The Stories Of Those Who Died: Part One

It was always my intention to research the men who died alongside my grandfather, John Reid, so it is now one of my genealogy resolutions for 2021. I also intend to create separate posts outlining some of the records which are useful when searching for missing merchant seamen.

This first post of 2021 remembers Eugene CORRI, Jonathan ACKERS and John BALMER. All the research has been carried out online.

Eugene CORRI

The story of Eugene CORRI, the 16-year-old apprentice washed overboard from lifeboat six, was started in the earlier blog Adrift for Days. This instalment begins by investigating his background and life story.

The CWGC records that Eugene Patrick CORRI was born in Lambeth, London and was the son of Edna A CORRI of 17 Seaforth Road, Westcliff Essex.[1] His birth was registered under the name of Eugene Patrick C WARENDORPH in January 1902. [2] By 1911, 9-year-old Eugene Patrick was living in Seaforth Road with his parents, Eugene and Edna. His mother was born in Minnesota . His father worked as a stockbroker. Also in the family home were three younger brothers and his maternal grandmother, Anna WARENDORPH, who was born in Norway.[3]

The CORRI family had links to Ireland; Eugene Patrick’s grandfather, Patrick was born in Dublin.[4] Eugene Patrick’s great-grandfather, Hayden CORRI, a professor of music, lived at 13 Queen’s Square Dublin between 1858 and 1860.[5] It would have been a grand house then, but by 1911 most of the the houses were tenements. This included 9 Queen’s Square where my grandparents, John and Lucy REID, were living with three other families. Number 13 was then home to 6 families. [6]

Queen’s Square is also special to me because it is where my great-aunt lived when I was a child, although I only knew it as Pearse Square. It had been renamed in 1926. It is on my to-do list to research the square so I may mention Hayden CORRI and his artistic family again in the future. For now I will return to Eugene and his life before he joined the merchant navy.

Eugene CORRI Snr was, as well as a stockbroker, a well-known and popular boxing referee. His son, Eugene Patrick, nicknamed Toodles, regularly boxed against his younger brother in exhibitions at venues where CORRI Snr was refereeing.[7] He was, therefore, also well known in boxing circles. On one occasion Toodles and his brother Mickey were with their father when he visited Willie RITCHIE, at the Albion Hotel where the boxer worked. The hotel owner suggested the young boys should fight RITCHIE. Needless to say, the young lads knocked out the then world champion with the greatest of ease! [8] Eugene and Mickey must have had great fun that day. They had a comfortable home and a stable family life while growing up, but Eugene was an adventurous lad.

By the age of 16, Eugene Patrick had been at sea for 3 years. As the son of a stockbroker, and an apprentice, he was training to be an officer. The SS Dwinsk was not the first ship where he had encountered danger from U-boats. Eugene was aboard the War Baron with Henry NELSON [9] when it sank in three minutes. The ship had been torpedoed close to land and the surviving crew were rescued the same day. Sadly, two sailors died.[10]

Photo of War Baron taken June 1917 Portland Oregon. In Public Domain. PD-USGOV-MILITARY-NAVY.

Some details of how young Eugene CORRI died as a tremendous storm blew up around lifeboat 6 were outlined in another post, Adrift-for-days. His father received the news while attending a British sportsman ambulance committee meeting. Eugene CORRI Snr was handed a message which he took, read and then stood up and left the room in silence.[11]

Jonathan ACKERS known as STAFFORD

The CWGC gives very clear indicators as to the family of Jonathan ACKERS, who chose to serve on the Dwinsk under the name STAFFORD. His father, also called Jonathan, predeceased his son, and his mother, Margaret STAFFORD (formerly ACKERS, née Scott) lived at 15 Elm Grove, Liverpool.[12] The address given for Jonathan Stafford in the deaths at sea register was 48 Raeburn Road. Liverpool.[13]

Jonathan was born 6 June 1899 and baptised 6 August of the same year.[14] [15] In fact he was baptised twice on the same day as his parents were from different religions. Margaret was a Roman Catholic (her father was from Roscommon in Ireland) [16] and Jonathan Snr was Church of England. Jonathan was the second child in the family; he had an elder sister, Mary, and by 1901 he was himself a big brother to a new baby named William.[17] The family continued to grow with the births of Charles, [18] Margaret and Robert. [19]. Sadly, 4-year-old Charles was admitted to the children’s infirmary and died in 1907. [20] It was in the spring of 1910, while their mother was pregnant with another girl, Sarah, that Jonathan’s father died. He was only 36.[21]

Jonathan changed school over the 1911 new year [22]. His mother, Margaret, was now working as a domestic.[23] Having lost the main wage earner in the family, the family may have needed to move. The following month Jonathan was admitted to the workhouse hospital with bronchitis and debility. He remained there for nearly three weeks before he recovered. [24] Life must have been very difficult for Margaret as a single parent, and for the children too. At some stage Jonathan changed schools again. He returned to his old school where he stayed until the age of thirteen.[25] Jonathan would then have looked for work.

