On the Tower Hill Memorial, London is the name of Master James Atkinson serving on the Don Arturo with the Mercantile Marine who died 17/06/1917.

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

In loving memory of
John Edwards
the beloved husband of
Jane E. Atkinson
who died October 26th 1928

also Captain James Atkinson
lost at sea June 17th 1917.

Also Frederick Atkinson
killed in action April 18th 1918.

Beloved sons of the above.

Also Jane Elizabeth
wife of the above,
who died April 16th 1941.

Also Ser. Wilfred Venus
Atkinson, R.A.F.V.R.
grandson of the above,
killed in action August 30th 1941.

Also John Edward
eldest son of the above
died 31st March 1971
aged 93 years.

James Atkinson, born December 21st? 1884, baptised 17th January 1885, died 17th June 1917, was the youngest son of twelve children to father John Edward Atkinson, born December 1855 died 26th October 1928, and his wife Jane Elizabeth nee Venus, Atkinson, born 25th June 1856, died 16th April 1941. They were married on the 25th December 1874 at St Hilda’s Church, South Shields.

The other children were:-

• Mary Elizabeth Atkinson, born 16th My 1875, died 31st December 1876 at 30 Walpole Street, South Shields.
• John Edward Atkinson, born 23rd May 1877, baptised 13th June 1877. He married Isabella Johnson, born 23rd February 1875, in 1899 at South Shields. In 1921, they are residing at 21 Marine Approach, South Shields. They had two children John Edward Atkinson, born 1901 and Doris Atkinson born 1904. John was a Grocer and Provisions dealer, like his father. By 1939, they were residing at 1 Grosvenor Road, South Shields. John Edward Atkinson died at Rockcliffe House, Westoe village, South Shields on the 31st March 1971.
• Jane Ann ‘Annie’ Atkinson, born 22nd July 1879, baptised 6th August 1879, died 28th November 1961 at Ingham Infirmary, she married William Bradford Arkle in 1897, died 2nd April 1920, a Master Grocer, and they had three children, Lilian Arkle, born 20th December 1899, [she married Frank Lord in 1919], and John William  Arkle, baptised 19th April 1898, died 23rd February 1961. [He married Ada Parkin in 1918]. In 1891, they were residing at 314 South Palmerston Street, South Shields. By 1939, Jane Ann had remarried Edward G, Scott, born 12th August 1874, died 1960, also there was a child Mildred Arkle, born 20th August 1920, died 1975, who was a Grocery Shop Assistant. {Mildred married Alfred W. Davison in 1940, after he died, she married again to Amos Overton in 1981}. They were all residing at 157 Grosvenor Road, South Shields.
• Frederick Atkinson, was born in June 1889, baptised 24th July 1889, died in WW1 on the 18th April 1918.
• Ralph Venus Atkinson, born 18th July 1886, baptised 10th August 1886, died 3rd April 1959. He married Sarah Ann ‘Annie’ Kerr, born 22nd April 1890, on the 4th August 1913. Ralph was conscripted as a ‘Derby ‘Man, Group 35 Married. Called up on the 10th December 1915, but did not mobilise until the 31st March 1917 at London. Ralph was 5 feet ten inches, 150lbs with a fair complexion. His address was 14 Armstrong Terrace, South Shields with his wife and two children. He was posted into the Honourable Artillery Company on the 31st March 1917 with the service number 625981. Rank was a Gunner.  He was in the Reserve Brigade before being posted into the 309th Siege Battery. A new service number of 625981 was allocated to him. [The 309th Siege Battery was a unit of the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA) raised by the Honourable Artillery Company during World War I. Formed in April 1917, the battery was primarily equipped with 6-inch howitzers and saw active service on the Western Front in France]. This Siege unit came under the 47th Heavy Artillery Brigade along with the 109th Siege Battery, 146th Siege Battery and 156th Siege Battery. Sent to France on the 6th November 1917. He was discharged on the 15th February 1919 from Ripon and was going to reside at 3 Shrewsbury Terrace. South Shields. He was awarded two medals.  She was a Grocer’s Manageress with Ralph who was a Master Grocer residing at 6 Lismore Avenue, South Shields in 1939.  Ralph was a Grocer and was initiated into the John Readhead Lodge of Freemasons on 2nd November 1914, in South Shields. By 1921, they had two children, Wilfred Venus Atkinson, born 15th May 1914, died 30th August 1941 in WW2 and Lorna Atkinson, born 1915, died 1997, she married Frank Reavley, born 11th June 1910, died 1974.
• Bartholomew Atkinson, born 10th September 1888, baptised 30th September 1888, died 29th May 1951 at Ingham Infirmary. He obtained his First Mate certificate on the 8th August 1910, in South Shields. On the 1st October 1912, Bartholomew was initiated into the Hadrian Lodge of Freemasons, as a Master Mariner; Bartholomew was admitted to a naval hospital in Strathpeffer, Scotland, on the 9th August 1918, for Gastritis, and was discharged on 27th August 1918. After the war, Bartholomew was awarded the three 1914-1920 medals [Star, Victory and British War]. On the 9th May 1928, Bartholomew Atkinson arrived, as Master, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, on Coralstone, ship number 147676, from Newcastle upon Tyne. 6th August 1930, Bartholomew arrived, as Master, at New Orleans, Louisiana, from Cienfuegos, on Lady Astley, ship number 122839. 12th December 1930, Bartholomew arrived, as Master, at New York, USA, from Puerto de Vita, Cuba, on Lady Astley, ship number 122839, having left Swansea on 17th February 1930. in 1939, Bartholomew was residing with his mother at 230 Dean Street, South Shields and he was single residing at 6, Osborne Terrace, South Shields.
• Lilian Atkinson, born 23rd January 1891, baptised 15th February 1891, died 19th March 1981. she married William H. Burn in 1916, in South Shields. in 1921, Lilian was residing with her parents and her son, Frederick Atkinson Burn, born 1st July 1918, at 18 Dean Road, South Shields. In 1939, Lilian was residing at 230 Dean Road, with her parents and Lilian, born 22nd April 1922, a shorthand typist [no surname given, but she would later marry John M. Hanson, in 1945, in South Shields]; Lilian Burn, of 109 Old Road East, Gravesend, Kent, died aged 90, on 19th March 1981.
• Margaret Atkinson, born 27th April 1894, baptised 13th May 1894, died 1976. She married James Potter, born 28th November 1892, [surname incorrectly given as Petter], died 12th October 1983, in 1918, in South Shields. In 1921, Margaret and James were residing at 5 Clifton Lee, South Shields with their two children, James Atkinson Potter, born 2nd March 1919, a Civil Servant in the Ministry of Labour, was at home, and single, in 1939. James Atkinson Potter of 24, Park Hill, Bickley, Bromley, Kent, died 16th June 1982, and Douglas Potter, born 22nd April 1921, was residing, in 1939, with Arthur and Elsie Angel at 27, Ruskin Avenue, Welling, Bexley, Kent, he was a Clerical Officer at the Royal Ordnance Factory. He married Doris Campbell towards the end of 1945, in South Shields, he died, aged 82, on the 4th July 2003, in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. In 1939, James and Margaret were residing at 24, Cauldwell Villas, and James was a nautical Optician.
• William Cooper Atkinson, born 20th May 1896, died 1975 Windsor, Berkshire. He was in the Mercantile Marine in WW1. William was initiated into the Lord Barnard Lodge of the Freemasons, in South Shields, on the 4th March 1920, as an Engineer. He married Edith Holmes  in 1923, born 31st January 1897, baptised 29th June 1897,

