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Ramsgate Remembers its sailors and fishermen
Ramsgate Remembers its sailors and fishermen
Thanet, in its unique position at the south-eastern tip of England, where the North Sea meets the English Channel, has always been of strategic importance in naval warfare. The threat from German submarines soon became apparent, when on the last day of October 1914 HMS Hermes was torpedoed in the Dover Straits. When the Admiralty ordered in December 1914 that there was to be no fishing between Cromer and Portland Bill many of Thanet’s fishermen relocated to Brixham in Devon. Many other local fishermen took part in the Dover Patrol preventing German ships and submarines from using the English Channel to reach the Atlantic Ocean. Based at Dover and Dunkirk, the Dover Patrol assembled all kinds of vessels from cruisers to paddle-minesweepers. Apart from carrying out anti-submarine patrols the ships escorted merchantmen carrying troops, wounded soldiers, supplies and munitions across the Channel. They also worked hard laying sea-mines and constructing mine barrages. The families of trawler skippers received some financial assistance but money was always in short supply. Fourteen Ramsgate fishermen died at the hands of German U-Boats and over forty Ramsgate fishing smacks were lost, a big blow to the local economy.Many other local lads who were used to handling boats joined the Royal Navy or the Merchant Navy.
Created by: , Laura44155
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Born 1886
Died 1917
Royal Navy 226781 Boy 1st Class HMS Calliope
Royal Navy 226781 Boy 2nd Class HMS Northampton
Royal Navy 226781 Ordinary Seaman HMS Pembroke I
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More about John James Brookshaw -
Born 1886
Died 1915
Other Empire Force - Shipwright H.M.S. 'Princess Irene'
Royal Navy Shipwright H.M. Dockyard Sheerness H.M.S. Princess Irene
More about Frank William Lidney Adams -
Born 1865
Died 1914
Other Empire Force Skipper Mercantile Marine (Fishing Fleet)
Other Empire Force Skipper Fishing Fleet - Smack "L.S.D" (Ramsgate)
More about Edwin Jordan -
Born 1892
Died 1915
Royal Navy J4366
Royal Navy J/4366(CH). Leading Seaman H.M.S. "Natal."
More about Thomas William Jervis -
Born 1877
Died 1917
Royal Navy 166832
Royal Navy 166832 Able Seaman HMS Vanguard
More about Ernest Taylor -
Born 1900
Died 1917
Other Empire Force Catering Apprentice Mercantile Marine (Merchant Navy)
Other Empire Force Catering Apprentice Mercantile Marine - SS Perseverance (Ramsgate)
More about Alfred Stephen Deveson -
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Born 1899
Died 1918
Royal Navy K51726
Royal Navy K/51726 Stoker 2nd Class H.M.S. 'Pembroke'
More about Hammond William Robert Hewitt -
Born 1883
Died 1916
Royal Navy Commander HMS Defence
More about Alfred Fletcher Coplestone-Boughey -
Born 1860
Died 1914
Other Empire Force Second Hand Mercantile Marine (Fishing Fleet)
Other Empire Force Second Hand Fishing Fleet - Smack "L.S.D" (Ramsgate)
More about George Henry Fennell -
Born 1886
Died 1916
Royal Navy M267
Royal Navy Mate(E) HMS BLACK PRINCE
More about Henry Thornton Cleare -
Born 1897
Died 1917
Royal Navy J22394 Able Seaman HMS Vanguard
More about Ernest Samuel Parker -
Born 1882
Died 1914
Royal Navy Ordinary Seaman HMS Royal Arthur
Royal Navy 195662 Able Seaman HMS Good Hope
More about William James Emery -
Born 1884
Died 1918
Royal Navy K24860 Stoker 1st Class
Other Empire Force 564537 Boatswain Mercantile Marine Reserve
Other Empire Force 564537 Boatswain Mercantile Marine Reserve - H.M. Yacht, Ceto
More about Frederick James Dike -
Born 1871
Died 1915
Other Empire Force Steward Mercantile Marine. S.S. Ruel (Cardiff)
More about Ernest Johnson -
Born 1882
Died 1915
Royal Navy
Royal Navy Midshipman
Royal Navy Sub Lieutenant
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More about Charles Harold Evelyn Head -
Born 1865
Died 1915
Other Empire Force Boatswain Merchant Navy. SS Cymbeline
More about Albert John Austen -
Born 1899
Died 1918
Royal Navy G4229
Royal Navy G/4229. Steward Women's Royal Naval Sce
Royal Navy G/4229 Steward Women's Royal Naval Service London Division Wrns
More about Mabel Caroline Pearson -
Born 1878
Died 1918
Royal Navy 181784
Royal Navy 181784 Able Seaman (RFR/CH/B/5455). H.M.S. "Raglan."
More about George Henry Hammond -
Born 1883
Died 1915
British Army G/3924 Private East Kent Regiment
British Army G/3924 Private The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
More about Albert Edward Pointer