Illustrated Chronicle Friday 25/09/1914
Colin Boyd has provided the following:
William joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 14th April 1909 when he was employed as a furnaceman at Palmer's Ironworks in Jarrow. He was described as being 5 feet 8 inches tall with fair hair and grey eyes.
He was born on 30th May 1887 to Martin and Mary Jane Burdiss and when he enrolled he was living at 8, Nixon Street Back, Jarrow.
By the time of the 1911 Census he was living with his wife Catherine and his 8 month old son William Edward at 13, Chaytor Street, Jarrow.
William was called up on 17th August 1914 and was posted to H.M.S. Aboukir. He was lost when the ship was torpedoed off the Belgian Coast on 22nd September 1914 . At the time that his pension was granted he had the following dependants:
Catherine, wife, born 24th August 1886, married 24th August 1907;
Martin, son, born 22nd February 1908;
William Edward, son, born 10th August 1910;
Mary Jane, daughter, born 30th October 1912;
James Aboukir, son, born (posthumously) 31st January 1915.
William Burdiss is remembered in Jarrow on J2.01 and J2.10 and on our List of Ships’ crews
