On the Tower Hill Memorial is the name of Second Engineer William Sheel, serving on S.S. Ludgate with the Mercantile Marine, who died 26/07/1917.

He was the husband of Priscilla Annie Sheel, of 3, The Westlands, Sunderland. He was born at Sunderland.

In Sunderland (Ryhope Road) Cemetery is a family headstone which reads:

Side one.

The burial ground of H.D.W. Sheel

In
loving memory
of
Margaret Jane
the dearly beloved wife of
H.D.W. Sheel
who died in Hamburg, May 20
and was interred here
May 24th 1902.
Aged 58 years.

Gone before.

Also the above
Henry D.W. Sheel
who died Dec. 4th 1907.
Aged 70 years.

Until the day break.

Side two

Also Emily E. Sheel
second daughter,
born July 1st 1873,
died Sep. 27th 1924.

Also Olive Sheel
youngest daughter
born Oct.17th 1883,
died Feb.12th 1929.

Also Eleanor A. Sheel,
eldest daughter,
born July 11th 1869,
died June 8th 1943.

Herbert Wilson Clement,
husband of Gretchen,
died December 31st 1959, age 72.

Also Gretchen Clement,
third daughter,
died July 11th 1956, aged 73.

Side three

Also
Margaret Jane
infant daughter
born Nov. 1876 died Nov. 1877.

Also William
youngest son,
born June 11th 1885,
lost at sea through enemy action
July 26th 1917.

Also Henry Berthold,
eldest son,
born Dec. 29th 1870,
lost at sea through enemy action
Nov. 23rd 1917.

Also Robert Fletcher,
second son,
born Oct 22nd 1874,
died at Shanghai, April 2nd 1926.

Also Bertha
only child of the above H.B. Sheel
born April 24th 1918,
died July 20th 1932.

William Sheel was lost on the S.S. Ludgate, ship number 120662, 3,708grt, which was a defensively armed Merchant Ship, she was attacked by a German U Boat UC 51, commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans Galster, on the 26th July 1917, 2 miles South from Galley Head, where she was mined and sunk. On a voyage from Huelva to Garston carrying iron ore. 24 lives lost including the Master.

William Sheel is remembered at Barnard Castle School on B135.20, at Sunderland on S140.005,  S140.017, in S140.48 Part 8 page 177 and S140.082, in the Bedan Magazine (See names Index below) and in our List of Ships’ Crews.