Pasqualino Battista was born on the 16th October 1879 at Numbers Garth, Bishopwearmouth Sunderland, the eldest child of nine children of Giovanni [John] Battista, born on the 8th of April 1845 at Cassino, Italy, [son of Antonio and Angela Battista {nee Pirollo}], and his wife Elizabeth Ellen Battista, [nee Lawson], born Sunderland 1854, died 4th July 1900, daughter of Thomas Lawson, residing at 9 Tanners Court, Friars, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. They were married on the 19th November 1885 in the Register Office at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Giovanni a widower by then was residing at 25 Stowell Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, a tailor by trade.

Giovanni and Elizabeth were married in 1885. and they had 9 children, John George, born 29th March 1891, Georgina, born 11th November 1881, Orselina (also known as Lily), born 22nd February 1884 and baptised at St Cuthbert, North Shields on the 9th March 1884, [married a Francis Spence on the 3rd June 1905, at St Augustine, North Shields], both residing at 69 Linskill Street, and she residing later at 3 Norfolk Street, North Shields with her next husband Robert Guthrie, married 26th December 1918].
Lily was fined 2s 6d without costs for brawling on the Union Quay on the 21st August 1901 and further charged for the same offences on the 23rd and 24th, along with Mary Ann Foster, Catherine Lucas and Barbara Legg. In 1939 Lily Spence was now residing at 32 Stephenson Street, Tynemouth, Lily died December 1959], Elizabeth Ann Battista, born 1886, Antonio (also known as Anthony) born 6th October 1888 and baptised at St Cuthbert's North Shields 28th March 1901, [died on the 28th December 1911], along with brother John George. Vincent Crescenzo, born 18th September 1894 baptised, age 8 at St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, [married a Margaret born 2nd May 1902], along with brother William Armstrong, born 9th September 1896, baptised on the 2nd October 1896, Christ Church, and James, born on the 18th August 1899, baptised St Cuthbert, North Shields on the 6th September 1899.

Northern MailWednesday 20/10/1937. Didn't know wife was alive, Newcastle Man Acquitted on Bigamy Charges,
James Battista, 41-year-old labourer, of Westmorland Road. Newcastle-on-Tyne, who went through a form of marriage with a 17-year-old girl while his wife was alive, was found not guilty of bigamy at Newcastle yesterday.
Mr Justice Atkinson instructing the jury to return a 'Not guilty' verdict said there was no evidence to show that Battista knew his wife was living when he 'married' for the second time.
Battista said he had been told in 1927 that his wife was dead, but had not made any further enquiries.

This below is from the Tynemouth Union Minutes Volume 1923-24 at North Shields local studies. The entry about James Battista is on page 258:
'At a Meeting of the House Sub-Committee (Works) held at the Poor Law Institution, North Shields, on Wednesday, the 8th day of August, 1923 at 3 o'clock in the afternoon .... ENA M. CLARKSON (29),
The Clerk reported that an inmate named Ena M. Clarkson (29), who has previously had two illegitimate children, was in an advanced state of pregnancy and that the putative father of her child was another inmate named James Battista (23), a married man whose wife was living in North Shields.Resolved:- "That in accordance with the provisions of Article 35 of the Poor Law Institutions Order, 1913, James Battista be punished as a refractory inmate by confinement in a separate room for 24 hours on a diet of bread and water, after which the Master arrange for this man to be employed on a task of stonebreaking."

Giovanni, was a Travelling Musician and an ice cream vendor, had two other brothers called Vincenzo, born 29th March 1852, died 4th January 1900, and Antonio born 1855, died 1936 who had settled with their families in Newcastle upon Tyne. .

In 1881, Giovanni and Elizabeth and Pasquelina were residing at 15 Trafalgar Street, Sunderland.
Giovanni and Elizabeth then moved from Sunderland around 1882 to North Shields and were now residing at 83 Clive Street, North Shields.

By 1901 the family were residing at 9 Bird Street, North Shields, Giovanni was now a widow as his wife Elizabeth had died in July 1900.

Giovanni remarried a widow called Anastasia Whelan (nee Finley), born 1862 Ireland, on the 14th February 1901 at St Cuthbert's RC Church, North Shields, in 1891, she was residing at 65 Stephenson Street, Wallsend, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, she died 17th July 1934, [residing at 169 Portland Road], she and her 3 children from her first marriage to Michael Whelan joined the Battista family. [Mary Alice born 9th May 1886, Ellinore born 4th September 1889 and Anatasia Slavin, nee Whelan, born 20th November 1892]. Michael Whelan died at the Morpeth Asylum on the 24th December 1899 and is buried at Wallsend Cemetery they were residing then at 16 Palmers Way, Willington Quay.

Evening Chronicle 'Whelan, 169 Portland Road, on the 17th inst., aged 72 years, Anastasia beloved wife of the late Michael Whelan. Cortege received at St Dominic's Church, Friday 9.45 am. Friends please accept this the only intimation. On whose soul sweet Jesus have mercy. R.I.P' Anastasia was buried at All Saints Cemetery in Newcastle upon Tyne on 20 July 1934.
She lies in the same grave as her daughter Anastasia Slavin (nee Whelan).

