Heroes and Rebels in the Family Tree—The sinking of the fishing trawler Rupee

 

Heroes and Rebels in the Family Tree—The sinking of the fishing trawler Rupee

 

Information below is extracted from the blog site Historic England

On October 30, 1915, a group of eight fishing vessels, the Coriander, Fitzgerald, Achieve, Venture, Athena, Quest, Prospector and Strive, all from Lowestoft, were captured, scuttled, and sunk while out fishing in the North Sea.

This was by no means the first attack on Lowestoft smacks, as all eight were, or any British fishing fleet. The situation had been escalating since the start of hostilities, but became very marked in July 1915 with the Lowestoft fleet coming under attack on several occasions.

In fact, the wartime toll on the fishing fleet was such that a separate section of the official 1919 HMSO publication Merchant Shipping (Losses) was devoted entirely to ‘Fishing Vessels Captured or Destroyed by the Enemy’, running to 25 pages. According to Table B in this publication, for July 1915 alone 36 British fishing vessels were sunk for 3,966 tons – and this table took no account of requisitioned trawlers and drifters, being solely concerned with fishing craft still in civilian employment.

All eight vessels were sunk in the space of about five hours by UB-10, captained by Otto Steinbrinck, who, as one of the most prolific U-boat captains of the First World War, would go on to sink 197 more vessels throughout the war. In fact, he accounted for the greatest number of ships sunk (but not the greatest tonnage – for example, these eight ships were very small).

‘The Lowestoft smacks suffered another heavy raid on the 30th. The morning was still and fine and they were lying becalmed and scattered widely over the fishing grounds round about Smith’s Knoll.’  The Coriander was the first victim, being ‘accosted and eventually scuppered by a submarine which placed a bomb in her hold’.

These repeated attacks on the Lowestoft fishing fleet triggered an investigation into the best method of dealing with the threat, concluding that, since the attacking submarines were small and not armed with guns (only with bombs and torpedoes: the latter would not have been expended on small wooden vessels) always approaching their potential victims closely, self-defence would be adequate protection. Four smacks were issued with 3pdr guns to ‘cruise to seaward of and near to the fishing fleet’.

On a lighter note, the same report noted the downside of reporting submarine sightings where the new-fangled wireless telegraphy was unavailable: ‘The pigeon service is slow and unreliable.’

In the meantime, the development of the Q-Ships as, . . . fisheries protection vessels, had begun during 1915, as fishing smacks were targeted off the east coast. Similar attacks took place thereafter on a fairly regular basis on the North Sea and Channel coasts, with enemy activity intensifying at intervals.

Protection against mass sinkings of the fishing smacks came from among their own: one vessel from each fleet would be commissioned as a ‘Special Service’ vessel to guard their fellows engaged in fishing. Their diminutive size inevitably led to their designation as ‘Q-smacks’, but they were no less ‘Special Service’ vessels for that. Some even engaged U-boats directly, as Inverlyon had done in defending the Lowestoft smacks.

Despite Inverlyon‘s success, it wasn’t always possible for the Q-smacks to defend their charges. On 8 June 1917, another sailing Q-smack, the Prevalent was unable to assist when four Brixham smacks were sunk in the fishing grounds off south Devon, in full view of Start Point. One of those vessels was the Onward, built in 1907, and assigned an official number of 125101. Other vessels also assigned numbers from the same batch of official numbers allocated to Brixham, all built locally at around the same time as Brown Mouse and Golden Vanity, had also fallen victim to German submarine attacks: Markum on 17 April 1917, Boy Denis on 26 April, and Rupee on 4 October 1917.

Four men died on the fishing trawler Rupee when it was captured and sunk by a German U-boat in 1917.

The attack occurred on October 3, 1917, while the Brixham-registered vessel was operating about 12 miles north of Lundy Island in the Bristol Channel. The German submarine captured the trawler and subsequently sank it by gunfire, killing four members of the crew.

The men who lost their lives were William Hawkes, Skipper, George Waters, Frederick James Dowsing, and Ernest Arthur Hawkes.

William H Hawkes

A Master (Skipper) with Trawler Rupee (Brixham), William died on October 3, 1917. William was born at Carlton Colville on March 31, 1870, the son of Henry Hawkes1840-1909 and Mary Ann Mitchell 1844-1918. He was baptised at Saint Peter's Church, Carlton Colville, on January 29, 1871. His family lived 'near The Bell Inn' Carlton Colville and this was still their address in 1881. William married Martha Ann Wilson at Saint Peter's Church, Carlton Colville, on October 24, 1889. William and Martha had ten children.  They were:

1.     Clara Maud Hawkes 1890–1974

2.     Alice Martha Hawkes 1892–1977

3.     May Doris Hawkes 1894–1986

4.     William Henry Hawkes 1896–

5.     Beatrice Ellen Hawkes 1898–1991

6.     Ernest Arthur Hawkes 1900–1917

7.     Bertie Louis Clifford Hawkes 1904–1969

8.     Ruby Florence Hawkes 1906–2005

9.     Jack Frederick Hawkes 1910–1915

10.Dorothy Mary Hawkes 1912–2006

William was a fisherman. In 1891 they were living at Bell Corner, Carlton Colville. By 1901 they lived at Beccles Road, Carlton Colville, and this was still their address in 1911. Later Martha lived at Waverley House, The Avenue, South Lowestoft. William was the Skipper of the trawler Rupee and among the crew was his son Ernest. On October 3, 1917 the Rupee was 12 miles north of Lundy when captured by a German submarine which proceeded to sink the trawler, by gunfire. Four of the crew, including William, and his son Ernest, were killed. William's brother Robert served with the Suffolk Regiment and died in 1917.

