On the Tower Hill Memorial, London is the name of Steward Alfred Carlberg serving on S.S. Ragnhild with the Mercantile Marine who died 03/09/1917.

He was the son of the late John and Catherine Carlberg and the husband of Ellen Carlberg (nee James), of 34, South Eldon Street, South Shields.  He was born at Helsingborg, Sweden.

In South Shields (Harton) Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:

In
loving memory of
Bernard (Bertie)
beloved son of
Alfred & Nellie Carlberg
who died Decr. 10th 1914
aged 16 years.

Also the above Alfred
who was lost at sea
Sept. 3rd 1917
aged 62 years.

Alfred Bernard Kallenberg Carlberg was born on the 24th August 1856, in Helsingborg, Sweden, the youngest child of eight children to father Johan ‘John’ Konrad Kallenberg, born 4th December 1811, and his wife Katarina ‘Catherine’ Kastengren Carlberg, born 5th June 1818.

Alfred Bernard Carlberg married Ellen ‘Nellie’ James, born 19th March 1863, died 28th April 1943, in Brighton, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA, on the 25th December 1879, in Tynemouth Register Office, Northumberland. They had eight children.

The other children were: –

• John James Carlberg, born Cannon Inn, Front Street, Milburn Place, North Shields 12th November 1880, he married Mary Elizabeth Hunter, born 23rd December 1882, on 21st August 1900, in South Shields. They had six children. In 1921, John James and Mary were residing at 30 Shortbridge Street, South Shields, and John James was a Ship’s steward but was out of work. Mary Elizabeth died, aged 68, on 31st July 1951, in 33, Shortridge Street, South Shields. John James may have gone to Canada.
• Alfred Valentine Carlberg, born Cannon Inn, Front Street, Milburn Place, North Shields, 14th February 1882, died 6th September 1882.
• Alfred Carlberg, born 20th November 1883, Cannon Inn, Front Street, Milburn Place, North Shields, he married Mary ‘Polly’ Downey in 1908, in South Shields, and they had two children, Alfred died about 1930, in Everett, Massachusetts, USA. He was 6 feet ten inches tall, brown hair, brown eyes. He resided at 199 South Taylor Street, South Shields. On the 1st February 1919, he was a Steward on board the SS War Tempest, ship number 142637, February 1920, he was on board the SS Notton, ship number 144400.
• Charles Edward Carlberg, born 4th October 1886, Cannon Inn, Front Street, Milburn Place North Shields; he married Alice Douglas on the 3rd October 1921, and they had one child. He departed from South Shields, arriving at New York, USA, on the 4th October 1922, as a Cook on the SS Harlseywood, ship number 125142. On the 30th September 1924, he departed from South Shields, arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on the SS Muneric, ship number 141905, where he was the Cook, he died 14th March 1926 at sea, and is buried at Everett, Massachusetts, USA.
• Susannah Carlberg, born 17th August 1891, baptised 6th September 1891, at St. Hilda’s Church, South Shields.  She married Richard Wilfred Dawe, born 1889, in 1913, at South Shields. Richard Wilfred Dawe died, aged 30, in 1919, in South Shields. In 1921, widowed Susannah was residing at 20, Ravensworth Terrace, South Shields, with her two children Ellen Dawe, born 1914, and George Dawe, born 1915, as well as her sister Ellen, and her husband Robert Tweddle, born 1894. Susannah Dawe died, aged 36, in 1928, in South Shields.
• Ellen ‘Nellie’ Carlberg, born 4th July 1894, baptised 22nd July 1894. She married Robert Tweddle, born 1894, in 1921, in South Shields, Ellen Tweddle died, aged 31, in 1925, in South Shields. Robert Tweddle died, aged 31, in 1925, in South Shields.
• Louisa Carlberg, born 19th December 1896, baptised 6th January 1897, she married William Clark Scott on the 5th October 1921, in South Shields. In 1922, William Clark Scott travelled from Liverpool, on the Samaria, ship number 145923, arriving in Boston, Massachusetts on the 12th November 1922, to reside with his cousin, Miss M. Smith, and prepare to move his family to the USA. Louisa, her husband, William Clark Scott, born 14th February 1893 in Dundee, Scotland, and their child, William Clark Scott, travelled from Liverpool on the SS Laconia, ship number 131412, arriving in Boston, Massachusetts on the 6th May 1923. The family applied to be naturalised US citizens on the 20th February 1927. In 1930, the family were residing and renting at 2, Waverly Street, Boston, Massachusetts, and William was a Car Mechanic. By 1940, the family had moved to 58, Market Street, Boston, and Louisa’s mother was staying with them. Ellen Carlberg had travelled from Glasgow on 13th August 1937, on the SS California, ship number 147871. In 1950, Louisa, William and their son, William Clark Scott, were residing at 12, Lawrence Street, Boston, and William was a Machinist in a Foundry. William C. Scott snr. died on 13th December 1972, in Boston, Massachusetts, Louisa Scott died in {April 1976}, in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Bernard ‘Bertie’ Carlberg, born 4th November 1898; died, aged 16, on 10th December 1914, and is buried at Harton Cemetery, South Shields.

