John Cawthorne Cree was born on the 1st February 1898 and was educated at the Westoe Secondary School at Mowbray Road, now demolished.
John was a pilot assistant, and he was 19 when he died. He was born in South Shields, the son of John and Elizabeth. His father was also a pilot, born in Jarrow.
In 1901 the family resided at 43 Trajan Avenue in South Shields and John’s last known address was 60 Kensington Road.
The Pilot Cutter ‘Protector’ ended her career at 7.00 a.m. The Cutter had been in at 6.00 a.m to get a relay of Pilots on board after which she proceeded to board several steamers which were lying near the harbour mouth awaiting daylight.
The Cutter was lying about a quarter of a mile from the piers awaiting the ‘S.S. Mile End’, which was stopped ready to take her Pilot on board.
Those on-board the 'Mile End' suddenly felt the shock of a violent explosion practically alongside of them and to their surprise saw a cloud of smoke like a volcanic eruption rise up from the water and the 'Protector' was no more, and those of her crew, Pilots and assistants all killed.
The cause of it is presumed to be a mine laid to destroy the ‘H.M.S. Resolution’ of which left the port the morning previous.
The mine that sunk the 'Protector' was laid by the German U boat SM UC-31, under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Otto von Schrader. SM UC-31 left Flanders on the 28th December 1916 and returned on the January 5th 1917. The mines off Sunderland were laid the evening of the 30th December, the 'Protector' detonated one of them the following day. The 1,294-ton steamship 'Lonclara' was lost on the same minefield on January 4th 1917. The 'Protector' went down with every soul on board,
There were another 18 crew members who died the youngest was 16 and the eldest 70. Only one body was ever recovered.
Ten pilots, four assistant pilots and five of a crew.
John Cawthorne Cree is remembered at Harton on H104.03, and South Shields on S86.030, S86.046 and S86.062 and on our List of Ships’ crews.
The Pilot Online History
South Shields Grammar School
The CWGC entry for Pilot Assistant Cree
