On Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of Tyneside Z/6892 Able Seaman William Hunter, serving on H.M.S. Invincible with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve who died 31/05/1916.

In Kirk Merrington Churchyard is a family headstone which reads:-

In loving memory of
Lottie
the dearly beloved wife of
Robert James Hunter
who departed this life
Dec. 29th 1908
aged 39 years

Also William
their beloved son
who lost his life
on HMS Invincible
May 31st 1916
aged 18 years 11 months

Greater love hath no man than this
that a man lay down his life for
his friends

Brenda McMahon has submitted the following:-

William was born at Tudhoe, Durham on July 1st 1897. His parents were Robert James and Lottie (nee Cheesmond). The couple married at Auckland on April 5th 1896 and went on to have 6 children together all of whom survived childhood.

In 1901 the family were living at 142 Weardale Street, Tudhoe. Father Robert was a steel smelter. His children were William, Olive and Eva. On census night Lottie’s niece, Sarah Cheesmond, was staying with them.

In the years after this census more children were born namely Lottie, Richard, and Robert. Their mother, Lottie, died 1908.

1911 shows Williams widowed father was working as a valve man whilst William at age 13 was also working at the Otto Patent coke ovens. The other children were still were at school.

In 1916 Robert married again to Margaret Barnsdale Rowlatt.

William joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on November 17th 1915. He was posted to the Victory for just one day before being sent to the Invincible where he stayed until his death.

The records show him to be 5 feet 6 inches tall, light hair, dark brown eyes, with a fair complexion. He had a birthmark on his fore head. His character was reported as being very good.

The same year as his father remarried William was killed or died as a direct result of German enemy action at the Battle of Jutland. The date was May 31st 1916. He was serving aboard H.M.S. Invincible when it was torpedoed his body was never recovered.

The Newcastle Journal 08/06/1916
LOCAL MEN LOST IN THE NAVAL BATTLE
The Admiralty announce that the following men, all able seamen belonging to the RNVR Tyne Division, were lost in the North Sea Battle:-

Invincible – William Davey, Thomas Elkin, Thomas Fox, C Clark Hands, William Hunter, G William Mitchell, William G Pentland, Isaiah Webster, John Wright

Acknowledgements: Carol Hird

William Hunter is remembered at Kirk Merrington on K26.01 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.