Pasqualino enlisted into the Royal Navy on the 22nd September 1896 with the number of 190280 at Chatham for 12 years. he was 5 feet 4 and a half inches tall, Brown Hair, Grey Eyes, with a Fair Complexion, also a head and cross tattoo on his Left forearm. His first ship was the Northampton from the 22nd September 1896. He was also at various land based depots Pemboke I, 24th March to the 7th June 1897. Pasqualino's rank when he enlisted was a Boy 2nd class, then Boy 1st class from the 23rd October 1901, finally reaching the rank of able Seaman on the 22nd October 1899.

His character was described as [V]ery [G]ood. From the 8th June 1897, he is on the Empress of India. Then back at Pembroke 1. In 1901 Pasqualino was at Chatham Naval Base Pembroke I.

On the 9th December 1897, Pasqualino is rescued from the sea after falling overboard during a gale. A Lieut A. C. Lowry from the Empress of India dived in fully clothed from the forecastle to rescue P. Battista from the sea. They were both in the water for about 15 to 20 minutes. Lieut A. C. Lowry earned the Humane Society's Medal for conspicuous gallantry, off the coast of Crete at Candia.
Source : Tyrone Constitution Friday 31/12/1897.

Antonio his brother was discharged from the Tynemouth Workhouse on the 7th January 1903 at 6.40 and it was recorded that he had been 'Taken out by brother'. This could only have been Pasqualino as he was the only brother who was not an inmate at the workhouse at that time. He was at Chatham at Pembroke 1, on leave.

Whilst on HMS Clio ship nu 119040, on a voyage to Australia from the 19th January 1905, Pasqualino was given a sentence of 9 calender months Hard Labour for 'Wilful disobedience of lawful command, and Striking his superior Offcer, being in the execution of his office'.
This was on the 16th March 1905. Pasqualino pleaded guilty.

HMS Clio was a wooden 22-gun Pearl-class corvette, built at Sheerness Dockyard and launched on the 28th August 1858. She was the flagship of the Australia Station between the 3rd September 1870 and 16th October 1873, and from 1876 was used as a school ship.
Her first commission was on the Pacific Station and in 1860 she protected Panama City and the French citizens living within the city. While in the Pacific she was dismasted in bad weather. She returned to England and placed in reserve. Under the command of Commodore Frederick Stirling, she became the flagship of the Australia Station on the 3rd September 1870. In 1871, she was holed after striking an uncharted rock in Bligh Sound and was beached to prevent sinking. HMS Virago provided assistance and made temporary repairs enabling the ships the sail to Wellington, where she was repaired, prior to sailing to Sydney to be dry docked.
She transferred the pennant of flagship to HMS Pearl and sailed for Portsmouth on the 16th October 1873. In 1877 she became a school ship, stationed on the Menai Strait at Bangor, and had 260 pupils. She was sold for scrap and broken up in 1919.

Pasqualino then enlisted again as his 12 years was up and on the 16th October 1909 he signed up, this time he was 5 Feet 5 inches tall, Dark Brown Hair, Brown Eyes and now with a dark complexion.

He was married on the 7th August 1910 to Mary Elizabeth MacDonald Martyn, [born 3rd November 1890, Beccles, Suffolk, died 23rd August 1976 at Auckland, New Zealand], at St Andrews Church in Wandsworth, Earlsfield. They were residing at 27 Dingwell Road. Elizabeth was the daughter of Robert Martyn, an Engineer. Pasqualino's father shows as John Battista deceased.

Georgina, Pasqualino's sister married a sailor, James Birmingham, [on the 19th December 1898 at St Stephens, Wandsworth, Surrey], and James witnessed Pasqualino and Elizabeth's wedding.

They had two children, Roger William George Battista born 27th March 1913, died 3rd May 1952, and Elizabeth Nancy Battista, born 19th October 1914, died 4th June 1970, in Auckland New Zealand.

In World War 1 Pasqualino is now onboard the H.M.S. Aquarius ship nu 112768, The previous ship's name was Hampstead, it was a Stores and Distilling Ship with the Pennant No: N 13 / N06. Built by Austin & Son, Wear Dock, Sunderland, and was launched on the 25th September 1900.
Into Service: 1905, then out of service: 1920 Sold.then 1920 Wrecked.

From the 1st July 1913 to the 25th March 1914 he is on the Aquarius. [1st July 1913, the Aquarius is commissioned as a Repair Ship at Sheerness]. Then from the 26th March 1914, he is at the Tyne till the 30th June 1915. Back on the H.M.S. Aquarius from the 1st July 1915.

From 1914 to 1915, the Aquarius served with the 8th Destroyer Flotilla, Forth. On the 27th August 1914, she was at Queensferry with HMS TB36 berthed alongside. On the 2nd September 1914, she entered the newly constructed docks at Rosyth and berthed alongside.

1915 served Mediterranean submarines, then as a Water Carrier and Depot Ship. On the 30th June 1915 at Rosyth, then 10th July 1915 off Immingham on passage to Sheerness, 6th August 1915 at Mudros, 29th August 1915 at Mudros - carpenters party onboard from HMS Europa.

