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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Aberdeenshire => Topic started by: MeeToo on Thursday 26 February 09 17:42 GMT (UK)
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My husband's great grandfather, William Gordon Ewing, resident of Aberdeen, died in August 1916 on HM trawler "John High". The vessel was on mine sweeping duties somewhere around the coast. Has anyone any ideas where I would find information about the vessel and the incident. I've checked back copies of Aberdeen Press & Journal, but can find no mention of it.
MeeToo
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A quick Google brings up the following link :O)
http://uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/3179.html
Regards, Steve ......
and if you go to Google Books and enter John High sunk 1916 you get.
" Ships of the Royal Navy - Page 121
by J. J. Colledge - History - 1989 - 2 pages
JOHN HERD Dr 103/30. Hired on harbour service 194l-45. JOHN HIGH Tr 228/ Hired
1916. Sunk 7.8.16 by mine in the White Sea JOHN HIGHLAND Tr, 'Mersey' type. ...
Snippet view - About this book - Add to my shared library - More editions"
You might be able to get the book from your local library?
?
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Hi Steve
Many thanks for your prompt reply and link - brilliant! Now to find out where exactly that is.
MeeToo
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A few more details here
http://www.aberdeenships.com/single.asp?as_name=john+high&as_date_from=&as_date_to=&as_type=&as_const=&as_desc=&index=100427
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Thanks too WalkerPete - I should have thought to look on that site - I've used it before - d'oh!! :-\
MeeToo
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I have just been given photograph of William that was printed in the Aberdeen War Memorial Supplement Supplement of the People's Journal 26th Sept 1925 from an ANESFHS acquaintance. Fantastic!
Does anyone know what a trimmer's job was?
MeeToo
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http://homepage.ntlworld.com/hitch/gendocs/trades.html
The link above gives one interpretation. Someone who re-arranges cargoes in ships holds. Type old professions into your favourite search engine and up will come several sites
Regards, Steve :O)
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Hi Steve
Thanks yet again for your assistance with this. I did find somewhere (after I posted message) that a trimmer would supply the coal to the stokers/firemen, ensuring that the coal was used evenly from the hold. Dirty job, but someone had to do it!
MeeToo
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CWGC has -
william gordon ewing royal naval reserve trimmer HM trawler
john high age 34 died 7th august 1916 service no. 5019TS
husband of margaret duncan(formerly ewing) of water lane aberdeen
memorial - portsmouth naval memorial
ev
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thanks for taking the time to look that up ev. I already have the information from them. ;)
MeeToo
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My Great grandfather was John Smith from Isle of Lewis also killed on this trawler. Below is is all I know about it.
CAMPBELL, John M. Deck Hand, RNR, DA 8271, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
COOK, George S. Deck Hand, RNR, SD 3722, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
CUSHING, Godfrey L. Deck Hand, RNR, DA 6203, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
EWING, William G. Trimmer, RNR, TS 5019, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
GRAHAM, James R. Petty Officer (RFR A 1835), 140041 (Ch), John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
HIGH, John, Temporary Skipper, RNR, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
Mc KENZIE, William, Trimmer, RNR, TS 5018, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
NEWSON, Robert, Engineman, RNR, ES 4397, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
PARKS, William, Deck Hand, RNR, DA 1696, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
PERRY, Thomas H. Deck Hand, RNR, SD 2793, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
SANDERSON, George, Engineman, RNR, TS 2733, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
SMITH, John, Deck Hand, RNR, SD 1963, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
THOMAS, Daniel, Signalman, RNVR, Wales Z 2028, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
WOOD, Reuben W. Deck Hand, RNR, DA 10410, John High, 7 August 1916, ship lost
The loss of the JOHN HIGH is described in "Under the Black Ensign" by Captain RS Gwatkin-Williams, page 83.
"... the JOHN HIGH, commanded by her skipper of the same name, who, sweeping with a group of other trawlers over the new minefield [in the approaches to Archangel], was sudenly blown to matchwood by a mine which rose under her bottom. There was a raging sea at the time, and out of her crew of sixteen there was only one survivor, the mate, who happened to be right in the bow with his lifebelt on. When the mine exploded he was blown overboard, and suffered no injury beyond shock caused by immersion in that icy, turbulent sea; his companions were never seen again. ... In such mine-sweeping, while the tide was running at its greatest strength, the mines would be dragged down by its force to a depth of perhaps fifty feet; the trawlers, who themselves drew sixteen feet of water, could consequently pass safely over them. But when the tide slackened, and this it generally did suddenly, the mines would rise close to the surface, and if a ship happened to be over the spot it meant "good-by-ee," that being what had actually happened in the case of the JOHN HIGH."
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Hi Crooked MP
Many thanks for all the information - that's fantastic. The horrors of war - at least they wouldn't have known anything about it, I suppose.
MeeToo
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FYI the Colledge book above gives:
Admiralty No 3252, Port No SN233 ( North Shields) , 226 tons launched 1915, armed with 1 x 6 pounder AA gun, minesweeper, requisitioned January 1916, Mined 7/8/1916 off Mount Sozanova in the White Sea.
Buzancy18
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Thanks Buzancy18 - any and all information greatly appreciated. :)
MeeToo
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just noticed this post, there is a memorial in the british church in arch angel with a brass plate list those who died , if you go to this web site it says what is written there
#http://www.rmg.co.uk/memorials/Memorial.cfm?Search=cook&MemorialPage=1&MemorialID=M5699&Full=Print
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Thanks Lynxdpa - strange that the main transcript has the correct incident date, but the memorial details and the men's details have the date as 1915 and not 1916 as it should be. Also mem details say 'John Head' not John High.
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Hi this site has a wonder of information which I have used with great results.
www.rnpatrolservice.org.uk/forum
regards
Schooner
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Also try this for any awards for his WW1 service:
National Archives
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve: Records of Service, WW1
happy searching
regards
Schooner
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Found this:
John High, built by A. Hall & Co. Ltd., Aberdeen in 1916 and operated at the time of her loss by Royal Navy, was a British navy trawler of 228 tons.
On August 7th, 1916, John High was sunk by a mine from the German submarine U-75 (Curt Beitzen), off Mt. Sozonova, Murman coast. 14 persons were lost.
Seaman JOHN SMITH
Last address in Lewis: 48 Lower Garrabost,
Son of John and Marion Campbell Smith, of 22, South Bragar, Stornoway; husband of Christina Smith, of 48, Lower Garrabost, Stornoway.
Service unit: Royal Naval Reserve, HMT John High
Service number: 1963/SD
Date of death: 6 August 1916 at the age of 47
Ship sunk by U-boat in the White Sea
Memorial: Chatham Naval Memorial, panel 19
Local memorial: Point (Garrabost)
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www.arctic-warming.com/d.php
Has a short reference to the vessel.
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Hi Schooner
Thanks for sending the links and info - I've never considered that there may have been climatic changes due to war activity. Amazing!