On Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of 2009DA Deck Hand Alfred Carey, serving on H.M. Drifter Campania 11 with the Royal Naval Reserve who died 05/03/1917.

He was the husband of Margaret Carey, of 10, Marine Terrace, Tynemouth Road, North Shields

Colin Boyd has provided the following:

Alfred was born on 5th May 1888 in Berwick upon Tweed to John Carey, a Master Mariner and his wife Isabella and by 1891 he was living with his parents, four sisters and two brothers at 27, Woolmarket, Berwick upon Tweed.

By 1901 the family, now comprised of the parents, one daughter and three sons were living at 140, Howdon Road, Chirton, North Shields. John was working as a labourer. (This would suggest that his stated occupation in 1891 of Master Mariner is a bit suspect. An awful lot of ordinary seamen described themselves as such!).

By the time of the 1911 Census Alfred was living with his widowed mother and one brother at 2, Upper Mill Street, North Shields and he was working as a deck hand on a trawler. Alfred married Margaret Stark in North Shields in 1912.

Alfred enlisted in the Royal Naval Reserve on 11th November 1914 when he was described as being 5ft 5in tall with blue eyes and a fresh complexion. His address was given as 5, Coburg Terrace, North Shields.

He served on various drifters and trawlers mainly on minesweeping duties in the North Sea. Alfred was posted as missing presumed drowned from  HMS Campania II, a drifter when the vessel sank off the east coast of Scotland on 8th March 1917. Eight bodies and a small amount of wreckage were washed ashore at Anstruther the following day.

Acknowledgments: Barney Rice

Alfred Carey is remembered at North Shields on N34.22 and N34.77,  at Tynemouth in T36.14 page 6, and in our List of Ships’ Crews.