It seems that Jonathan may have already been keen to go to sea. At the end of 1914 or very early in 1915 he was working on the SS Transylvania. He joined the SS Doric on the 10 February 1915 and worked as an ordinary seaman earning £2 a month. Later in the year he signed on both the SS Scandinavian and SS Arranmore, although he actually failed to join the latter. He also worked alongside his future stepfather, James STAFFORD, aboard the SS Adriatic.[26] This time Jonathan worked as a trimmer collecting large blocks of coal from the massive bunkers, breaking them down into manageable sizes then taking them to the firemen to be shovelled into the furnaces. James worked as one of the firemen.

Jonathan used the name John ACKERS when signing crew lists. His address when he signed on the Arranmore was 15 Elm Grove which was also Jonathan STAFFORD’s mother’s address in 1918. [27] There is no doubt John ACKERS and Jonathan STAFFORD were the same person.

Jonathan’s mother, Margaret, and James STAFFORD married in November 1915. [28] As Jonathan used his stepfather’s surname on the Dwinsk crew list it seems likely that Jonathan got on well with his stepfather. Despite having been ill with bronchitis as a child, Jonathan was working as a fireman when he died in 1918. [29]

Further information about Jonathan’s time at sea could be found in archive records. The starting place would be the National Archives at Kew where the crew list for the SS Dwinsk’s last voyage is held.

The fire room of U.S.S Massachusetts 1896-1901 Detroit Photographic Company. Taken by Edward H Hart. This may give some impression of the working conditions for Jonathan ACKERS and James STAFFORD while working as firemen.

John BALMER known as HOCKEY

Like Jonathan ACKERS, John BALMER also lost a parent at a young age and signed on to the Dwinsk under a different name. While serving aboard the Dwinsk he was known as John HOCKEY. He was the son of Thomas Balmer, of 81 Page Street Liverpool, and the late Mary BALMER (McDERMOTT). [30] John’s last address was 20 Jenkinson Street Liverpool.[31]

His mother Mary died when he was three years of age in 1900 [32] and by the following March he was staying with his Aunt Catherine and her husband James CASEY. [33] His father Thomas BALMER eventually established a relationship with a woman named Ann Lawton with whom he had two daughters before they married in 1913. [34] According to the April 1911 census Ann, who was recorded as the married head of household, was living with her daughters Diana LAWTON, 4-year-old Katie BALMER and 2-year old Elizabeth who also had the surname BALMER. There is no mention of Thomas at the address. [35] John BALMER, now 15 years old and an errand boy for a local baker, was again at the home of his aunt Catherine and his six-year-old cousin George.[36] George was the only one of Catherine’s five children to survive childhood. John’s uncle James was also not present at the time of the census; presumably, he was away at sea. Catherine gave birth to another two daughters in 1912 [37] [38] but sadly died in 1914. Like her sister Mary, John BALMER’s mother, Catherine was buried in the Roman Catholic Ford cemetery.[39] Left with a 10 year old son and two toddlers it is perhaps not surprising that James CASEY remarried in 1915.[40]

When John first decided to go to sea is uncertain, but an eighteen-year-old named John BALMER signed onto the SS Milwaulkee as an ordinary sailor in Febuary 1915.[41] His previous ship, SS Hydro, was also his first.[42] The address given on the Hydro did not confirm that this sailor was also John HOCKEY. As yet no connection has been uncovered to the name Hockey but that may be uncovered by working backwards from the Dwinsk crew list. John was working as a trimmer aboard the Dwinsk and may have worked alongside Jonathan STAFFORD.

Next time:

I will be writing about how to start searching for a WW1 merchant seaman and naming the sites which helped me find my grandfather.

