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<a TARGET="_blank"<br>href="http://www.geocities.com/uksteve.geo/award1.html"><img<br>src="msilver.jpg"border=0></a> In Memory Of Ableseaman William Christopher Fielding (1884-1918)
Introduction.
Welcome to my memorial to my Greatgrandad Able seaman William Christopher Fielding (pictured left,click to enlarge photo),who served in the Merchant Navy during World War One, and died doing his duty,the vessel he was on was attacked with no warning by the German U-Boat UB-59,(the reason the u-boat attacked with no warning is that the South Western was an armed merchant vessel, you can find out more about UB-59 on her details page, found in the main menu to the left), his vessel was carring general cargo too St.Malo, this cargo would have been food, clothing and ammunition ect ect. The S.S South Western which done deliverys from Portsmouth too Jersey (Channel islands U.K) and St.Malo,the vessel was owned by the South Western Railway Company, you will find out more history about the S.S South Western and UB-59 on thier seperate pages.
I have allways had an interest in the world wars,but more so now that i know i had relatives who served in the wars. I found out about William when i was going through a box of old family photos, i found his at the bottom of the box covered in dirt and grime, i cleaned it up and asked my mother about him,but all she knew was that he died during the First World War and that he was on a ship when it was sunk and that was all she knew.
So not knowing anything about this photo i had found and cleaned up, i went about finding information about him, which was not an easy job, to find out why read the column on researchers on this page.
And with the information i found i went about putting the puzzle together and building this webpage with what i have found out. I've had alot of set backs and a lot of brick walls to get over to get this far in my family research. But the thought of finding out more and the thought that these brave men wheren't remembered until recently at the rememberance parades, made me more determined to do something as a memorial to them. Thats why i've added a memorial page for other Merchant men so they can be remembered aswell
I hope you enjoy this site and that some of the information in it will be of help and interest to you. If your researching your family don't give up and keep up the work it is well worth it in the end.During the period of making this website i have had the opportunity of talking to many people, who have helped me in my research, but i would never have dreamed of having someone contact me, to tell me that they also had a relative who lost their life on board the same vessel, as my Great grandfather. Well call it luck or fate, this has happened. I have added a similar page to this one to this site for S.S South Western's Ship Steward Harry Tom Strange, i am hoping that some more people will contact me, so i can add more pages to this site, with details of the crew that where lost, on the tragic night of 16th March 1918.
William Fieldings Job Description.
William Fieldings job as an Able Seaman would have envolved standing watch at bow or wing of the bridge to keep look out for obstructions or as in war time u-boats or other vessels of war, which very well means he could've been the first to spot UB-59 and the danger ahead.
Turn wheel on bridge or use emergency equipment as directed by mate. Other tasks he may have performed; maintaining visual communication with other ships, Steering ship under direction of ship's commander or navigating officer, or directs helmsman to steer, following designated course.
Maintains the vessel i.e painting and removing rust, gives directions to ships crew engaged in the maintence, maintains ships log whilst in port. Skills William may have needed for his job could have envolved; Controlling ships mechanical equipment, watching gauges, or other dials to make sure machinery is working correctly, determining the correct tools needed for certain tasks, assessing the performance of other crew members under his rank to make improvements. As you can see he would have had alot of different tasks on board ship, so many that you can only imagine how much hard work it must have been to work under the constant threat and pressure of u-boat attack. War Memorial Databases & On-line Researchers.
Use the Memorial databases page,to search for your relatives who died during both wars. You will need both Names (First,Surname),date of birth/death, their nationality,the armed service they served with. New to this page, the remembrance book, add your relatives name to the remembrance book.
On the links page you will find links to other Merchant Navy related sites, sites of military and historical interest.
Just a word of WARNING to anyone ready to pay a researcher for their services, make sure that they are reliable and aren't just trying to get a cheap buck, there are plenty of good researchers out there, take your time picking the one you think will give you the best service, there are other ways to research family members and their ships. Dont do what i done and send money to so called researchers, without first finding out about them and thier history.The researcher i used told me i would have all the information within two weeks,i was left waitng for at least half a year, to get information on William Fielding.I sent emails and got no reply's.
Where as using the research links(on my links page and other pages on my site), you will get the information a lot quicker and get a lot more, it shouldn't cost you a penny. In the time i waited for the researcher to send me what he had found, i had managed to find out everything i needed to know about my Great Grandad and his ship, i even had people send me information & pictures for no cost and had offers from as far as Germany of assistance in my research for no cost.
I also visited my Branch of the British Legion and they where very helpfull in helping with my questions and research, you can also use any archive centres in your area.
Merchant seamen lost at sea tribute page.
On this page i invite you to add your relatives who served in the Merchant Navy during both World Wars,and lost their lives at sea,help keep their sacrafice alive. If you would like your relative added please go to the Merchant Seamen Lost At Sea page, you will find all the information there to add your relative, you can e-mail me their details from the page.
Family Photo page.
For more photos, like the ones on this page and for more short stories about William Fielding and his young family, visit thier family photo album page. You will also find some of the pictures that i have adjusted into colour like the one at the bottom of this page, and also view colourized photo's of William & Daisy, that have been sent to me via E-mail. The picture below is of William with the two medals he recieved, they where given out after his death, to his wife Daisy, so he never had the chance to wear them with pride. To find out more about other WW1 and ww2 medals go to the medals page, you will also find William's Medals papers here. (This picture was made on Paint Shop pro 7).
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