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New Plymouth, New Zealand. - Tracing the burial ground of a young hero

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#1 · (Edited)
This is my first post so I'd like to say hello to everyone and I'm sure it's a happy ship. But the purpose of my 'being here' is to seek the help of members who may have witnessed a tragic incident that took place about 1957 in New Plymouth, New Zealand.

This is a plea for information from 'Liverpool Retired Merchant Seafarers'.

We publish a quarterly newsletter that keeps members up to date with local/international maritime events. We also trace the history, where we can, of events that they experienced during their sea-going days. They are encouraged to contribute their own stories of home and abroad and one such tale that was brought to our attention concerns the freighter 'British Monarch' that ended in tragedy.
It is of two young local girls swimming in the harbour at Port Taranaki in New Plymouth, New Zealand, whilst the ship was discharging her cargo of Phosphate at the quay. For some reason the girls got into trouble and called for help. At the same time two young apprentices were on deck of the British Monarch and were attracted by the girls call for assistance. Both of the boys (aged about 16) responded immediately, and without any thought for their own safety, dived in the water and made a heroic effort to save the girls. Thankfully both girls were saved, but tragically one of the apprentices was drowned and buried in a small churchyard that overlooked the harbour.
I have been given the task of finding out the boy’s name and the churchyard where he was buried. Some of our members make the occasional visit to New Zealand and if we can identify the boy’s name and church, they could make arrangements to visit the grave and give a fitting commemoration to a young and maybe forgotten hero. It could well be that the girls or their families have tended the grave over the years but we have no knowledge of this.
Therefore does anyone remember the sorrowful incident with clarity?
Can anyone identify our young hero?
Was there a mission to Seamen in Port Taranaki?
We would like to know the name of the churchyard and if it was reported in the local paper.
Any information regarding this would be much appreciated

Thanks,
Rainbow
 
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#52 ·
Hi Delboy

It was a honour to have been able to get the photos for you..

My younger brother took them for me as he lives in New Plymouth.He tells me the grave is situated in a area close to native bush with plenty of NZ tuis and bellbirds making quite a song.

He spent some time there as he was taken in by the atmosphere of it all.

Ray Blackley
 
#54 ·
British Monarch

Re the loss of Robert Crammon in NZ - I was an apprentice with him on that voyage and have responded privately to his brother with a description of events - through the haze of 50 years, along with some pictures - equally hazy! What a great job of tracking down the gravesite picture and particularly the one of the funeral posted in the Gallery. I believe it is the first time I have seen it & it brought the whole event back to me.
This was an eventful trip with our female 2nd. Eng. and the 2nd. Mate's 9 hours in the water - I have provided my take on these events in the appropriate threads. I may have the details wrong but the voyage started in Bremen through the Magellan Str. to NZ - the Canal dues were more than Messrs. Raeburn and Verel could afford, even with the cheap labour of 6 apprentices! Then Fiji - Vancouver - East Coast US - Baton Rouge - Japan- Nauru -Europe. Probably a few more legs also. For the apprentices, one of the highlights was the money we made humping mail bags that we took from Auckland to New Plymouth. Road and rail links were washed out I believe and the Post Office regs required us to be paid. Made more than a months apprentice wages!
She was a good ship with a great crowd. I wrapped up my apprenticeship on her with a spell as 3rd Mate at the end. Would love to hear from any other Monarch Line apprentices of this era, but suspect there won't be a whole lot of us left.
 
#68 ·
Re the loss of Robert Crammon in NZ - I was an apprentice with him on that voyage and have responded privately to his brother with a description of events - through the haze of 50 years, along with some pictures - equally hazy! What a great job of tracking down the gravesite picture and particularly the one of the funeral posted in the Gallery. I believe it is the first time I have seen it & it brought the whole event back to me.
This was an eventful trip with our female 2nd. Eng. and the 2nd. Mate's 9 hours in the water - I have provided my take on these events in the appropriate threads. I may have the details wrong but the voyage started in Bremen through the Magellan Str. to NZ - the Canal dues were more than Messrs. Raeburn and Verel could afford, even with the cheap labour of 6 apprentices! Then Fiji - Vancouver - East Coast US - Baton Rouge - Japan- Nauru -Europe. Probably a few more legs also. For the apprentices, one of the highlights was the money we made humping mail bags that we took from Auckland to New Plymouth. Road and rail links were washed out I believe and the Post Office regs required us to be paid. Made more than a months apprentice wages!
She was a good ship with a great crowd. I wrapped up my apprenticeship on her with a spell as 3rd Mate at the end. Would love to hear from any other Monarch Line apprentices of this era, but suspect there won't be a whole lot of us left.
I attended the funeral of a Master Mariner in Aberdeen around Xmas time last year. He was Capt. Lewis McKay , a native of Dundee, late master in B.P. and I believe he served his time in the British Monarch I think in 1944 - maybe before your time.
JC
 
