In Berlin South Western Cemetery, Germany is the Commonwealth War Grave of Master Alexander Cordiner serving on S.S Heworth with the Mercantile Marine who died 12/03/1918.
Native of Nova Scotia, interned 3rd August 1914, Beloved husband of Georgina. R.I.P.
The husband of Georgina Cordiner of 28 Alice Street, South Shields, Co. Durham.
In Harton Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:
The burial place of
Alex & Georgina
Cordiner.
In loving memory of
Charles
dearly beloved son of the
above, who was drowned
whilst an apprentice on
the barque Marion Lightbody
Feb. 29th 1904 and was
Interred here aged 20 years.
In the midst of life we are
In death.
Also of the above
Alex Cordiner
Master Mariner
who died while interned in
Ruhleben Spandau Germany
March 12th 1918, aged 62 years
Also
Georgina Cordiner
Dearly beloved wife of
Alexander Cordiner
Who died Dec. 20th 1925
Aged 65 years.
This photo of the Cordiner family has been submitted by Keith Bulley.
Back row, L to R: Charles CORDINER (1884-1904), Ethel May CORDINER (1886-1935), David Garton CORDINER (1881-1968) Front row, L to R: Their father, Alexander CORDINER (1855-1918), master mariner, his daughter Annie Grace CORDINER (1889-1948) and wife, Georgina CORDINER (nee GARTON) (1858-1925).
Alex Cordiner was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He married Georgina Garton and they lived in Laygate. The story is told in Shields Gazette 12/06/2000
Following on from the newspaper story, Keith Bulley has now added the following:
“I was instrumental in having a headstone erected to Alexander Cordiner in Berlin where he died in 1918 whilst a prisoner of the Germans. I was able to provide the Commonwealth War Graves Commission with the necessary evidence and they obliged by having a memorial erected to him there. Further details can be found on the CWGC website.”
W. Bro. Revd. David T. Youngson, PPAG Chaplain, Northumberland has submitted the following:
The information given below in respect of some of the brethren is the best possible conclusions from Lodge records, Grand Lodge records, Commonwealth War Graves Commission and data in respect of merchant ship losses during the First World War
240 St Hilda’s Lodge
Year of Warrant 1780
Freemasons Hall, South Shields
Alexander CORDINER
Mercantile Marine Master S.S. Heworth
A Master Mariner, he was Initiated on the 27th May 1889; Passed 12th May 1890 and Raised on the 9th June 1890. For some reason the Lodge records state that he resigned at a date unknown and rejoined on the 13th August 1899. He died on the 12th March 1918 aged 62. He was a native of Nova Scotia and was arrested on the 3rd August 1914. The husband of Georgina Cordiner of 28 Alice Street, South Shields. He is remembered on a Special Memorial in the Berlin South Western Cemetery Reference 19.E.1A.
The SS Heworth is not listed as a Mercantile Marine ship loss and some records suggest that it was in Kiel Harbour, Germany, at the outbreak of war, the crew being interned. In 1922 it was decided that the graves of Commonwealth servicemen, including those of the Mercantile Marine, who had died all over Germany, should be brought together in four permanent cemeteries, one of which was the Berlin South Western Cemetery. These were completed by 1925. No other members of the crew were listed as war casualties so presumably they survived internment.
Additional research and corrections for the above story have been provided by James Pasby:
SS Heworth was a steamship, detained 4th August 1914 by the Germans on the outbreak of War. Further research shows it was detained on the River Elbe near Hamburg.
Alexander Cordiner is remembered in the Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-18 (London), in the Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-18 Rev. Youngson Part 1, in the Interned Prisoners of War newspaper cutting and in our List of Ships’ Crews.