References

[1] Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Casualty details. Death: 18 June 1918. CORRI, Eugene Patrick. Apprentice SS. Dwinsk. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[2] Birth Index (CR) England and Wales RD: Lambeth. [London] 1st Q 1902. WARENDORPH. Eugene P.C vol.1d p.361. https://www.freebmd.org.uk/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[3] Census returns. England. Prittlewell, RD Essex 02 Apr 1911 CORRI, Eugene. Collection: 1911 census collection. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[4] Baptisms (PR) Ireland. St Mary’s Pro Cathedral, Dublin. 22 February 1823. CORRI, Pat[ric]k. DU-RC-BA-621459 https://churchrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords : accessed 8 Jan 2021.

[5] Directories. Ireland (1859) Thom’s Directory for Ireland. Collection : Thom's Directories for Ireland 1836-1947. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed : 10 Jan 2021.

[6] Census returns. Ireland. South Dock, Dublin. 02 Apr 1911. REID, John. http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie : accessed 12 Jan 2021.

[7] Rochdale Observer (1914) Sparring Exhibitions Rochdale Observer 19 Dec p12.d. https://findmypast.co.uk : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[8] Corri, Eugene (1915) Thirty Years a Boxing Referee New York, Longmans, Green & Co p.116. https://www.hathitrust.org : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[9] Weekly Dispatch, London (1918) Toodles The Story of a British Boy. Weekly Dispatch, London. p.3a https://findmypast.co.uk accessed : 10 Jan 2021.

[10] Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Merchant Seaman Memorial Tower Hill. War Baron 5 Jan 1918. www.cwgc.org : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[11] The Royal Gazette Mr. Eugene Corri, Referee Everybody Liked. The Royal Gazette p.11c https://www.bnl.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/BermudaNP02/id/83386 : accessed 12 January.

[12]Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Casualty details. Death: 18 June 1918. ACKERS, Jonathan (served as STAFFORD) SS. Dwinsk. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[13] Death(CR) At Sea. 18 Jun 1918. STAFFORD, Jonathan. BT334, Box: 0073. p24. Collection : British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths. https://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[14] Baptism (RC) England. St Francis Xavier's, Liverpool, Lancashire. 14 Jul 1899. (Birth: 20 June 1899) ACKERS, Jonathan. Ref: 282 SFX/15A. Collection: Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, England; Liverpool Catholic Parish Registers. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[15]Baptism (PR) England. St Peter, Liverpool, Lancashire.14 Jul 1899. (Birth: 20 June 1899) ACKERS, Jonathan. Ref: 283 PET/2/98 Collection: Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, England; Liverpool Church of England Parish Registers. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed :10 Jan 2021.

[16] Census returns England. Everton, Liverpool, Lancashire. 05 April 1891. SCOTT, Thos. piece: 2949, folio:21, p.36 Collection: 1891 England and Wales census records. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[17] Census returns. England. Christchurch, West Derby, Liverpool Lancashire. 31 March 190.1 ACKERS, Jonathan. piece: 3491, folio: 67 p.28. Collection: 1901 census collection. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[18] Baptism (RC) England. St Michael, Liverpool, Lancashire. 29 March 1903. (Birth: 21 Feb 1903) ACKERS, Charles. Ref: 282 MIC/1/4 Collection: Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, England; Liverpool Catholic Parish Registers. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[19] Census returns. England. Everton West Derby, Liverpool Lancashire. 02 April 1911 ACKERS, Margaret. Class: RG14 piece: 22551, ED: 38 Collection: 1911 census collection. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[20] Burial Record (CR) Anfield Cemetery, Catholic Section. Merseyside. 27 Feb 1907. ACKERS, Charles. Ref: 352 CEM 6/3/9 Collection: Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, Merseyside, England; Liverpool Cemetery Registers. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[21] Death Index (CR ) England and Wales RD: West Derby,[Liverpool]. 2nd Q 1910. ACKERS Jonathan. vol.8b p.301 https://www.freebmd.org.uk/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[22] School Discharge Records England. St Michael’s R. C Secondary School, Liverpool Lancashire. 1910 ACKERS, Jonathan. Ref: 352 Edu/1/123/45. Collection: National School admissions and logbooks 1870-1915. www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 16 Jan 2021.

[23] School Discharge Records England. Francis Xavier R. C School and Campion Bilateral Secondary Mondern , Liverpool Lancashire. 23 Jan 1911 ACKERS, Jonathan. Ref: 352 Edu/1/120/19. Collection: National School admissions and logbooks 1870-1915. www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 16 Jan 2021.

