H.M.T Burnley
Research by Denis Otter
His Majesty’s Trawler Burnley was a minesweeper
based at Harwich which was mined and sank with all on board on 26th November
1916.
Burnley Football Club were the last pre-war winners of the Football Association
Cup in 1914 and His Majesty’s Trawler Burnley was obviously named for
this victory.
The Harwich Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Auxiliary
and Minesweeping Patrol Memorial (which is situated at the junction of Lower
Marine Parade and Fronks Road on Harwich seafront) commemorates those officers
and men based at Harwich who died in World War I.
H.M Trawler Burnley was sunk on the 25th November 1916, when she hit a mine, which was one of twelve laid the previous day by the German submarine UC4 (Oberleutnant zur See Howaldt) as part of Sperre (minefield 203) The same minefield later claimed HM Trawler Tervani on the 5th December
HMS Burnley’s official statistics were:-
Displacement – 276 Gross Tons. Armament - 1 x 12 pounder. Admiralty Number
3277.
Port Registration No. FD 242. Requisitioned May 1916. Lost off Orford Ness on
25th Nov. 1916.
Nineteen men were lost with the Burnley
Lt. Cdr Thomas Reginald Heap R.N.R.
aged 35, son of William Heap JP of Selby, Yorks; husband of Florence Elenor
Primrose Few (formerly Heap) of 22 Trebovir Road, Earls Court.
Skipper Robert Edward Page R.N.R. aged 54, son of Thomas Dickman
Page, husband of Ellen Veale Page of 18 Fonthill Rd., Aberdeen
Telephonist William Wordlaw Baille Raffin Clyde Z/7339 R.N.R.
aged 19, son of Joseph and Marion F.B. Raffin of 26 Easter Rd. Edinburgh
Deck Hand Walter Braime, 3842 S.D. R.N.R., aged 19, son of
Louis and Emma Braime of 144 High St. Boston, Lincs
Deck Hand Frederick Robert Francis, 4009 S.D. R.N.R., aged
21, son of Mr. And Mrs. Willaim Ftncis of Salcott, Witham, Essex
Deck Hand John Rayner Goodwin , 4477 S.D. R.N.R., aged 38,
son of George and Frances Jane Goodwin of Lower Rainham. Kent
Trimmer William Edward Hammant, 5561 T.S. R.N.R., aged 32,
son of William and Sarah Hammant, of Great Yarmouth ; husband of Beatrice Emma
Hammant of 29, Row 51, Market Place, Great Yarmouth
Deck Hand William Jenkinson, 11042 D.A. R.N.R., aged 25, son
of William and Lucy Elizabeth Jednkinson, of 10 St. John’s Park, Upper
Holloway, London
Engineman Richard Daglish Johnstone, 5539 T.S. R.N.R., aged
31, son of James and Jane Johnstone, of 6 Salem St., South Shields; husband
of the late May Lohnstone
Engineman Stephen Leslie, 4686 E.S. R.N.R., son of Thomas AND
Mary Ann Leslie of South Shields; husband of Mary Elizabeth Mackie (formerly
Leslie), of 16 Mozart St., South Shields
The Harwich Royal Naval Reserve and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Auxiliary
and Minesweeping Patrol Memorial (which is situated at the junction of Lower
Marine Parade and Fronks Road on Harwich seafront) commemorates those officers
and men based at Harwich who died in World War I.