On the 1st November 1881, Alfred Bernard Carlberg was the Steward onboard the SS Etna, ship number 67558, until the 13th December 1881, his previous ship was the Neried. This ship was based at West Hartlepool at the Dock Office Buildings, owned by Fritz Herskind.

Alfred Bernard Carlberg was also the landlord of the Cannon Inn, Front Street, Milburn Place, North Shields. On the 25th April 1888, he was fined 20 shillings for selling intoxicating liquor on his licensed premises during prohibited hours on the previous Sunday 22nd April 1888. Alfred replied that he was very sorry and did not think that he was doing wrong. He appeared at the Borough Police Court, North Shields.

On the 8th July 1891, he was the Steward on board the SS Diligent, ship number 95262, until the 10th September 1891. Prior to this, he was onboard, [as a Steward], the SS Urpeth, ship number 94522. The Diligent was owned by James Westoll, 12 John Street, Sunderland.

By 1891, the family had moved to 97 Albert Street, South Shields. 1901, they had moved to 32 South Eldon Street, South Shields.

In 1904, Alfred Bernard Carlberg was fined for being drunk and disorderly. He was a steward with the crew of the Congress, ship number 76122 at the time. The Amble Magistrates on the 12th March 1904 fined him and 13 other defendants in their absences, 7 shillings 6 pence  to 30 shillings.

In 1911, Alfred Bernard Carlberg was residing at 34, South Eldon Street, South Shields, with his wife, Ellen ‘Nellie’ [nee James], with four children, and he was a Ship’s Steward.

Alfred’s naturalisation was approved on the 9th April 1914, and he had resided in the UK since 1909.

Alfred Bernard Carlberg was employed by the Pelton Steamship Company as a Steward.  As he was a steward also on the SS Largo, ship number 129750, from the 1st January 1915 to the 30th June 1915. He was torpedoed in WW1, however, the ships on which he was torpedoed are unknown.

On the 3rd September 1917, the steamer Ragnhild, ship number 140673, a 1,495-ton British merchant cargo ship, was torpedoed and sunk without warning by the German U Boat UB-30, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Rhein. The attack occurred in the North Sea, approximately 14 nautical miles south-southeast of Flamborough Head, Yorkshire, resulting in the loss of 15 lives.

The Ragnhild was enroute carrying a cargo of coal from Jarrow to Rouen. She was operated by the Pelton Steamship Company, Milburn House, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Sources: British Newspaper Archive; James Hoy Archive;  National Archives; CLIP; U Boat Net; Naval and History Net; Jennifer Stephenson; North Shields Local Studies; Joyce; Alison

Alfred Bernard Carlberg is remembered in our Lists of Ship‘ Crews.