#55 ·
I have found the comments and actions of all concerned quite heart touching, and a trear falls as I write this, and then to receive contact from the brave man's brother really was the icing on the cake. What a superb bunch of chaps there are in the Association. Many thanks to all concerned.
 
#56 ·
Ranger66, thank you for your posting which is now located at #55

I took the liberty to move your excellent posting to this thread, as the other thread where it was placed originally, was only an auto-generated thread by the site software after a member had visited the SN Guide under British Monarch

The whole SN Guides concept is firstly, not to take away from the proper discussion thread which is here, but rather, to have in addition access to SN Guides, wherein there is a wikipedia style data-base of the item (in this case a ship) that has been mentioned in the thread.

That is why we are beginning the see these links appearing on the site.

NB. There is no way this is criticism, it is just an explanation of what the Site is trying to do.
 
#57 ·
British Monarch.

This story rings a bell with me - I did my pre-sea training at the James Watt College, Greenock 1958-1959 with a Derek Crammon. The Crammons lived in Gourock - Larkhill, if I remember rightly - and I can recall hearing about the accidental death of an elder brother, an apprentice with Raeburn and Verel. I think I'm right in saying that when Derek left the Watt College, he went to the company for his apprenticeship.

--------
Mike.
 
#58 ·
Moved posting

EMMESSTEE, thank you for your posting which is now located at #58 on this thread.

I took the liberty to move your excellent posting to this thread, as the other thread where it was placed originally (SN Guides), was only an auto-generated thread by the site software after a member had visited the SN Guide under British Monarch

The whole SN Guides concept is firstly, not to take away from the proper discussion thread which is here, but rather, to have in addition access to SN Guides, wherein there is a wikipedia style data-base of the item (in this case a ship) that has been mentioned in the thread.

That is why we are beginning the see these links appearing on the site.

NB. There is no way this is criticism, it is just an explanation of what the Site is trying to do
 
#59 ·
Re my message #58 posted yesterday - there appears to have been some re-organisation of the thread since my posting and I was not aware of the existence of the other 57 postings when I made my post. I have now read them all and it would appear that possibly Derek and I were not in the same pre-sea class at the James Watt College - although I know that I was aware of this tragic incident from my time at the College and around Gourock.

------------
Mike.
 
#60 ·
Super Moderators, I appolagise if i have misinformed any one, and made more work for you. I was looking through sn guides discussion to see what was in there. When I clicked out I must have done something wrong as British Monarch came up on Quick Links. Sorry.
All the best.
Barney.
 
#62 ·
Jeez , that's a name from the past ; Rab Ritchie..........
Lady Jane Ritchie on the Gourock - Kilcreggan run . An open boat with
a single cylinder diesel . Learned to steer on the Granny Kempock , Gourock
- Helensbrough late '50's.

JC
 
#65 ·
Discussion thread for British Monarch. If you would like to add a comment, click the New Reply button
Cranky, I remember going on board the British Monarch at the time Iwas only in short pants as they say . At that time New Plymouth had it's share of Port,Blue Star, Shaw Saville. NZSC vessels. (HomeBoats) as they were often refered to and it was good to see a different company. I remember the Second Mate showing me around.My mother happened to mention when we got home that she thought she had seen his photo in the paper. After checking around she found it. I am sorry to say I had never heard about your fellow apprentice or indeed the female Second Engineer until I read about it in SN.How it was missed I don,t know. In the seventies I was on the dredge Ngamotu for five years and he was never mentiond. I would however like to complement SN members fot getting things sorted out.
Regards
John Milne
 
#69 ·
Hello There,

We are off to NZ again this year - I have some photo's which I would like to send you, which we took when in New Plymouth last year.
Would you like me to send them.
Also do you have any old photo of Robbie - would like to put it with his story at Foty Perch Rock - we are writing a new Web site which should be up and running soon.

Best regards,

Stan McNally
ex R/O British Monarch
 
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