Two other children died very young.

In 1861, the father was residing at 13 Carpenter Place Westoe, South Shields. The father John Edward was the son of a Joseph Atkinson, {born 1815, died 1872 and his wife Margaret nee Cook, Atkinson, born 1815, died 1890}, he was a well known Tradesman in South Shields as a grocer and provision dealer for over 40 years. He was a ‘father’ to the South Shields Grocers Association becoming the vice president, in addition he represented the Association at the Federated Grocers Association in the General Purposes Committee. He became  a member in 1906 of the South Shields Town Council for Deans Ward, which he represented for three years. He was a member of the South Shields Bowls Club. He died in a Nursing Home at Newcastle upon Tyne after a long illness at 38 Great North Road, Newcastle upon Tyne.

In 1881, James Atkinson was residing with his parents, John and Jane Elizabeth Atkinson at 83, South Pemberton Street, South Shields.

In 1901, James was residing with his parents, John and Jane Elizabeth at 3, South Eldon Street, South Shields, and his father was a Grocer and Provision Merchant. By 1911, they had moved to 18 Dean Street, South Shields. In 1911 and 1921, the family are residing at 18 Dean Road, South Shields, prior to this address in 1901, they were at 3 South Eldon Street, South Shields. The shop was on the corner of  1 South Eldon Street, South Shields in 1921, there was also a branch at 13 Canterbury Street, South Shields.

James Atkinson joined the Mercantile Marine. He married Jane Storey, born 28th April 1882, Chester le Street, died 25th January 1952, at the South Shields Registrar office on the 9th May 1906. They had three children. James Atkinson, born 1909, died 16th June 1982, Thora Atkinson, born 27th August 1911, died 1893 and Ivor Roland Atkinson, born 7th November 1915, died 1999. [He married in June 1940  Nelda Sanderson Squirell, and had a child who was born and died in 1940].

In 1939, Jane now widowed was residing at 135 Stanhope Road, South Shields, with her daughter Thora who was a Governess and Secretary. [Thora married a Young on the 20th September 1945].

Built in 1906, the Don Arturo, ship number 120680, was a 3,680 Gross Register Ton (GRT) steam cargo ship.  On 28th June 1917, while traveling in ballast from Algeria to the River Tees, she was torpedoed by the German U boat UC-62, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Max Schmitz.  The attack happened in the Atlantic Ocean at approximately 49° 19′ N, 08° 28′ W—about 90 nautical miles west-south-west of the Scilly Isles.  The sinking resulted in the tragic loss of all 34 crew members on board. James was residing at ‘The Oaks’,Langlam Road, East Boldon, South Shields in 1917.

Sources: James Hoy Archive; British Newspaper Archive; National Archives; Merchant Navy Association; Billy McGee; Jennifer Stephenson; Western Front Association; U Boat net

See brother Frederick Atkinson and nephew Wilfred Venus Atkinson‘s stories.

Christine Davison has submitted the following:-

James Atkinson lived at “The Oaks”, Langholm Road, with his wife Jane, nee Storey. James was baptised on 17th January 1884. The 1911 census shows them living in South Shields. They had three children, James, Thora and Ivor. The two elder children were born in  Shields, but the youngest was born at East Boldon in 1915.

James was the son of John Edwards and Jane Atkinson. His brother Frederick was killed in action in 1918.

James was the master of Don Arturo, a Merchant Navy ship. It had been a 3,600-ton steam cargo ship built for Buenos Ayres & Pacific Railway Co. Ltd. She was sunk on 28th June 1917 by a torpedo, fired from a German submarine, approximately 90 nautical miles from the Scilly Isles. The ship was en route from Algeria to the River Tees with ballast, and there were no survivors. In his will, he left effects to the value of £1,785.

James Atkinson is remembered at East Boldon on E46.01, at South Shields on S86.036, at West Boldon on W99.07 and on our List of Ships’ Crew.