Tower Hill Memorial

Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-

Harold Doughty was born March 5th 1894 at Alnmouth, Northumberland, one of 8 children of whom only 7 survived, 4 sons and 3 daughters. Their father Thomas Johnson Doughty, born at Alnwick, Northumberland in 1855, from the age of 15 was a pupil teacher and by the time he was 25 he a school master at Alnmouth Board School. He had married, teacher, Agnes Wilson Turnbull in 1884 at Sterling, Scotland, where she was born in 1863. They lived with their children at The School House at Alnmouth where Thomas was now a qualified elementary teacher before moving to Pelaw, County Durham in the early 1900s. In 1911 living at 31, Croxdale Terrace, Pelaw, Thomas was teaching at a council school, son Walter (18) was employed as an engineer/fitter, Harold (17) a marine engineer/fitter, Rupert was working at a grocery dealership as a shop assistant, Percy (9) was a scholar.

Harold enlisted, date unknown, in the Mercantile Marine, the last ship he served on was SS Borg (London), as Third Engineer. SS Borg, a cargo ship, was torpedoed and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean, 20 nautical miles south west by south off The Lizard, Cornwall by SM UB-103 (Kaiserliche Marine) with the loss of 24 of her crew, June 10th 1918, whilst en route from Bilbao to Jarrow with a cargo of iron ore.

The sacrifice of Third Engineer Harold Doughty is recorded as one of the names inscribed on Tower Hill Memorial, Trinity Square, London, which commemorates men and women of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who died in both World Wars and who have no known grave. He was 23 years old and single.

Awards; Mercantile Marine Medal, British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to his family at 32 King Street, Pelaw, Felling, County Durham.

Thomas Johnson Doughty died aged 73 in 1929 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Agnes remarried at Morpeth in 1933 to Andrew Ross. Agnes Wilson Ross-Doughty nee Turnbull died at Stobswood in 1937, aged 74 years, registered in the district off Northumberland Central.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.

Harold Doughty is remembered at Heworth on H92.03 and on our List of Ships’ crews

Tower Hill Memorial website
The CWGC entry for Third Engineer Doughty