Illustrated Chronicle 28/01/1915

Headstone for 3 HMS Viknor unknown crew

Photo :Illustrated Chronicle 30/01/1915

Viknor Naval Crew

Walter Davison Arthur was born in 1893 at Leith Scotland, the son of James and Jennie Annie [Arthur], one of 5 children, Jennie, Annie, Elizabeth and Agnes Arthur.

Walter was married on the 3rd August 1914, at St Johns' Church Percy Main.

He was an apprentice blacksmith at a shipyard. They resided at 49 Barrasford Street, East Howdon, and 7 Eastern Terrace, East Howdon, between 1901 and 1911.

Walter was one of the crew members of the HMS Viknor, part of the (10th Cruiser) Squadron, which sunk with all of its crew on the 13th January 1915 by a mine which had been laid by the vessel Berlin.

His body was never recovered or identified like many of his fellow crew members.p>Also on board the Viknor were eight Germans who had been taken prisoner when SS Bergensfjord was captured on January 11th 1915. These included Graf Hans Adam Wedell and Dr. Rasmus Bjornstad. Wedell was a high level German spy traveling from New York to Germany. It is unclear who Bjornstad was or if this was even his real name. The other (unnamed) six Germans were stowaways and suspected to be traveling to Germany to join the war effort.

Source: Maritime Quest with thanks.

Naval History WW1. Official Account.“VIKNOR, armed merchant cruiser, 13 January 1915, Atlantic off N Ireland - ex-Viking or The Viking, ex-cruise ship, 5,386grt, built 1888, Viking Cruise Co, 15kts, hired 19/11/14, Pendant No.M.82, 10th CS Grand Fleet, Cdr Ernest Ballantyne, most northerly ship on Northern Patrol line B north of the Shetlands. On the 11th, at around 62N, 02.24W, intercepted Norwegian SS Bergensfiord carrying an important German secret service agent and other nationals from New York, Viknor ordered to put prize crew on board, escort the Norwegian ship towards Lerwick, then continue on to Liverpool with a total of eight German prisoners. Last message from Viknor on 13th (He – off Malin Head; ss - at 1600 in 56.18N, 09W, course S21ºW), nothing more was heard of her. Probably 13th - Believed sunk off Northern Ireland by one of Berlin's mines broken free by heavy gales off Tory Island (Rn - foundered in heavy weather; C - Wrecked on north coast of Ireland), wreckage and bodies washed ashore at Portrush; 294 lives lost - 22 officers, 196 ratings, 74 MN and 1 canteen staff plus prisoners, no survivors (He – 259, ke - 295) (H/J/Rn/C/D/bi/dk/gf/ke/ss; ADM.137/185, ADM.116/1442)”.

In 2006 the survey ship Celtic Explorer located the wreck of HMS Viknor, according to Dr Ian Lawler, the wreck is located on the outer edge of a minefield laid by SMS Berlin which lends some credibility to the theory that she could have hit a mine, but at this time there is still no definitive answer as to the cause of the loss.

Newcastle Journal 30th January 1915:

THE LOSS OF THE VIKNOR. It is officially announced that, according to the latest information available, the crew serving in H.M.S. Viknor, when that vessel was lost, with all hands, numbered 235 petty officers, non-commissioned officers, and men.

His wife married after the war Herbert Colby in late 1919.

Walter Davison Arthur is remembered at Tynemouth in T36.34 page 4, and at Percy Main on P22.01, also in our List of Ships crews.

There is a strong possibility that his name was on the East Howdon missing War Memorial E78.01 which has been lost over time.

Complement list of HMS Viknor crew
The Merchant History of the Navy in WW1
H.M.S. Viknor
H.M.S. Viknor Roll of Honour
The CWGC entry for Blacksmith Arthur