Genealogy:  William H Hawkes 1870-1917 was the son of Henry "Harry" Hawkes 1840-1909 and his daughter was Ellen Elizabeth Hawkes 1881-1954 and her husband was Levi James Blaza 1879-1958 and his father was James Blaza 1851-1927 and his mother was Eliza Cole 1818-1878 and her mother was Lydia A Cotton 1794-1876 and her father was John Cotton 1766-1832 and his mother was Elizabeth Foster 1732-1780 and her father was Thomas Forster 1710- and his son was Samuel Forster 1740-1815 and his son was William Forster 1778-1854 and his son was Isaac Forster 1801-1890 and his son was Thomas Forster 1837-1888 and his daughter was Caroline Forster 1864-1906 and her husband was George "Pikey" William Welch-Adams 1867-1940.

Ernest Arthur Hawkes

A Fourth Hand with Trawler Rupee (Brixham), Ernest died on October 3, 1917 at the age of 17.  Ernest was born at Carlton Colville about December 1900, the son of William and Martha Ann Hawkes. He was baptised at in Carlton Colville, on January 13, 1901. His family lived at Beccles Road, Carlton Colville. By in 1911 they were still living at Beccles Road and later Ernest's mother lived at Waverley House, The Avenue, South Lowestoft. Ernest's father was a trawler skipper and Ernest became the 4th Hand on his father's trawler the Rupee. On October 3, 1917 the Rupee was 12 miles north of Lundy when captured by a German submarine which proceeded to sink the trawler, by gunfire. Four of the crew, including Ernest, and his father, were killed. Ernest's uncle Robert served with the Suffolk Regiment and died in 1917. 

Genealogy:  Ernest Arthur Hawkes was the son of William H Hawkes 1870-1917 and his father was Henry "Harry" Hawkes 1840-1909 and his daughter was Ellen Elizabeth Hawkes 1881-1954 and her husband was Levi James Blaza 1879-1958 and his father was James Blaza 1851-1927 and his mother was Eliza Cole 1818-1878 and her mother was Lydia A Cotton 1794-1876 and her father was John Cotton 1766-1832 and his mother was Elizabeth Foster 1732-1780 and her father was Thomas Forster 1710- and his son was Samuel Forster 1740-1815 and his son was William Forster 1778-1854 and his son was Isaac Forster 1801-1890 and his son was Thomas Forster 1837-1888 and his daughter was Caroline Forster 1864-1906 and her husband was George "Pikey" William Welch-Adams 1867-1940.

 

Frederick James Dowsing

A Mate with Trawler Rupee (Brixham), Frederick died on October 3, 1917.

Frederick was born at Lowestoft in January 1873, the son of Thomas Henry Dowsing 1844-1923 and Mary Ann Barrett Moyse 1845-1918. In 1881 his family lived at Wright's Cottages, 1, Beccles Road, Lowestoft. From a young age Frederick went to sea and was a trawlerman. By 1894 his family was living at 3 Ipswich Road, Lowestoft.

Frederick married Mary Anna “Hanna” Hood at Saint Margaret's Church, Lowestoft, on December 26, 1894. Mary lived at 73 Queens Road. By 1901 they were living at 78 Queens Road, and by 1911 at 64 Queens Road, and later their home was at 81 Oxford Road, Lowestoft. Frederick and Mary Anna had four children.  They were:

1.     Alice Mary Dowsing 1898– 1973

2.     Ivy Dorothy Dowsing 1900–1931

3.     Irene Ruby Jane Dowsing 1901– 1977

4.     Ada Rosa Maud Dowsing 1905–1987

The 1911 Census shows Frederick at Padstow and he was the Mate on the trawler Hyacinth (LT 1015).

Frederick was the Mate on the trawler Rupee. On 3 October 1917 the Rupee was 12 miles north of Lundy when captured by a German submarine which proceeded to sink the trawler, by gunfire. Four of the crew, including Frederick, were killed. 

Frederick's brother Thomas served with the Royal Naval Reserve and died in 1916. 

Genealogy: Too lengthy to describe, however, Frederick James Dowsing is the husband of 23rd cousin 3x removed

George Waters

A Third Hand with Trawler Rupee (Brixham), George died on October 3, 1917 at the age of 41.

George was born at Weston, Suffolk, in 1876, a son of George Waters 1851-1905 and Eleanor Saunders 1851-1914.  He was baptised in Ringsfield on July 2, 1876.

George married Sarah Kate Reeve at Lowestoft on January 15, 1896 and they lived at 3 Hervey Street.  George and Sarah Kate had four children.  They were:

1.     Eleanor Laura Kate Waters 1896–1978

2.     George Edward Waters 1899–1980

3.     Olive Maud Rebecca Waters 1900–1979

4.     Violet Irene Waters 1909–1980

In 1901 they were living at Raglan Cottages, 5 Raglan Street. By 1911 their home was at 1 Gertrude Cottages, Kendal Road, Lowestoft, and later Sarah lived at 518 London Road, South Lowestoft following George’s death.

In 1911 George was at Padstow and was the Mate on the Lowestoft trawler Picotee (LT 252). 

George was the Third Hand on the trawler Rupee. On October 3, 1917 the Rupee was 12 miles north of Lundy when captured by a German submarine which proceeded to sink the trawler, by gunfire. Four of the crew, including George, were killed. 

Genealogy:  George Waters 1875-1917 was the father of Eleanor Laura Kate Waters 1896-1978 and she married Thomas William Adams 1894-1975 and his father was George "Pikey" William Welch-Adams 1867-1940.