On Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of 2652T Stoker William Edward Bowes, serving on H.M.S. Hogue with the Royal Naval Reserve who died 22/09/1914.

The son of William Edward and Mary Bowes, of Hartlepool and the husband of Margaret Bowes, of 7, Blaydon Street, Hartlepool, Durham.

Colin Boyd has provided the following:

William was born on 25th March 1887 in Hartlepool to William Bowes, a sailor and his wife Mary.

By the time of the 1891 Census he was living with his parents, two brothers and two sisters at 16, Edward Street, Hartlepool.

In 1901 the family were living at 5, Hawkridge Street, Hartlepool.  14 year old William was working in a local shipyard and William (Senior) was working as a shipyard labourer.

William married Margaret Hall in Hartlepool in 1907 and by 1911 the couple were living at 20, Mary Street, Hartlepool with their two daughters, Sarah Margaret and Mary.  William was working as a shipyard labourer.

William joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 26th February 1908 when he was described as being 5ft 4in tall with blue eyes and a fair complexion. His occupation was given as a furnaceman at Grey and Company’s Central Shipyard.

William was called up on 2nd August 1914 and posted to HMS Hogue on 3rd August 1914. William was lost 7 weeks later when HMS Hogue was torpedoed by U-9 off the Belgian coast. Her sister ships, HMS Aboukir and HMS Cressy, were also lost with the combined loss of 1459 lives.

William Edward Bowes is remembered at Hartlepool on H115.09 and H115.16 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.