Photo: James Pasby

Derek Haynes has submitted the following:

William’s birth was registered in the March Q 1922 at Lanchester, Co. Durham, the son of William Henry & Emma Scott (nee Whilems). His parents married in the September Q 1919 in the registration district of Sunderland.

William had three siblings: an elder sister, Irene May, born September Q 1920, and two younger brothers, Gordon, born December Q 1923 and Brian, born June Q 1929. Like William, Gordon’s birth was registered in Lanchester while the births of the two other children, Irene and Brian were registered in Sunderland.

Tragedy struck when the breadwinner of the family, William, who was employed as a platelayer on the railways died on the 13th December 1928 at the family home of 5 Wear Street, Southwick, aged only 40 years. He was buried on the 15th December in Section 2, Grave number 591 of Southwick Cemetery. Not only was Emma left to bring up three young children, but at the time of Henry’s death she was pregnant with Brian.

Only twelve years after her husband’s death Emma, who had continued to live in 5 Wear Street, died on the 19th January 1941 in the Municipal Hospital, she was 51 years old. Emma was also buried in Southwick Cemetery but in a different plot from her husband. Section 3, Grave no. 890.

It is not known if William was aware of the death of his mother, as he had signed up to serve as an Able Seaman in the Merchant Navy. It was only a month after his mother died that William lost his life when the vessel on which he was serving was sunk.

Built in 1909 at the Osbourne, Graham & Co. Ltd. shipyard, North Hylton, Sunderland and originally named Easingwold, the S.S. Stanwold was a steamship of 1,019 tons. On the 23rd of February 1941 she left the Tyne to join a convoy to carry coal from Southend to Cowes, Isle of Wight. On board the Stanwold was her Captain James McCreadie, nineteen crewmen and two gunners.During the night of the 26th, at 11. 30 p.m., while sailing through the English Channel, she reported steering problems which were mainly due to a severe list to starboard. The following morning at 04.20 she was sighted still listing to starboard. Nothing more was heard from the Stanwold and she was presumed lost with all hands. Some days later the bodies of some of her crew were washed up in Pevensey Bay, East Sussex, one of those bodies was William’s. His body was returned home, and on the 8th of March 1941 he was laid to rest in Section 3, Grave no. 918 of Southwick Cemetery.

A CWGC headstone marks his final resting place.

William Henry Scott is remembered in Peter Gibson's Book and on our List of Ships’ crews

The CWGC entry for Able Seaman Scott