Ancestors and Descendants of Adams and Mann and Others

  A Ghost Story from the Exeter   Exeter (LT 139) Alongside the Fish Market in 1935   From the  West Wales Guardian  of Friday 22nd January 1937:  On Wednesday the steam trawler "Exeter" entered port with her red ensign flying at half mast, bearing the mortal remains of the skipper of the vessel, Mr. Avery Pitman, 43, Starbuck Road, who had died at sea on the previous day.     The mate, Mr. W. Johnston, of Hill Street, Hakin, Pembrokeshire, Wales, immediately turned the vessel round and headed back to port. The deceased, a native of Brixham, was fifty-three years old and had been fishing out of Milford for the last twenty years.  A week before he died, skipper Pitman was in another vessel when he netted a six-foot Bay tree firmly planted in a tub of earth while fishing off the Smalls.  It was a coincidence that he was found dead at approximately the same place as the Bay tree was netted.       ...

  An Engineman with H.M. Drifter Golden Rule, Henry died on 15th of February 1918 at the age of 35.  Henry was born at Toft Monks, Norfolk, on 2 April 1883, a son of William and Mary Ann Symonds. He was baptised at Toft Monks Parish Church on 30 May 1886. In 1891 his family lived at Church Road, Toft Monks.  In 1903 Henry married Marian Ellen Bird, this was registered in the Loddon district. In 1903-4 they lived at Thorpe next Haddiscoe, and in 1908 at Haddiscoe. By 1911 they were living at 14 The Street, Oulton, and Henry was a drift-net fisherman. Later Marian lived at 3 Factory Street, Lowestoft. Henry joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 10 August 1914. Note: his service record gives his year of birth as 1893. Initially he served with the drifter Eyrie . On September 2, 1914 the Eyrie struck a mine and was lost, but Henry survived this incident. Next, he joined the trawler Sussex County . On 16 March 1915 he joined the trawler Brothers and on 10 August 1917 he j...

  Heroes and Rebels in the Family Tree—Richard William Barker, DSC Richard William Barker, DSC (Distinguished Service Cross), was the eldest son of James Barker (1859-1926) and Ellen Maria Keeble Brown (1863-1952).   James and Ellen were married on September 22, 1889 in the parish church of Kessingland, Suffolk England.   Together, they raised nine children, eight of whom lived to adulthood.   Their daughter Norah Ellen died tragically at only 2-1/2 years old, as a result of injuries and burns sustained from falling into an open fire.   Their children were:      1.        Richard “Dick” William Barker, DSC, 1889-1966      2.        Janet Marian “Jenny” Barker, 1892-1967      3.        Charles Alfred “Charlie” Barker 1893-1961      4.        Donald James “Mac” Barker, 1895-1971 ...

  Heroes and Rebels in the Family Tree—The Crew of the Fishing Trawler “Labrador”   On 23 January 1915 the trawler Labrador, LT 1165, left Lowestoft for the fishing grounds. The trawler was due back in Lowestoft on Sunday 31 st in order for her catch to be ready for the Monday market. The trawler was not seen again and it was presumed that the trawler had struck a mine and sank with all eight crew.  The eight crewmembers who perished were: Skipper, Stephen Peek – Mate, Henry George Adams (age 34) – 1st Engineer, Albert John Newstead – 2nd Engineer, Harry G. Sparks – Trimmer, Emanuel Stephen Peek – Third-Hand, Felix Frankling – Deckhand, Fredrick W. Rushmore – Cook, Samuel Martin. The body of the skipper Stephen Peak was later brought up in the trawl nets of Kestrel. Here is the account of the tragedy as originally published in "The Lowestoft Journal and Suffolk County Record, Saturday, 13 February 1915" LOSS OF A LOWESTOFT STEAM TRAWLER. FATE OF THE LABRADOR....