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Express And Advertiser August 23 1915
The Torpedoed Troopship 34 Local Men Reported Saved
Though it is a fortnight this morning since the troopship Royal Edward was torpedoed in the Aegean Sea on its way to the Dardanelles, no official list of survivors and victims has yet been issued. It was estimated that about 600 men of a total of 1,600 on board were saved, the troops consisting mainly, according to the Admiralty notification, of reinforcements for the 29th Division and detachments of the R.A.M.C. The latter was known to include a batch of about 70 men from this district, from the 2/1st and 2/2nd East Lancashire Field Ambulance (Territorials), and the fate of these men has occasioned much anxiety in Burnley and Padiham, whence the men were chiefly recruited.
On Wednesday, Lieut.-Col. Callam, who raised the particular battalion of the R.A.M.C. from which these formed drafts, wired home as follows:- "Thirty-four of boys safe. No name syet." On Wednesday and Thursday letters began to arrive from survivors, and as in these news was sometimes given of other men they have been widely read, and the relatives of those reported safe have been overjoyed at the good news. The only official notification, as far as we can gather, up to last night, of any kind was that relating to Provate J. P. Conway, of Fulledge, and the only member of St. Mary's Catholic community, in which he was a highly respected member. He is reported as drowned "at a place not stated."
Appended is a list of those reported, either personally or by comrades in letters, as saved. This is not necessarily a complete list, and it does not follow that those of whom no news has been received are lost, as the survivors seem to have been scattered according to the ships which picked them up. We are able therefore, up to the present, to give definite news of the following:
Drowned.
Pte. J .P. Conway, 43, Lyndhurst-road, Burnley
Saved
H Baldwin, 1, Holmes-street
W. Barker, 98, Accrington-road
Frank Basnett, senior, Healey Wood-road
C. Brockbank, 20, Jackson-street
J. clegg, 2, Hind-street
T. Cliffe, 58, Church-street, Briercliffe
J. Dickinson, Baron-terrace
J. Dixon, Sutcliffe-street, Briercliffe
W. K. Gaukrodger, 9, Francis-street
W. Hardman, Green-street
E. Hartley, 18 ford-street
R. Hirst, 11, Daneshouse-road
H. Hodkinson, 11, Linby-street
B. Jones, 19, Renshaw-street
G. Macdonald, 50, Hart-street
W. Slater, 2, Basnett-street
H. Smith, Briercliffe
H. Stuttard, 31, Grasmere-street
E. Taylor, 35, duke-street
D. Thompson, 39, Bracewell-street
W. Towse, 132, Briercliffe-road
T. Warrington, Manchester-road
J. Rigby, St Giles-street, Padiham
R. E. Morroe, 30, Moore-street, Cheapside
C. Whittle, 77 Hapton-road, Padiham
W. Robinson, 7, Graham-street, Padiham
Sergt. V. B. Ditcham, London
W. Walker, of 77, Waterloo-road
Not On Board
J. Barnett, of Accrington-road, is said to have been put off at Alexandria.
Sister's vivid Dream
Sad News To Wedding Party
"It is my painful duty to inform you that a report has this day been received from the War Office notifying the death of Pte Joseph P. Conway, which occurred at (not stated) on the 15th July. I am to express the regret of the Army Council. The cause of death was 'drowned'." This was the fateful message received yesterday morning by Miss Conway, of 43 Lyndhurst-road, Burnley, from the Record Office at Preston. It terminated the suspense and anxiety which Miss Conway had felt over the fate of her brother, who was a chemist, and one of the best-known men in the fulledge district.
The fatality is all the more poignant as on the day the disaster to the transport Royal Edward was made public, another of his sisters was married. Mr. conway was to have been present at the ceremony, but his duties precluded this, and instead of his company there came a cheery letter explaining his absence and telling his sister not to regret his inability to be present, but to feel proud that she had a brother who was going to do his duty to the wounded soldiers.
Also it was a sad home coming to another sister, Mrs. Proctor. This lady, who had married a Burnley gentleman named Proctor, a member of a well known Cliviger family, had been out in Montreal, Canada, a few years, and as her husband has joined the ?0th Batt. of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, she came over for her sister's wedding and to reside with friends. She only arrived in burnley about an hour before the wedding, and it was whilst the wedding guests were enjoying themselves that the tragic news came through of the loss of the troopship and the loss of a thousand British lives.
