On Tower Hill Memorial, Trinity Square, London is the name of Second Engineer Officer Robert Kinder serving on S.S. Tynehome with the Merchant Navy who died 08/01/1940.
Pauline Priano has submitted the following;
Robert Kinder was the eldest of 5 children of whom only 4 survived.
His father John Kinder was born at 3, Harris Street Camberwell, London, in 1875. The Kinder family were a seafaring family, John’s father Charles Kinder was a ships Master who had married in 1860, Mary Ann Elizabeth Seaman of Stepney, Middlesex, born in 1843 who gave him 9 children.
Charles Kinder died at Camberwell, February 11th 1879 and was buried in Camberwell Cemetery, Square 65, Grave 6215.. Further details of his widow are unknown.
After the death of their parents John’s sisters Louisa and Mary Ann were married, unfortunately his sister Alice, who had been employed as a servant and became pregnant was taken into St. Giles Workhouse, Camberwell. She died in 1896 at Islington, nothing is known of what became of the child. Alice Kinder is also buried in Camberwell Cemetery, Square 10, Grave 15023.
Two of his brothers Henry and Robert joined the Royal Navy, his youngest sibling Walter moved to Hove where he was employed by a house builder.
Between 1891 and 1898 John Kinder migrated to the north-east of England settling at Sunderland, historically in County Durham, where he was married in 1898 to Eleanor Jane Hedley, who was born at Sunderland, July 22nd 1878. She was the eldest daughter of mariner Thomas Hedley and Ellen Young.
Robert Kinder was born May 12th 1901, Thomas Hedley 1903. John Jnr, who was born May 12th 1906 tragically died during the 4th quarter (Oct/Nov/Dec) 1908, aged 2-years, At the time Eleanor was pregnant and gave birth to a son during the 1st quarter (Jan/Feb/Mar) 1909 who was also named John Kinder Jnr.
In 1911 Eleanor and the surviving children were living in 2 rooms nat 62, Ward Street., Eleanor was again pregnant, she gave birth to their only daughter Eleanor, October 21st 1911.
John Kinder in 1911 was at sea, he had obtained, July 11th 1902 a Certificate of Competency, Second Mate and February 17th 1906, a Certificate of Competency, Master of a Foreign Going Ship, 037005, by order of the Board of Trade.
Britain declared a state of war existed with Germany, August 4th 1914. John Kinder in 1917 was Master of the steamer Braeside and was lost at sea, December 6th 1917 when she was intercepted by the German Submarine UC71, torpedoed and sank 5 miles south of the Owers Light Vessel with the loss of 11 of her crew, en-route from Blyth to Jersey in the Channel Islands with a cargo of coal.
In 1921 Eleanor was still living at 62, Ward Street, supported by her son Robert (20) an apprentice engineer and Eleanor (19) assisted with home duties but in 1939 was living alone at the same address.
Robert Kinder was married at Sunderland in 1933 to Delilah Carter, affectionately known as Lilah. She was the daughter of Norris Walter Catter a labourer employed by the River Wear Commissioners and Sarah Fullard Maddison.
Their only child Robert J. Kinder was born in 1933. In 1939 they were living at 10, Northcote Avenue, Sunderland. Robert Kinder is listed as 3rd Engineer R14590. During WW2 he served as 2nd Engineer Officer aboard the S.S. Tynehome.
Built in 1919 by Cook, Welton & Gemmel Ltd., Hull, she was initially named by the Royal Navy as Kilcllef. When sold in 1920 she was renamed by her new owners, Home Lines Ltd., as Tynehome.
When en-route from Sunderland to Rotterdam with a cargo of coal, December 8th 1940, she collided in fog with the S.S. Gitano in the area of 53 12 050 N/01 22 950 E with the loss of 4 crew members including 2nd Engineer Officer Robert Kinder who is deemed to have drowned. He was 38 years of age.
His loss came 33 years almost to the day of that of his father John Kinder during WW1, The sacrifice of both father and son is recorded as two of 36,065 names on the Tower Hill Memorial, Trinity Square, London, which commemorates men and women of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who died in both World Wars and who have no known grave. His brother Thomas Hedley Kinder was also lost at sea, January 28th 1941 serving as a steward on S.S. Homeside but is not considered a casualty of war.
The assets of Robert Kinder were assigned to his widow, February 26th 1940 in the sum of £204 3 shillings 8 pence..
His mother Eleanor Jane Kinder nee Hedley who had joined his sister Eleanor in Nottinghamshire, died at Nottingham aged 62-years, January 26th 1942.
Robert’s widow Lilah Kinder, July 26th 1947 went through a form of marriage at Sunderland with dental mechanic Samuel Caughney, with whom, feeling lonely after the loss of her husband, she had become friendly and who had told her his wife had been killed in an air raid. They had been living together in Norley Avenue, until the time of his arrest.
The Police established his wife Mary Nolan, whom he had married in 1922, was alive and living in Eire. Not only had he married Lilah Kindle but had previously married Isabella Tithye of Morpeth Avenue, Jarrow. Isabella testified they had met in 1942 when she was working at North Shields. A divorcee since 1935 she and Caughney became friendly and underwent a form of marriage at Newcastle upon Tyne Registry Office but had separated after 3 years.
Detective Constable Robert Ross said that while taking Caughney to court in Newcastle by car he had said, “I am going to plead guilty to two cases of bigamy but I am going to plead insanity.” Caughney was remanded in custody until efforts had been made to bring his legal wife from Eire to establish that she was indeed still alive, after which sentence on Samuel Caughney could be passed.
Delilah Kinder nee Carter died in Sunderland, Tyne & Wear since 1974, during the 3rd quarter (Jul/Aug/Sep) 2000. Further details unknown.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Robert Kinder is remembered in our List of Ships’ Crews.