[24] Admission Registers. England. Mill Road Hospital. West Derby Union Workhouse. Liverpool. 11 February 1911. ACKERS Jonathan.614 MIL/1/1/30b Collection: Liverpool Workhouse Records. www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 16 Jan 2021.

[25] School Discharge Records England. St Michael’s R. C Secondary School, Liverpool Lancashire. 1913 ACKERS, Jonathan. Ref: 352 Edu/1/123/45. Collection: National School admissions and logbooks 1870-1915. www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 16 Jan 2021.

[26] National Maritime Museum. 1915 crew lists. Advanced Search ACKERS, John. https://1915crewlists.rmg.co.uk : accessed: 23 Jan 2021.

[27] National Maritime Museum. 1915 crew lists. Advanced Search ACKERS, John. https://1915crewlists.rmg.co.uk : accessed: 23 Jan 2021.

[28] Marriages (RC) England Sacred Heart, Liverpool Lancashire. 21 Nov. 1915. STAFFORD, James and ACKERS, Margaret Agnes. Ref: 282 SAC/2/3. Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, England; Liverpool Catholic Parish Registers. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[29] Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Casualty details. Death: 18 June 1918. ACKERS, Jonathan (served as STAFFORD) SS. Dwinsk. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[30] Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Casualty details. Death: 18 June 1918. BALMER, John (served as HOCKEY) SS. Dwinsk. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[31] Death(CR) At Sea. 18 Jun 1918. HOCKEY, John. BT334, Box: 0074. Collection : British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths. https://www.findmypast.co.uk : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[32] Burial (RC ) Ford RC Cemetery LIverpool 23 Sep 1900. BALMER, Mary Ref: 285 FOR Collection: Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, Merseyside, England; Liverpool Catholic Parish Registers. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed : 10 Jan 2021.

[33] Census returns. England. St Martin, Liverpool Lancashire. 31 March 1901. CASEY, James Piece: 3411, Folio 100. p. 26. SN: 156. Collection: 1911 census collection. https://ancestry.co.uk : :accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[34] Marriage Index (CR) England. Liverpool. 4th Q 1913. BALMER, Thomas and LAWTON, Ann. Vol 8b p.9. https://www.freebmd.org.uk/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.[

[35] Census returns. England. Liverpool, Lancashire. 02 Apr 1911 LAWTON, Ann. RG14, RD: 455. ED: 02 Piece: 22485. Collection: 1911 census collection. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[36] Census returns. England. Kirkdale, Liverpool, Lancashire. 02 Apr 1911 CASEY, Catherine. RG14, RD: 455. ED: 27 Piece: 22470. Collection: 1911 census collection. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[37] Birth Index (CR )England and Wales RD: West Derby. [Liverpool] 4th Q 1912. CASEY, Johanna. vol.8b p.8. https://www.freebmd.org.uk/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[38] Birth Index (CR)England and Wales RD: West Derby [Liverpool 4 th Q Q 1912. CASEY, Norah. vol 8b.p.8 . https://www.freebmd.org.uk/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[39] Burial (RC ) Ford RC Cemetery LIverpool 23 Feb 1914 CASEY Catherine Ref: 282 FOR Collection: Liverpool Record Office; Liverpool, Merseyside, England; Liverpool Catholic Parish Registers. https://ancestry.co.uk : accessed 10 Jan 2021.

[40] Marriage Index (CR) England. Liverpool. 2nd Q 1915. CASEY, James and Maloney, Mary. Vol 8b p.255. https://www.freebmd.org.uk/ : accessed 3 Jan 2021.

[41] National Maritime Museum. 1915 crew lists. Advanced Search Hydro. https://1915crewlists.rmg.co.uk : accessed: 23 Jan 2021.

[42] National Maritime Museum. 1915 crew lists. Advanced Search BALMER, John. https://1915crewlists.rmg.co.uk : accessed: 23 Jan 2021.

Image. Photograph. 1917. SS. War Baron. Portland Oregon. National Archives' Record Group 19-LCM. U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 102371 https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-102000/N.H-102371.html : accessed 21 Jan 2021

Image . Photograph. 1986-1901. Fire Room U.S.S. Massachusetts. Edward H Hart. Collection: Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2016807923 : accessed 21 Jan 2021.