On Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent is the name of 177204 Able Seaman James Storey Halliday serving on (RFR/CH/B/5791) H.M.S. Hawke with the Royal Navy who died 15/10/1914
James Storey Halliday was one of 6 known children. His father John Halliday was born at Sunderland, historically in County Durham, in 1848, his mother Mary Ann Mole at Hetton, County Durham in 1853, who had a daughter Alice Hannah Mowbray, born at Scarborough, Yorkshire in 1873.
John and Mary Ann were married at Sunderland, historically in County Durham, in 1871. Their son Richard was born at Sunderland in 1876, John Storey, July 14th 1878, Lilian in 1885, Mary Ann Florence, 1886, John Halliday Halliday in 1888, Albert William 1889 and Charles, July 21st 1900. In 1891 the family was living at 13, Ridley Terrace, Sunderland, supported by John who worked as a shipyard labourer assisted by Richard (15) employed as a lemonade factory labourer and James Story (13) a fruiterer’s errand boy, Lilian (5) was a scholar, the younger children remained at home with their mother. Their youngest child Miriam was born, July 22nd 1892.
December 12th 1893, James Storey Halliday (15) left his employment as a labourer and joined the Royal Navy for a period of 12 years. Described as 5 feet 31/2 inches tall, brown hair and eyes and a fresh complexion by the age of 18 he had grown to 5 feet 51/4 inches in height and risen from Boy 2nd Class at His Majesty’s Ship Caledonian, a military establishment of the Royal Navy at Rosyth, Scotland, to Boy 1st Class aboard the Sans Pareil (Without Equal) and the Empress of India.
July 14th 1896 he was appointed Ordinary Seaman and over the next two years was with H.M.S. Jupiter (destroyer), Pembroke (shore base) and H.M.S. Vulcan (torpedo depot ship) and appointed Able Seaman, January 1st 1899. Between 1899 and 1908 he was in training at H.M.S. Pembroke, Cambridge and Wildfire shore establishments, alternating with service at sea aboard H.M.S. Pyramus (cruiser) H.M.S. Repulse and Dominion (battle cruiser).
July 18th 1908 he had served his time and was married at Sunderland, December 7th 1908 to Margaret Jane Pickering, a local girl born September 10th 1882. She was the daughter of stone mason Henry Pickering and Margaret Jane Fair. By 1911 he was serving with the Merchant Navy as Able Seaman Halliday and living with his wife in 2 rooms at 23, Bramwell Street, Hendon, Sunderland.
Britain declared a state of war existed with Germany, August 4th 1914, just as men who had served their time with the Army were recalled to the Colours and joined the Army Reserve, so those who had served their time with the Royal Navy were recalled to the Royal Fleet Reserve.
August 7th 1914, James Story Halliday joined the Royal Fleet Reserve Chatham as Able Seaman 177204 and was assigned to H.M.S. Hawke, having enrolled for a period of 6 years.
H.M.S. Hawke, an Edgar Class vessel launched in 1891, was part of the 10th Cruiser Squadron which on October 15th 1914 was on patrol off the Scottish east coast deployed to assist with the blockade between Norway and the Shetland Islands.
October 15th 1914, at 9.30 a.m. Hawke stopped to pick up mail from another vessel while the remainder of the squadron continued on their mission. After recovering the mail Hawke was out of sight of the squadron and got underway to catch up. She proceeded at 13 knots but without zig-zagging to regain her position. At 10.30 a.m. H.M.S. Hawke was hit by a torpedo from German U-9.
Hawke was hit amid ships close to one of the magazines, she exploded with all hands on deck and listed hard to starboard which made launching her lifeboats almost impossible. 542 officers and men including the ship’s captain Hugh P.E.T. William died, amongst them Able Seaman 177204 James Storey Halliday, deemed to have drowned.
H.M.S. Hawke lies 57 47’ 05” x 00 11” 50”. A raft carrying one officer and 21 men was picked up by H.M.S. Swift sent to search for Hawke, 49 survivors in another raft were rescued by the Norwegian steamer The Indesta. The youngest members of the crew to perish were Boy 1st Class Warden aged 14 years and nearly 50 more aged 16 and 17 years old.
The sacrifice of Able Seaman Halliday is recorded as one of 18,647 names inscribed on Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent which stands in the form of an oblique commemorating members of the Royal Navy who perished during WW1 & WW2 who have no known grave, the majority of whom died at sea where no permanent memorial could be raised.
Able Seaman James Storey Halliday was 36 years old and the recipient of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. Prior to his departure, Margaret Jane had given birth to a son, June 5th 1914, whom they named James Storey Halliday Jnr. She received a pension for herself and their son until he turned 16 years of age in 1930.
Margaret Jane’s brother William Charlton Pickering served as William Pickering during WW1 and was killed in action in 1916.
James’ father, John Halliday died in 1918, Margaret Jane’s father Henry Pickering, December 25th 1921.
Margaret Jane Halliday may have remarried in 1919 to Thomas Wilkinson of Sunderland, but exactly what became of her and her son is as yet unknown. Emigration remains a possibility as there is no record of them in 1921 or 1939 census or death records.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
James Storey Halliday is remembered at Hendon on H123.02, at Sunderland in S140.48 Part 10 page 210 as James Halliday and in our List of Ships’ Crews.
