Rev. David Youngson has provided the following:
1st Engineer George COCKBURN
Mercantile Marine SS Willingtonia
He was born at Newcastle. A Marine Engineer, he was Initiated into 2568 Delaval Lodge Masonic Hall Maple Street Newcastle on Tyne on the 4th February 1917; Passed 1st May 1917 and Raised on the 11th June 1917. He died on the 25th August 1918 aged 40 and is remembered on the Tower Hill Memorial, London.
The S.S. Willingtonia was a steel hulled steam cargo ship (3228 grt). She was built on the Tyne by the Iron Shipbuilding Company Limited of Newcastle and completed in January 1918. Owned by the Ericsson Shipping Company Limited of Newcastle she sailed from Barry en route to Corfu with a cargo of coal. She was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UC27 on 25th August 1918 thirteen miles SW x W of Marittimo, Italy. Four of the crew were lost.
He is remembered in Jesmond on J1.09 and there is a potted history in J1.16 He is also on our List of Ships’ crews