From the 10th October 1917, Pasqualino is now serving on the HMS Lord Nelson.
HMS Lord Nelson was laid down by Palmers Shipbuilding and Iron Company at Jarrow on the 18th May 1905 and launched on the 4th September 1906. Her completion was greatly delayed by the diversion of her 12-inch (305 mm) guns and turrets to expedite completion of Dreadnought, and she was not fully completed until October 1908. Although she was not the last pre-dreadnought laid down for the Royal Navy, she was the last one commissioned. On January 8th, 1908 while navigating at South Shields, the ship collided with the barquentine Emma Cook, anchored at Mill Dam and damaged her.
Lord Nelson displaced 17,820 long tons (18,106 t) at deep load as built, with a length of 443 feet 6 inches (135.2 m), a beam of 79 feet 6 inches (24.2 m), and a draft of 26 feet (7.9 m). She was powered by two four-cylinder inverted vertical triple-expansion steam engines, which developed a total of 16,750 indicated horsepower (12,490 kW) and gave a maximum speed of 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).
She was armed with four 12-inch guns arranged in two twin gun turrets, one turret each fore and aft. Her secondary armament consisted of ten 9.2-inch (234 mm) guns, eight in twin gun turrets on each corner of the superstructure, and a single gun turret between them. For defence against torpedo boats, Lord Nelson carried twenty-four QF 12-pounder 18 cwt guns and two 3-pounder guns. She also mounted five submerged 18-inch (457 mm) torpedo tubes for which 23 torpedoes were stowed aboard.

With the end of the Dardanelles Campaign in January 1916, during which Lord Nelson had suffered no casualties, British naval forces in the area were reorganized and the Lord Nelson became flagship of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron, which was redesignated the Aegean Squadron in August 1917.

Lord Nelson spent the remainder of the war based at Salonika and Mudros, alternating between the two bases with her sister ship Agamemnon; the ship was based mostly at Salonika, with Agamemnon mostly at Mudros.
According to naval historian Ian Buxton, the most important role of the Royal Navy was to blockade the Dardanelles and thus guard the Eastern Mediterranean against a breakout by the Goeben. On the 12th January 1918, Rear-Admiral Arthur Hayes-Sadler hoisted his flag aboard Lord Nelson at Mudros as the new commander of the Aegean Squadron. Needing transportation to Salonika for a conference with the British Army commander there, and finding his personal yacht unavailable, Hayes-Sadler opted to have Lord Nelson take him there, and thus she was not present when Goeben and Breslau finally made their breakout attempt on the 20th January. The ship could not get back to the Dardanelles in time to participate in the resulting Battle of Imbros or intercept Goeben before she gained shelter in the Dardanelles. Lord Nelson was later given a short refit at Malta in October where he spent the duration of the war until the 12th November 1918, where he returned to Pembroke 1 at Chatham.

He received 3 Good Conduct Badges, and 2 Conduct clasps, and retired from the Royal Navy on the 2nd December 1920. He resided in 1928 at Elswick at 52 Gloucester Street, he eventually moved to no 30 where he was residing in 1939 at the outbreak of World War 2.

Pasqualino resided at 30 Gloucester Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, in 1939 and was a Crane Slinger (at a Ship Yard), Widowed?* and receiving a Royal Naval Pension.

On the 6th of July 1940 Pasqualino is at Chatham, signing on. Again at Pembroke I, 6th July 1940, then Drake 2, from the 23rd July 1940. Finally is sent to HMS Raleigh from the 10th October 1940. All these were shore based establishments.
HMS Raleigh was commissioned on the 9th January 1940 as a training establishment for Ordinary Seamen following the Military Training Act which required that all males aged 20 and 21 years old be called up for six months full-time military training, and then transferred to the reserve.

His character is described as Very Good and his efficiency as Super. He left the Navy on the 31st December 1941.

* His wife Mary Elizabeth married again to a George Henry Newton, [born August 23rd 1895, baptised on the 8th September 1895, at St Judes Church, Tower Hamlets, at Bethnal Green. Woolwich, London, died 19th June 1972, son of Albert Edward Newton], in March 1926 at Norfolk, Elizabeth had a son born Robert George Newton, in 1921 at Mutford, Suffolk, he died 4th May 1980, Auckland, New Zealand.

She left Southampton on the Rotosua, on the 2nd July 1926. With Robert George, aged 5, born 1921, Elizabeth Nancy Battista, aged 11, (born 19th October 1914) and Roger William George Battista, (27th March 1913).

Mary Elizabeth is buried at Waikumete Cemetry. George Henry Newton had served in the Australian Army, service nu 8010, he enlisted on the 23rd July 1917. He died on the 19th June 1972.

Pasqualino died on the 31st December 1950, at 416 Westgate Road, Newcastle. He was buried at Preston Cemetery, North Shields on the 4th January 1951. He residence address was stated as 39 Gloucester Street, Newcastle.

Research: Angela Conroy/Sophie Tobin/James Pasby

Royal Fleet Auxiliaries RFA Aquarius