On Plymouth Naval Memorial is the name of First Engineer William Booth, serving on H.M. Tug Char with the Mercantile Marine Reserve who died 16/01/1915.

William Booth was the husband of Margaret Booth, of 10, Dover Street, West Hartlepool.

The Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail 18/01/1915 reports:-
Mr Wm Booth who is 58 years of age has a wife and a large family, most of whom are grown up, there being however, one little girl of 12.

H.M.S. Char was the North Eastern Railway Co.’s powerful twin-screw tug Stranton, one of the most modern of the Company’s craft operating at  the Hartlepools to the outbreak war, when, with other boats of her class, she was taken into the Government’s service.

Mr. Wm. Booth, the chief engineer, had been in the employ the local tug department the N.E.R. for 44 years, and had been a long time on this boat,

The Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail 21/01/1915 reports:-
Booth – On Saturday the 16th January 1915 while serving their King and Country aboard H.M.S. Char (late NER tug boat Stranton) William and Edward Booth, father and Son of 10 Dover Street, West Hartlepool aged 58 and 22 years respectively.

His son Edward also died on the Tug Char.

William Booth is remembered at Hartlepool on H115.16 and H115.26, at West Hartlepool in W111.086,  on the North Eastern Railway War Memorial (York) and in our List of Ships crews.