Lives of the First World War

John Nelson Browne was Master of the SS Strathnairn cargo vessel built in 1906 with a crew of 33 comprising English, Welsh and Scottish mariners, as well as British subjects from India and of Chinese origin belonging to Hong Kong. He died on 15 June 1915 age 39 with 20 other members of his crew after his ship was torpedoed off the Pembrokeshire coast by German Submarine U-22 commanded by Bruno Hoppe.

John Nelson Browne Master, SS Strathnairn. Remembered with Honour and Commemorated in Perpetuity by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at Tower Hill Memorial. The Tower Hill Memorial bears the names of 12,000 WW1 merchant seamen who have no known grave, their bodies lost or buried at sea. Queen Mary unveiled the memorial on 12 December 1928.

Some of the 21 SS Strathnairn crew who died on 15 June 1915 are listed on the WW1 Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill London. Namely, the master John Nelson Browne age 39, second engineer James Lionel Pemberton age 29, third engineer Peter Whitehall Houston age 30, fourth engineer George Fleming age 21 and third mate Benjamin Bruce Evans age 19. Other crew are listed on the Hong Kong Memorial.

Some of the 21 SS Strathnairn crew who died on 15 June 1915 are listed on the WW1 Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill London. Namely, the master John Nelson Browne age 39, second engineer James Lionel Pemberton age 29, third engineer Peter Whitehall Houston age 30, fourth engineer George Fleming age 21 and third mate Benjamin Bruce Evans age 19. Other crew are listed on the Hong Kong Memorial.

Some of the 21 SS Strathnairn crew who died on 15 June 1915 are listed on the WW1 Mercantile Marine Memorial at Tower Hill London. Namely, the master John Nelson Browne age 39, second engineer James Lionel Pemberton age 29, third engineer Peter Whitehall Houston age 30, fourth engineer George Fleming age 21 and third mate Benjamin Bruce Evans age 19. Other crew are listed on the Hong Kong Memorial.

SS Strathnairn was a cargo vessel built in 1906 with a crew of 33 comprising English, Welsh and Scottish mariners, as well as British subjects from India and of Chinese origin belonging to Hong Kong. Records show she was torpedoed 2 miles west of Ramsey Island (in the vicinity of the Smalls Light House) off the Pembrokeshire coast. She was sunk by German Submarine U-22 commanded by Bruno Hoppe at 9:30pm on 15 June 1915 with the loss of 21 crew including its master John Nelson Browne age 39. The Strathnairn was carrying a cargo of coal from Penarth Wales bound for Archangel Russia.

SS Strathnairn was torpedoed by German Submarine U-22 commanded by Bruno Hoppe at 9:30pm on 15 June 1915 with the loss of 21 crew including its master John Nelson Browne age 39. The force of the blast burst the ship's steam boiler and the ship itself soon began to list to port. The ship's four lifeboats were immediately swung out, but with the ship still having forward momentum, the first lifeboat was smashed against the ship's sides. The occupants were thrown into the water, drowning the Master, Chief Officer and 19 men. Two other lifeboats capsized after being cut from their davits. The last was launched as the ship slowed to a halt and the remaining of the crew got safely into it. They managed to rescue some of the Chinese crew from the water. Although the attacking submarine U-22 was never seen, her periscope was observed moving around the stern of the vessel to ascertain the ship's name. The lifeboat remained in the vicinity until dark, by which time the Strathnairn had sunk.