On Tower Hill memorial, Trinity Square, London is the name of Chiel Engineer Officer Charles Arthur Holme serving on the S.S. River Lugar (Glasgow) Merchant Navy who died 26/06/1941.

He was the husband of S. Holme, of East Boldon, County Durham.

Christine Davison has submitted the following:-

Charles Arthur Holme was the son of Thomas and Alice Kate Holme nee Brockway. One of his brothers was Maurice Holme.

His father was born in Liverpool in 1871, his mother in Portsmouth in 1872. They were married in 1896 in Southampton.

Charles was born on 29th November 1899 in South Shields. All the children were born locally, so they must have moved to South Shields before Thomas, the eldest son, was born in 1898.

The 1901 Census showed them living in Eglesfield Street, but in 1911, they were living in Marshall Wallis Street, as they had eight children at this time. Their growing family may have been the reason for the move.

The 1921 Census showed they had moved to East Boldon and were living in Langholm Road; by this time, they had twelve children.

Charles enlisted in the RAF on 16th April 1918, but I haven’t found any information about his war service. He qualified as a Marine Engineer first class in 1928 at The Marine School at South Shields.

Charles married Sarah Ellen Symcox in January 1930 at South Shields, she was born in 1904 at Ludworth Durham, her family seem to have moved around as her brothers and sisters were all born in different places but the 1921 Census showed her living with her mother and stepfather James Lowther at 51 Fenwicks Row, Boldon Colliery. They were living in 4 rooms; there were fourteen of them, including two boarders!

In July 1930, Charles was listed on a passenger list for an incoming ship from Montreal; his address is given as 2 Mill View, West Boldon. They had a son, Alan, born in October 1930.

By 1939, Sarah and her children were living at Highland Gardens, Shildon, and Charles seems to be away.

He died on 26th June 1941 when the ship S.S. River Lugar, on which he was Chief Engineer Officer, was sunk by a torpedo fired from U-69 at 01.49 hours, which broke the ship in two, and it sank within seconds. It was 200 miles SW of the Azores, carrying Iron ore from Freetown. 34 crew, 4 gunners and a passenger died.

His death was announced in the Shields Gazette on 11/11/1941.

Charles Arthur Holme is remembered at East Boldon on E46.01 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.