Brenda Mcmahon submitted the following:-
William Barnes was born 5 November 1870 at Marwood, Devon.
He seems to have joined the Navy as a young man as the 1891 census shows him serving as a seaman on the gunboat H.M.S. Karrakatta which was docked at Sheerness at that time.
In 1901 he is registered as married his wife Ada, from South Shields, and has now been promoted to Corporal 1st Class on H.M.S. Jupiter stationed at Gibraltar.
In 1911 William is classed as a naval pensioner and is working as a steward at the Unionist Club at Whitley Bay.
He rejoined the Navy as served as Master at Arms (pensioner) on H.M.S. Stephen Furness. He died or was killed aged 45 years, as a result of an accident 6 February 1915 although the details of the incident are not known.
His ship, was eventually sunk on 13 December 1917 by UB64 (Walter Gude) with 101 casualties.
William is remembered at Low Fell on L61.06
