Photo: Vin Mullen

In loving memory of
William Erskine Cook Young
who was killed at Palmers Engine Works
during an enemy air raid June 15th 1915
in his 17th year
Also of his father and mother
David Young
who died July 5th 1929 aged 70 years
and Isabella Dunn Young
who died Nov. 22nd 1931 aged 72 years.

Wendy Miller has submitted the following:

Born William Erskine Cook Young (known as Willie) 24/11/1898 in Bilbao, Spain.
Family originally came from Dunfermline.
Parents : David Young, marine engineer & Isabella Dunn Cook (maternal family Erskine clan)Youngest of 6 brothers.

Willy was waiting at Palmer factory gates to take his father his lunch box when the zeppelin attacked.

His father was responsible for turning out all the lights in the factory but had no warning. He gave evidence in the court case brought against Palmer's by Mary Pounder SNAITH. She made a Workmen's Compensation claim against Palmer's which was referred to the County Court of Durham for arbitration. Her case arose from the death of her husband, Ralph SNAITH in the Zeppelin raid of 15 Jun 1915. She won her case on 13 Apr 1916 and Palmer's appealed to the Supreme Court. Mary won again on 15 July 1916, Palmer's then appealed to the House of Lords, which rejected their appeal on 30 January 1916.

DAVID YOUNG was examined. He said "I am an engineer. I know Palmer's works. I work there. My son was killed in the raid. The engine shops are about 200 yards from the river. They are all under one covering. I should say the building is five or six hundred feet long and roughly three hundred feet wide. The building is constructed on iron columns. The roof is glass. The side open to the river is about fifty feet high and about 2 thirds of it is glass. The other side facing the street is a stone wall with windows here and there about 20 feet by 4 feet. The ends of the building are corrugated iron. Sometime after a previous raid at Hebburn the glass roof was darkened or coloured, but before the raid in June last the colouring was off. It has now been painted a greenish colour. The engine shops are lighted by Empire lights. They are incandescent lamps. It is a kind of petroleum light. It made a very strong bright white light. Very powerful indeed. Outside the engine shops are the ship¬building yards extending to the river. The yard is lighted by electric arc lamps, there are at least 30. They are very powerful lamps. They were not shaded in any way. Two Monitors were being built. They were working night and day. The nearest part of the engine shops to bow of Monitor at least 100 yards. There were electric arc lamps on both sides of the Monitor. I was foreman night shift engineer in the power station. I got no warning or instructions that night as to cutting off the light. It is customary if they apprehend aircraft are about to prepare to put out lights and take cover as far as possible.

I had no warning that night. About 11.40 I was standing at the door of the power house. It is in the engine shops. I was at the engine room door. I heard an explosion. Before that saw a flash in the sky. I then put the power station in to darkness by switching out the roof light and I took steps to get the yard put in darkness immediately. I heard many explosions. Glass was falling all round about me. The lights in the engine shop were petroleum and of course the power station had no control over them. They remained burning for some little time after that. I know of 9 bombs falling in the engine shops and in the ship yards. There may have been more. Two that I know of fell in the engine shops and 9 altogether in the works."

Cross-examined, he said "I get warnings from a special messenger sent from the ship yard gate. I understand they get information at the ship yard gate from the Military authority. I do not know if warning was given that night. Two bombs had dropped in the yard before I switched off the light."

My grandfather must have been horrified when he heard about Willie

William Erskine Cook Young is remembered at Jarrow on J2.08