On Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of C/SSX 13033 Able Seaman John William Dowson, serving on H.M. Tug Danube III with the Royal Navy who died 13/10/1940.

He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Dowson, of Billingham, Co. Durham.

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
John William Dowson was born on 2nd March 1904 in Hamsterley to local butcher John William Dowson and his wife Ruth Jane (nee Bates). Ruth was born in Egglestone and was the daughter of the owner of the Moorcock Inn, John Bates.  Aged seven John William and his parents lived in Victoria Cottages, Butterknowle, he had one brother Harry, born 3rd August 1912.  By 1921 he was working as a miner driver at the Gordon House Colliery at Cockfield and still living with his parents and brother now at Meadow View, Butterknowle.

On 8th September 1927 John William signed up with the Royal Navy for 12 years and was assigned the number C/SSX 13033 as an Ablebodied Seaman. He spent the first seven months of his service on the shore base at Royal Naval Barracks Chatham in Kent.

The Royal Sovereign was his first ship and he joined her on 17th April 1928, and in the 1930s would have been based in Malta assigned to the Mediterranean Fleet.

Assuming he served his full twelve years his period of service would have come to an end in September 1939, when Able Seaman Dowson would have been asked to sign on again for the duration of the war.

At the time of his death he was serving on HM Rescue Tug Danube III which was employed in the ship examination service in the Thames Estuary. The tug was sunk by a magnetic mine off Sheerness on 13th October 1940.

John William Dowson is remembered at Butterknowle on B156.01,  at Lynesack on L70.02 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.