	42	08/05/1916	Chief Steward	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Edwin And The Late Margaret Malcolm; Husband Of Lillian Maud Malcolm (Nee Smith), Of 8, Hall Lane, Ringtree, Liverpool. Born At Liverpool.
Morton	H	23	08/05/1916	6th Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of John Morton, Of Rossmoyne, Winston Gardens, Knock, Belfast. Born At Belfast.
Watts	John Reginald Virgo	32	08/05/1916	Third Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Mrs. Mary Anne Watts, Of 48, Burscough St., Ormskirk. Born At Ormskirk.

Cyrano

Cyrano was a 77 GRT steam trawler completed in 1905 by Cochrane & Sons Ltd. for Alick Black of Grimsby where she was registered as GY80. She served as a minesweeper during WW1 but was returned to her pre-was owner The Strand Steam Fishing Co. Ltd. afterwards. She left on a fishing trip from Grimsby on 13 August 1919 and was not seen again.

There were no survivors

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Additional Information
Appleton	William	34	15/08/1919	Deck Hand	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Mrs. Appleton, Of 65.5, Temperance Place, Hull. Born At Hull.
Brunning	William	40	15/08/1919	Deck Hand	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Mrs. Brunning, Of 13, Benton Avenue, Hope St., Grimsby. Born At Lingwood.
Burkwood	George William	44	15/08/1919	Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of George And Annie Burkwood; Husband Of Jenny Burkwood. Born At Grimsby.
Cook	Ernest	31	15/08/1919	Second Hand	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of The Late Mr. And Mrs. Cook. Born At Grimsby.
Dowson	Harold	21	15/08/1919	Second Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Mrs. Dowson, Of 53, Wellington St., Grimsby. Born At Pickering.
Dowson	John	48	15/08/1919	Cook	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Mrs. Dowson, Of 425, Welsby St., Grimsby. Born At Leeds.
George	Samuel Victor	22	15/08/1919	Third Hand	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Mr. George, Of 334, New Wellington St., Grimsby.
Llewellyn	Joseph	25	15/08/1919	Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Mrs. Llewellyn, Of 31, Charlton St., Grimsby. Born At Newcastle.
Sparrow	Robert	52	15/08/1919	Deck Hand	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Mrs. Sparrow, Of 50, Strand St., Grimsby. Born In Norfolk.
Turner	George	30	15/08/1919	First Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Alfred Isaac Turner And The Late Emily Turner; Husband Of Ethel Turner (Nee Eggleston), Of 29, Stanley St., Grimsby. Born At Boston.
Wicks	Henry		15/08/1919	Skipper	Tower Hill Memorial

Cyrene

Cyrene was a 2,904 GRT steam cargo ship completed in 1888 by Short Bros. for Lumsdon Byers & Co. She was later owned by Cyrene Shipping Co. Ltd. and managed by W.Coupland & Co. She was sunk on 5 April 1918 by torpedo fired by German submarine UC-31 approximately 15 nautical miles North of Bardsey Island in Caernarvon Bay. She was en route from the Tyne to Blaye with a cargo of coal.

