In St. Martin’s Churchyard, Isle of Scilly is the Commonwealth War Grave of Master William Sinclair Dobbing serving on S.S. St. Olaf with the Mercantile Marine who died 15/12/1917.

Pauline Priano has submitted the following;

William Sinclair Dobbing was one of 8 known children. His father John Dobbing was born at Stockton, County Durham, February 13th 1809 and married Mary Sinclair at Sunderland, historically in County Durham, March 18th 1833. His wife Mary was a local girl born, September 21st 1811.

Their son Henry was born, May 1st 1833, Mary Jane 1838, John 1840, Elizabeth 1842, Ann 1850, William Sinclair 1852, baptised by his parents, December 25th 1852 at Bishopwearmouth, Isabel in 1855. John Dobbing supported his family by his own means as a sail cloth manufacturer, employing 12 men and 13 boys.

Aged 18 years William Sinclair Dobbing is listed in the 1871 census as a sailor. He was married in 1875 at Sunderland, historically in County Durham, to Elizabeth Jane Oswald who was born in the mining village of Tanfield, County Durham, in 1852. She was the daughter of engineman James Oswald and Mary Arkless.

By the time their their daughter Elizabeth Oswald Dobbing was born in 1878, her father William Sinclair Dobbing had been awarded, February 23rd 1875 a Certificate of Competency as Mate, December 8th 1877 his Master’s Certificate and was also Vice Chair of the Sunderland Order of Druids and a member of Phoenix Lodge.

William Sinclair Dobbing Jnr was born at Sunderland in 1883, Mary 1886.  

Sunday March 31st 1901 William Sinclair Dobbing was serving as Mate aboard the S.S. Lilian of Newcastle upon Tyne. His wife and children were living at 20, Harrogate Street, Hendon, Sunderland. While Elizabeth (22) assisted her mother at home, William Jnr (18) was working his apprenticeship as a plater, Mary (15) had found a position as a nurse/domestic.

Elizabeth Jane Dobbing nee Oswald died in 1907. December 14th 1908, William Sinclair Dobbing (54), remarried at the Parish Church of St. Barnabas, Kent to widow Emily Kent nee Holden (37) who had three sons from her previous marriage, Stanley Guy born November 2nd 1893 at Chatham, as was Cyril Henry in 1895 and Eric Thompson in 1899 at Rochester, Kent. Henry Albert Kent had been a general foreman at Alice Dock Corporation Depot, Blue Boer Lane, Rochester, Kent. 

Emily gave birth to their daughter Kathleen at Sunderland, May 23rd 1910. By 1911 Stanley Guy Kent had left the family home to join the Merchant Navy. William, Emily, her sons and Kathleen occupied 5 rooms at 157, Chester Road, Sunderland, before moving to 21, Chatsworth Street, Wandsworth, London.

As early as 1911 there were already rumblings of a war with Germany which was declared, August 4th 1914. William’s war record has not been found, however, in 1917 he was Master of the St. Olaf, a 762 GRT cargo ship completed in 1901 by Framnaes of Sandefjord, Norway but used by the British Government at the time of her loss.

The St. Olaf was carrying a cargo of coal when she went missing en-route from Cardiff to Honfleur, in the Calvados region of France.

December 23rd 1917 Master William Sinclair Dobbing was found dead, washed ashore on St. Martins and it was noted, “aged about 60.” A second body of a seaman found dead on St. Martins (perhaps from St. Olaf) could not be identified, he was about 30 years of age.

They were both laid to rest within St. Martins Churchyard, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall, United Kingdom. The graveyard contains only 4 casualties of WW1, the aforementioned and Third Mate A. Chichester (Arthur Chichester) born 1895 at Braunton, Devon, the son of William and Sarah Chichester and Chaplain 4th Class The Rev. F. Raine, husband of Mrs. Ida May Raine. 

The news of their father’s loss reached the Dobbing family less than 5 months after that of their brother Fireman William Sinclair Dobbing who died aboard the S.S. Longerty, July 21st 1917.

In 1921 Emily Dobbing was still living at Chatsworth Street, also in the household was her son Eric Thomas Kent (22) employed as a pharmacist by Brady & Martin Ltd, Manufacturing Chemist, and his wife Dorothy Margaret (25), Cyril Henry Kent (26) a window dresser employed by J. Jones Ltd., Furrier and Costumer. Alice Jane Thompson a manager at Grange laundry lodged in their home.

Kathleen Dobbing was a student at The Royal Merchant Seamans Orphanage, Bearwood near Woking in Surrey. She was married in 1934 to Frank Hiseman Jnr who was the son of Frank Hiseman and Alice Heckling natives of Plumstead, Kent, however Frank Jnr was born at Woolwich, London, May 4th 1900.

In 1939 they were living at 79, Shirley Road, Croydon, Surrey, and had taken Emily Dobbing into their home. Kathleen had also given birth to a daughter in 1936 at Northampton, Northamptonshire, whom they named Jean F. Hiseman. Frank supported them all employed as a superintendent at a typewriter factory. Their son Jeffrey was born at Bridgewater, Somerset in 1943.

Emily Dobbing-Kent nee Holden died in 1945, registered at Richmond, North Yorkshire.

Frank Hiseman died at Bridgewater, Somerset in 1974, Kathleen Hiseman nee Dobbing at Sedgemoor Somerset, in 1999.

Details of William and Elizabeth Maud’s children;

Elizabeth Oswald Dobbing was married at Sunderland to Thomas Kilbank Bell. Born at Sunderland, November 30th 1879 he was the son of William Bell and Mary Morrell.

Ten years later Elizabeth (32) was an inmate at Sunderland Borough Asylum, (Lunatic), Ryhope, historically in County Durham, as of 1945 known as Cherry Knowle Hospital.

Thomas Kilbank Bell died in 1934, registered at Sunderland, Elizabeth Oswald Bell nee Dobbing in 1954 at Durham Eastern.

William Sinclair Dobbing Jnr married Eleanor Maud McBeath. Born at Sunderland, May 4th 1884 she was the daughter of Hector McBeath and Eleanor Ann Healey and with whom he had 4 children William Sinclair 1905-1966, Eleanor Ann 1908-1987, Elizabeth Jane 1910-1991 and Samuel James Alexander 1911-1999.

Stoker William Sinclair Dobbing in 1911 was serving aboard the S. S. Lady Martin, birthed in London Dock. Owned by the British & Irish Steam Packet Company, she was one of a fleet running services from London to Dublin. Stoker Dobbing died of pneumonia, July 21st 1917, whilst serving as Fireman aboard the S. S. Longerty, He is not considered a casualty of war by the C.W.G.C..

His brother in law Samuel McBeath died before him, killed on the Somme in 1916.

Mary Dobbing, further details unknown.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.

William Sinclair Dobbing is remembered at Sunderland in  S140.48 Part 8 page 169 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.