Lives of the First World War

Mark Hone writes "......in respect of Bury Grammar School old boy Herbert Hartley. The information on the sinking was kindly provided by our own John Hartley (apparently no relation): Corporal H. Hartley (22), late of Walmersley Road, Bury, of 605 Motor Transport Company, A.S.C., lost his life in the sinking of the S.S. Città-de-Palermo in the Lower Adriatic on January 8th, 1916. He was a Grammar School old boy, and his name is on the roll of honour at St Marks Church, Bury. NOTE: SS Citta di Palermo was an Italian ship carrying 143 British troops from Brindisi, thought to be heading for the Salonika theatre of war in northern Greece. No-one knew that weeks before, on 10 December 1915, mines had been laid outside the harbour by a small German minelaying submarine, UC14, under the command of Oblt. S Casar Bauer. As the Citta di Palermo left harbour, bound initially for Durazzo in Albania, it hit a mine and sank. Several Royal Navy drifters went to help survivors and three also hit mines. They were the Frenchy, Cravenwood and Morning Star. 57 lives were lost on the troopship. Commemorated on Hollybrook Memorial, Southampton."

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