On Tower Hill Memorial is the name of Apprentice Charles Henry Hopper, serving on S.S. Fort Pelly (London) with the Merchant Navy who died 20/07/1943.
Charles Henry Hooper was born at 2 Hallgarth View, on the 8th July 1926, one of five children of William Gardner Hopper, (born 10th July 1899, died 24th July 1964), and his wife Nora nee Eccles, Hopper, (born 17th October 1898, died 11th November 1982). They were married in 1919. (William’s father was also called William Hopper born 1872, and his wife Mary Hooper, {nee Gardiner}, born 1867, they resided at 38 Crossgate, Durham City, and were married on the 21st September 1895 at St Margaret’s).
The other children were
- Molly Hooper, born 18th November 1920, she married McLeod.
- William R. Hopper, born 18th October 1922.
- and two others unidentified as yet.
William was a Grocery Salesman, and the son William was a newspaper Salesman. In 1939 the family were residing at 2 Hallgarth View, Whinney Hill, Durham City. Charles was a member of the 1st Durham (St. Oswald’s) Scout Group.
The father, a grocer’s assistant, William Gardner Hopper had served in the Army during WW1. He had attested from the ‘Derby’ Scheme, from the 2nd February 1917, but was called up on the 9th July 1917 at Durham, residing then at 38 Crossgate, Durham, his newly wed wife Norah, was then residing at 11 Hallgarth, Elvet, Durham City, (she was the youngest of 9 children of Robert and Mary Jane Eccles, who had been born at Lucknow, India).
William was given the service number 19878, in the 7th Battalion (Leeds Rifles), West Yorkshire Regiment. 5 feet 11 and a quarter inches tall, 149lbs, fair complexion, brown eyes, dark hair.. On the 6th October 1917, he was transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps, service number 133452, and was posted to Blackpool from Rugeley Camp Staffordshire. On the 3rd January 1918, he was posted to No 4 Camp at Netley. On the 29th March 1919, William was transferred into the Labour Corps into the 444 Agricultural Company, based at Exeter, with the service number 555510 and also later in to the 621 Agricultural Company. He was discharged at Ripon, on the 18th April 1919.
William decided to re-enlist in the Royal Army Veterinary Corps. R.A.V.C. service number NA 509 as a private. 16th Vet Company. On the 21st September 1919, he was on route to Egypt arriving on the 5th October. He was a horse master. He was based out in Egypt until the 3rd January 1920. In the UK from the 16th January 1920, until he was discharged on the 26th March 1920.
William had problems with his health, he was in Clipstone Military Camp hospital for 5 days from the 21st August 1917. He also was evacuated to the 24th Stationery Hospital at Kantana. Also was admitted to Cambridge Hospital for 6 days. William had many medical examinations to assess and obtain his pension.
Charles Henry Hopper was an apprentice on board the Fort Pelly, ship number 168346, which was sunk by German aircraft off Port Augusta, Sicily on the 20th July 1943, in Operation ‘Husky’, the invasion of Sicily. Fort Pelly was bombed in an air attack at Augusta, Sicily. Her ammunition cargo exploded and 40 men were killed.
The Fort ships were a class of 198 cargo ships built in Canada during World War II for use by the United Kingdom under the Lend-Lease scheme. They all had names prefixed with “Fort” when built. The ships were in service between 1942 and 1985, with two still listed on shipping registers until 1992. A total of 53 were lost during the war due to accidents or enemy action. One of these, Fort Stikine, was destroyed in 1944 by the detonation of 1,400 tons of explosive on board her. This event, known as the Bombay Explosion, killed over 800 people and sank thirteen ships.
Charles Henry Hopper is remembered at Durham on D47.038, D47.040 , D47.054 and D47.158 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.
