Ernest Murray Blanchflower was born in 1895, one of seven children to Norfolk fisherman, Francis Blanchflower, born 2nd October 1856, died 23rd October 1942, and his wife Ann nee Murray, born 17th March 1865, died 5th August 1957 at South Shields, Durham. They were married in 1882.
The other six children were Thirza Ann, born 24th June 1883, died 1969, Hannah Jane W., born 29th December 1884, died 1971, Francis James, born 1888, died 7th Jun 1950, St Benedict’s Hospital, Melbourne, John G M, born 3rd May 1890, died 9th November 1965, [who was in the 1/7th Battalion [Pioneers], Durham Light Infantry (Territorials) with the service number 7/2637, from the 8th September 1914, Gertrude, born 27th February 1893, died 1984 and Edith May, born 7th May 1904, died 1976.
In 1891 the family were residing at 32 Frederick Street, South Shields. In 1901 the family are still residing at Frederick Street. Ernest Murray Blanchflower was educated at Westoe School. By 1911 he was an apprentice Engineer. His brother John George Murray Blanchflower was a Student trainee teacher.
Ernest Murray Blanchflower had resided at 32 Frederick Street, South Shields but by 1911, he had moved to 16 Dean Street. He was a member of the Marine Engineers Association.
During the war he served as a 3rd Engineer on board the SS Elswick Park, ship number 110338, a steam cargo ship. She sailed to Philadelphia to transport a cargo of coal down to the port of Santos, in Brazil. She left Philadelphia on the 8th September 1916, down the Delaware River, and was planning to head south to Santos. She was last sighted just past the breakwater, heading out to sea. When she failed to arrive, the alarm was raised, and by November, as The Journal reports, “[she] is so much overdue as to cause grave anxiety for her safety”. She was later posted missing and the crew, including Ernest Blanchflower and a number of other Tyneside men, were presumed drowned.
There is no indication of whether she was attacked and sunk by enemy action, or an accident.
The SS Elswick Park was a 3004 ton cargo ship, launched in 1899 and operated by Elswick Steam Sg Co Ltd from Newcastle upon Tyne. On the 8th September 1916 she sailed from Philadelphia with a cargo of coal bound for Santos and was not seen or heard of again after she passed the Delaware Breakwater. All the 25 crew were assumed drowned when the ship was lost. The ship did not have a wireless operator and the cause of the disaster is a mystery. The biography of A T Browne, a crew member, speculates that the Elswick Park may have been sunk by u-boat action but this seems unlikely in the Western Atlantic, beyond the range of most u-boats and in a period of very little u-boat Atlantic activity. There was a series of hurricanes intersecting the likely route of the Elswick Park in September and October and it is possible that she was overwhelmed by one of these. The community includes 28 men, three of whom travelled to Philadelphia and there left the ship thus avoiding the catastrophe. They were replaced in the crew by three men recruited in the Philadelphia area.
A new SS Elswick Park, ship number 144893, was built and launched in 1920. She one of the ships sunk as a blockship on the 10th June 1944. To form breakwaters for the Mulberry Harbour.
There is no CWGC entry for Third Engineer Blanchflower which suggests he did not lose his life due to combat.. There is no record of an U boat attack either.
Sources: Mike Todd/IWM/James Hoy Archive
Ernest Murray Blanchflower is remembered at Harton on H104.03, at South Shields on S86.036 and S86.102 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.
