On Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of Signalman James Bowes, serving on H.M.S. Partridge with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who died 12/12/1917.

He was the son of Richard and Marie Stella Bowes of 9, Bell Terrace, Annfield Plain, County Durham.

Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-

James Bowes was one of 11 surviving children, 1 deceased, born to Richard Bowes Snr and Maria Stella Tucker, both of whom were natives of Spennymoor, County Durham born August 3rd 1856 and 1860 respectively. Maria Stella was the daughter of coal miner Philip Tucker who was born in St. Austell, Cornwall and Catherine Wilhelmina Lishman Smith native of Liverpool, Lancashire, both of whom had migrated to the north-east with their families in the 1860s.

Richard and Maria Stella were married in the district of Auckland, County Durham in 1879, their eldest child, Catherine Ann was born in the village of Canney Hill, Coundon Gate, Bishop Auckland, County Durham in 1880, where Richard Bowes was employed as a coal miner. His wife gave birth to a further 4 children in Canney Hill, Wilhelmina, May 23rd 1881, Thomas, September 27th 1883, Frank, November 28th 1885 and Maria Stella, December 10th 1887, baptised January 8th 1888, before they moved a few miles away to the village of Escomb, birthplace of James Bowes, February 22nd 1890. 

In 1891 they occupied 3, Woodside, Witton Park, Escomb. Richard supported his family employed as a labourer at the pit. Ten years later they were living at Black Road, Witton Park and their family had increased with the birth of a further 4 children, Richard Jnr, February 22nd 1890, Mary Jane 1894 who sadly died not yet 2 years of age in 1896, Philip 1894 and Hannah in 1897. 

Richard Snr was now employed as a master stone man below ground and had been joined at the pit by Thomas (17) working as a putter and Frank (15) a driver, the remainder of the children with the exception of Hannah (4) although of school age are not listed as scholars. Catherine Ann (21) had left the family home and was employed as a housemaid/domestic by Roman Catholic priest Father Richard Wyler, resident of Albion Terrace, Witton Park.

Richard and Maria Stella welcomed another daughter, October 7th 1902 whom they named Mary, followed by Margaret Jane, June 13th 1905 at South Moor.

Five rooms at 9, Bell Terrace, New Kyo, Annfield Plain had become the family home by 1911 as the colliery offered a place of work to the male members of the family. Coal hewer Richard Snr had been joined below ground by Thomas (27) Frank (25) James (21) as hewers, Richard Jnr (18) as a putter, Philip (16) was a colliery labourer above ground. Hannah (14), Mary (8) and Margaret Jane (4) remained at home with their mother assisted by Wilhelmina (29). 

Britain declared a state of war existed with Germany, August 4th 1914. Men from all walks of life volunteered to serve their Country in answer to Kitchener’s call to arms and the order that all regiments raise new battalion. Soon the Army had all the men it required. 

James Bowes left his employment as a coal miner and enlisted, November 12th 1914. Described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, brown hair and eyes, he was assigned to the Royal Naval Division (Command Post) as Ordinary Seaman Tyneside Z/1446, stationed at Fairlight, East Sussex, three miles east of Hastings. 

April 2nd 1915 he was transferred to the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and posted to Pembroke I shore barracks at Chatham, Kent April 19th 1915, where he was appointed Signalman, June 3rd 1915. The job of Signalman involved both visual communications and advanced lookout skills. As of December 9th 1915 he served as Signalman aboard HMS Brilliant, an Apollo Class cruiser which was sunk in 1918 as a block ship at Ostend but prior to this Signalman Bowes had been transferred, November 12th 1917, to HMS Partridge.

The destroyer HMS Partridge was a brand new addition to the fleet built by Swan Hunter’s Wallsend shipyard on the River Tyne. She was laid down in July 1915, launched, March 4th 1916 and completed by June 1916, then assigned to the 14th Destroyer Flotilla in July 1916.

HMS Partridge was ordered together with the destroyers Plover, Portia and Rob Roy to patrol between Peterhead and Aberdeen February 4th 1917, to search and attack U-boat UC-44 which had been attacking fishing trawlers in the area. Their mission was not successful. 

HMS Pellew and several armed trawlers including HMS Partridge left Lerwick in the Shetland Islands as escort to 6 merchant ships on route to Bergen in Norway, December 11th 1917. The convoy came under attack from a flotilla of German destroyers and a battle ensued. HMS Partridge was repeatedly hit by shells and torpedoes and sank in the North Sea off the Norwegian coast, December 12th 1917. Although her life rafts were launched only 24 of her crew were rescued, 97 crew were killed.

Signalman Tyneside Z/1446 James Bowes was amongst those who perished, his body was never recovered for a Christian burial, listed as cause of death 1, “killed or died as a direct result of enemy action.” His sacrifice is recorded as one of 8.517 names inscribed on Chatham Naval Memorial, Kent. The memorial, in the form of an obelisk, stands overlooking the town of Chatham commemorating sailors of WW1 and WW2 who perished at sea where no permanent memorial could be raised.

 At the time of his demise, December 12th 1917, Signalman Bowes Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was 28 years of age and single. The news of James’ death, communicated to his family, December 17th 1917, came as an ulterior blow to his family already grieving the loss of his younger brother Private Philip Bowes Durham Light Infantry who had been killed in action in France, May 3rd 1917.

Maria Stella resident of 9, Bell Terrace, Annfield Plain received all monies due to the late Signalman James Bowes and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal also several gratuities and a combined pension of 12 shillings a week as of July 18th 1918, the latter allocated to her for life.

Upon the demise of Maria Stella Bowes nee Tucker in 1934 the pension passed to her husband Richard Bowes who in 1939 was living at North Terrace, Oxhill, Stanley, County Durham. Richard was still employed as a coal miner below ground, also in the household were his sons Thomas and Frank working as coal miners and daughters Mary and Wilhelmina who was the widow of John H. Conlon.

Richard Bowes died in 1941 while Great Britain was again in the midst of war with Germany.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.

James Bowes is remembered  at Annfield Plain on A38.01 and A38.11, at Stanley S135.03, in S135.04 and S135.20  and in our List of Ships’ Crews.