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Additional Information
Appleby	John Rowley	19	05/04/1918	Apprentice	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Joseph And Mary Jane Appleby, Of Vernon Lodge, Brunswick Terrace, Scarborough. Born At Scarborough.
Bisset	William	48	05/04/1918	Second Mate	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Alexander Bisset, Of 8, Commerce St., Aberdeen, And The Late Isabella Jane Bisset (Nee Stott). Born At Glasgow.
Cartlidge	Lionel Isaac	18	05/04/1918	Apprentice	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Lionel Isaac Cartlidge, Of 97, Fairholm Rd., Benwell Grove, Newcastle-On-Tyne, And The Late Henrica Vous, His Wife. Born At Antwerp.
Cribbett	William George		05/04/1918	Leading Seaman	Tower Hill Memorial	Mr. Cribbettwas a member of the Royal Navy and is also commemorated on panel 26 of the Plymouth Naval Memorial
Dilly	Thomas Mckinnon	16	05/04/1918	Wireless Operator	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Stewart And Charlotte Mckinnon Dilly, Of 16, High St., Arbroath, Forfar.
Guramo	W	20	05/04/1918	Fireman and Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of J. Guramo, Of 11, Pitt St., Lagos. Born In Lagos.
Harding	Joe	23	05/04/1918	Fireman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Mrs. Martha Harding, Of 57, Sandaff Place, Sierra Leone. Born In Sierra Leone.
Harding	Tom	25	05/04/1918	Fireman and Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Mrs. Harding, Of 6, Jolinetty St., Sierra Leone. Born At Sierra Leone.
Hunter	William	17	05/04/1918	Mess Room Steward	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of James And Mary Hunter (Nee Stewart), Of 13, Schipka Pass, The Cross, Glasgow. Born At Shotts, Lanarkshire.
Kelley	Charles Adolphus	43	05/04/1918	Ship s Cook	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Catherine Learmouth Kelley (Nee Wilson), Of 3, Greenleaf St., Liverpool. Born At Demerara.
Kennedy	Edward Hurd	30	05/04/1918	Able Seaman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of Duncan Kennedy And The Late Jessie Kennedy (Nee Mcdonald); Husband Of Mary Ann Kennedy (Nee Mckechnie), Of 10, Regent Moray St., Glasgow. Born At Salen, Mull.
Koko	Jas. A.	33	05/04/1918	Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial	Born In Calabar.
Lawrenson	C.W.		05/04/1918	Master	Tower Hill Memorial
Minto	William	26	05/04/1918	Third Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of John Clement And Janet Minto (Formerly Wood), Of 6, South Scarboro St., West Hartlepool. Born At West Hartlepool.
Parkinson	Henry	41	05/04/1918	Steward	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of The Late Sarah Jane Parkinson (Nee Carter). Born At West Hartlepool.
Parsons	William Henry	31	05/04/1918	Able Seaman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son of Walter and Jane Parsons, of 6, Station Terrace, Cinderford, Glos. Mr. Parsons was a member of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and is also commemorated on panel 30 of the Plymouth Naval Memorial.
Potts	William Walter	43	05/04/1918	Donkeyman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of The Late Thomas And Sophia Potts; Husband Of Jane Hannah Potts, Of 15, Dock St., Tyne Dock, South Shields. Born At Howden-Le-Wear, Co. Durham.
Reid	Alfred Henry	53	05/04/1918	Second Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of The Late William Storey Reid And Anna Jane Reid; Husband Of Jessie Florence Reid (Nee Hughes), Of 7, Waterville Terrace, North Shields. Born At Woolwich.
Sheehan	Patrick	35	05/04/1918	Fireman and Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial	Husband Of Margaret Sheehan, Of 5, Fitzgerald Alley, Cork. Born At Cork.
Sloan	Charles Croall	35	05/04/1918	Able Seaman	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of John And Mary Sloan (Nee Croall), Of 6, Cumleigh Green Place, Edinburgh. Born At Edinburgh.
Thomas	J	27	05/04/1918	Fireman and Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial	Born At Sierra Leone.
Thwaites	Joseph Nott	17	05/04/1918	Apprentice	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of John Foster Thwaites And Lucy Thwaites, Of 29, Sidney St., North Shields. Born At Gateshead.
Toogood	Francis Edward	23	05/04/1918	First Mate	Tower Hill Memorial	Son Of George Ridley Toogood And Kate Toogood (Formerly Carpenter), Of 173, King S Rd., Harrogate. Born At Stockton-On-Tees.
Vance	Alexander	24	05/04/1918	Able Seaman	Tower Hill Memorial	Adopted Son Of Hugh And Mary Ann Vance, Of Drumley Cottage, Annbank Station, Ayr. Born At Bubey, Nr. Glasgow.

Dafila

Dafila was a 1,754 GRT steam cargo ship completed in 1917 by Swan, Hunter & W.Richardson Ltd. for Cork Steamship Co. Ltd. She was sunk on 21 July 1917 by torpedo fired by German submarine U-45 at position 50° 16' N, 12° 18' W - approximately 85 nautical miles West by South of Fastnet. She was en route from Valencia and Gibraltar to Liverpool with a cargo of iron ore and onions.

Casualties

Surname	Forename	Age	Honours/ Awards	D.O.D	Rank	Cemetery/ Memorial	Grave Ref.	Additional Information
Edwards	Alexander	59		21/07/1917	Second Engineer	Tower Hill Memorial		Husband Of Sophia Seymour Mary Edwards, Of 5, Pengwern Terrace, Magazine Promenade, New Brighton. Born At Dundee.
Gannis	A	25		21/07/1917	Fireman and Trimmer	Tower Hill Memorial		Born At Constantinople.

Losses in WW1

Crown Point

Casualties

Cruiser

Casualties

Custodian

Casualties

Cygnus

Casualties

Cymbeline

Casualties

Cymrian

Casualties

Cymric

Casualties

Cyrano

Casualties

Cyrene

Casualties

Dafila

Casualties