It is a remarkable coincidence that on Friday, whilst on board the vessel coming across from Canada, Mrs. Proctor had a terrifying dream in which she saw a ship wrecked and soldiers afterwards struggling in the water.
As it was known Mr. Conway was on that ship, it naturally cast a gloom over the proceedings, but the relatives kept up a brave heart, hoping that he might be amongst those fortunate enough to be saved.
When letters began to arrive in Burnley early this week Miss Conway began to have her doubts as to her brother's safety, as he had been so regular and thoughtful a writer. On Wednesday there came to Burnley a letter bearing ominous news, and its contents were communicated by Mr. and Mrs, Macdonald, of Hart-street to Miss Conway. The message read:-
"Poor Joe conway is dead. He got picked up, but died an hour later."
As already stated, Miss Conway received a confirmatory message from Preston yesterday. Obviously the date of death is wrong, as the boat was not torpedoed until August 13th.
Pte. Conway was a prominent member of the Roman Catholic community, being connected with St. Mary's Church. He had been employed for several years by Mr. Collins and then Mr. Shepherd, chemist, at Duke Bar, before commencing business on his own. He was un-married, and aged 36 years.
Safe But Bruised
Mr. and Mrs, Macdonald, of 50, Hart-street, Burnley, are gratified at the receipt of news that their son, Pte. George Macdonald, aged 19, was safe. In a letter the soldier states:- "I am all right with the exception of a bit of a cut on my head and a few bruises on my leg. I am in a hospital at Alexandria."
Another son, James Francis Macdonald, is in the A.S.C. in Alexandria, and George in his letter expressed the hope that he might see his brother whilst there. George formerly worked on the Corporation tramways.
Crushed Between Boats
Perhaps one of the most fortunate escapes is that of Pte. wilfred slater, of Basnett-street, Burnley. He was crushed between the sinking ship and a boat and at the time he wrote he was unable to walk. At the same time he says he is not badly injured, and is getting on all right.
Survivors' Letters
We have in type, which we cannot publish without the sanction of the Press Bureau, a large number of letters from survivors. these give more interesting accounts of the sinking of the Royal Edward. They bear out the Admiralty statement that the ship was torpedoed. All state that it was struck by a torpedo and not mined. The boat was hit about 9-20a.m. and sank within four minutes, which would account for the large loss of life, as recorded in the official announcement of the disaster.
Pte. E. Taylor has written to his sister at 35, Duke-street, that he is still "in the pink" despite the mishap to the ship. He has written from a ship, on which he stated there were three other ambulance men on the same rescue ship at the time and who had been saved. He, however, does not give any names.
"'kit' is all right; he did not get a scratch." This is a sentence received in a letter from Pte. G. Macdonald, who was on the Royal Edward, and is safe. It refers to Pte. C. Brockbank, whose home is at 20, Jackson-street, Burnley.
Pte. Henry baldwin, whose home is at 1, Holme-street, has also written home, though his relatives did not have their anxiety relieved until yesterday morning. He attributes his safety to a lifebelt he wore.
A Fighting Family
Pte. John Dickinson, of 3, Baron-terrace, Burnley, has written to say he is safe. He is a member of a fmaily of fighters. There are three brothers in France - Alfred, with the Blue Cross; Levi, with the R.H.A.; and Walter, with the R.F.A.; while there are also two brothers-in-law on service.
Scattered Survivors
A Burnley member of the Burnley Territorial R.F.A. named Swainston, writing from Egypt, states: "Last night I went, after numerous inquiries to visit E. Hartley, who was on a boat, the Royal Edward, going to the Dardanelles. The boat was torpedoed, but luckily he, along with many more, was saved. The survivors are stranded allover the show."
Watches Stopped
Pte. W. Barker, a prominent local Salvation Army bandsman, is among the men saved. His home is at 98, Accrington-road, burnley, and he has been connected with the Elmwood-street Salvation Army Corps for over ten years, having been deputy bandsmaster for nearly three years. Formerly he worked at Messrs. Haslam's Yatefield Mill. He is 25 years of age, is married, and has two children. Pte. Barker has sent home his watch, with the follwoing written on a piece of cardboard:- "My watch spoiled by water." The dial is badly discoloured.
Pte. Elijah Hartley also records the following:- "I had my watch in my trouser's pocket and it stopped at the minute I went down. It will not run again after being in salt water."
_________________
Mel
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