On Tower Hill Memorial is the name of Steward Daniel Peter Ferrie serving on S.S. British Yeoman (London) with the Merchant Navy who died 14/07/1942.
He was the son of Daniel and Mary Ferrie.
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Daniel Peter Ferrie was one of 3 children and the only son of Daniel Ferrie and Mary Ann Greener.
His father Daniel Ferrie was born, August 15th 1875, at Heworth, Gateshead, historically in County Durham. He was the widower of Ellen Ferrie nee Brennan and had 2 sons, James born 1902 and Michael 1903.
Widower Daniel Ferrie was living at 54, Havelock Street, Felling in 1911. He had taken into his home his brother James, he and James were employed at the colliery and supported their twice widowed mother and housekeeper Sarah Moody-Ferrie nee Duffy, sisters Sarah and Mary Ferrie who assisted their mother in the running of the household and nephew Alexander Ferrie whose birth at Newcastle upon Tyne, June 28th 1908, was the result of a liaison between Mary Ferrie and First Lieutenant Alexander Lima, Brazilian Navy.
Daniel Ferrie married Mary Ann Greener at Gateshead, November 25th 1917. Mary Ann Greener born Mary Ann Hickey, August 8th 1885, was a war widow. Her late husband Joseph William Greener, known as William Greener, a Sapper with the Royal Engineers, had been killed in action on the Somme in 1915 leaving her with 2 sons under the age of 3, James and Joseph William.
Daniel Ferrie and Mary Ann had 3 children born at Felling, Gateshead, Mary Jane Ferrie, March 2nd 1919, Daniel Peter, born August 21st 1920 at 20, Stainton Street and baptised St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church, Felling, August 29th and Teresa, October 16th 1925.
By 1928 the family had moved to South Shields where Daniel Peter took his first Holy Communion at St. Bede, March 24th. In 1939, with the exception of Daniel Peter, the Ferrie family were living at 138, Prince Edward Road East, South Shields, historically in County Durham.
Daniel Peter Ferrie joined the Merchant Navy in 1937 taking his first sea voyage aboard the Steam Ship Napier Star, a British Refrigerated Cargo Liner of the Blue Star Line which when launched in 1927 was known as the Napierstar SS until renamed in 1929.
Britain for the second time was at war with Germany after the declaration of September 3rd 1939 and Daniel was assigned as 2nd Steward 147491 aboard the Steam Tanker “British Yeoman” out of London and later promoted to the rank of Steward.
Steam Tanker “British Yeoman” was built at Jarrow by the Palmers Shipbuilding & Iron Company Limited in 1923 and owned by British Tanker Company Limited London. With a crew of 53 she had set sail from Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean en route to Gibraltar, July 1st 1942, carrying a cargo of 9700 tons of Admiralty fuel oil, under the command of Master Edward Paul Spencer Attewill. Despite her precious cargo the ship was unescorted.
July 13th 1942 she was intercepted by German U-boat 201 and chased for some 14 hours to southwest of the Canary Islands. At 01:46 hours on the morning of July 14th 1942 the “British Yeoman” was hit by a torpedo and immediately caught fire. U-boat 201 evacuated the area to avoid the burning fuel which had engulfed the ship and surrounding waters and did not return until the following morning.
The morning of July 15th when U-boat 201, under the command of Adelbert Schnee returned it was presented with the stern of the “British Yeoman” still afloat and she was finished off by the enemy filling her with 61 rounds, causing her to sink.
Only 10 crew members survived the German attack of July 14th 1942 having been picked up by the Spanish Steam Tanker Castillo Almenara and were landed at St. Vincent, Cape Verde Island. The Master, 35 crew and seven gunners were lost, amongst them was Steward 147491 Daniel Peter Ferrie, who is deemed to have drowned. He was 21 years of age and single. Awards Merchant Medal and British War Medal.
His sacrifice is recorded as one of 36,088 names inscribed on Tower Hill Memorial which stands on the south side of the garden of Trinity Square, London, commemorating men and women of the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who died in both World Wars and who have no known grave other than the sea where no permanent memorial could be raised.
Daniel Peter’s half brother James Greener served with the Merchant Navy, Joseph William Greener with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, a Merchant Navy organisation made up of civilian crews. His half sibling James Ferrie died at Dunkirk, June 17th 1940, his first cousin also named James Ferrie in 1942 in the Barents Sea off the coast of Norway.
Mary Ann Ferris-Greener nee Hickey died in the district of South Shields in 1941 having borne the loss of her first husband in 1915 and stepson James Ferrie but neither she or her husband Daniel Ferrie, who died during the 1st quarter (Jan/Feb/Mar) 1942, lived to know of the fate that befell their only son Daniel Peter.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Daniel Peter Ferrie is remembered in our List of Ships’ Crews.
