FEA Thomas E, OBE CAPTAIN EARNSHAW Herbert K, MBE KINCHIN Thomas C JACOB Kenneth F PARTON Bertram A, (KCB) INKSTER Edgar J ROBERTSON George N DONNELLY Peter A WALKER Archibald H LIVINGSTONE Allistair, (KCB) MACLEAN Hugh YONGE Arthur G BUTLER Richard CAMERON Kenneth W CLARK John ROWSE Eric W, BEM HOOPER Henry G | MACDONALD Alexander McHUGH Francis MARTIN Henry SMITH Donald SOUTHERN George SUTHERLAND James F MACDONALD Malcolm MACLEOD Murdo, BEM RICHARDS Herbert SLATER George THOMAS Llewelyn g TURRELL James A McCARTHY James SPENCER Herbert J DONALDSON David HAMER Gordon L JACKSON Robert | KENNY Richard C McALLAN William P McDONALD Colin F McGEOWN John PRING George T PURNELL Courtney T RAITT Thomas WESTGATE Henry A WHITE Frederick A GUY John W JACKSON Christopher PURVIS James ALLAN John FINLEY Ronald HUTCHINSON Robert A LISTER William ROONEY Richard J | DOUGLAS Neil A ECCLES Stanley HELME Ernest, BEM WASTELL Thomas A LAWSON William P FAIRBAIN Joseph L CATOIS Charles STAPLES Joseph N ANGUS James CRAWFORD Hugh K ASHTON Colin MARSDEN T STILL W H |
In peacetime the Stockport had been a passenger-cargo steamer. Her home port was Grimsby. She plied the London & North Eastern Railway (LNER) company's routes across the North Sea to Holland.
Her wartime role was as hospital rescue ship escorting convoys across the Atlantic Ocean. She survived several convoys in which many ships were sunk, rescuing over 400 of their crew. At 1,600 tons, and with a top speed on a good day of only 13 knots, the 30 year old ship was not best suited to the North Atlantic in mid winter.
On convoy duty, when the explosion of a torpedo announced the presence of U-boats, other ships left the vicinity as swiftly as possible, but the Stockport's lonely task was to steam towards the site of the explosion and search for survivors. Without the protection of a convoy, the Stockport was an easy target. Her crew regularly risked own lives to save others.
Several ships were sunk as convoy ON-166 made its way across the ocean. Each time the Stockport stopped to rescue survivors she lagged further behind. No one knows the exact details of her last moments.
This memorial to the SS Stockport is located in the town of the same name. I was curious to know if there was any other connection between the town and ship, and checked to see if any of the crew came from Stockport. None did. The nearest was from Stretford, five miles away. Two were from Cheshire, but most of the crew were of Scottish origin. The information below is summarised from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's (CWGC) web site.
Merchant Navy Personnel | |||
| 40 | |||
| Chief Officer | Herbert King EARNSHAW, MBE | 33 | Hull |
| Second Officer | Thomas Cooper KINCHIN | 27 | |
| Third Officer | Kenneth Frank JACOB | 21 | Coulsdon, Surrey |
| Chief Engineer Officer | Bertram Anderson PARTON, KCB | 56 | Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire |
| Second Engineer Officer | Edgar James INKSTER | 26 | Moreton, Cheshire |
| Third Engineer Officer | George Noble ROBERTSON | 32 | Cruden Bay, Aberdeenshire |
| Fourth Engineer Officer | Peter Anthony DONNELLY | 22 | Glasgow |
| First Radio Officer | Archibald Halliday Smith WALKER | 42 | |
| Second Radio Officer | Alistair McMurdo LIVINGSTONE, KCB | 22 | Glasgow |
| Third Radio Officer | Hugh MACLEAN | 22 | |
| First Radio Officer | Arthur George Twining YONGE | 27 | |
| Second Radio Officer | Richard BUTLER | 24 | |
| Third Radio Officer | Kenneth William Roland CAMERON | 19 | |
| Carpenter | John CLARK | 29 | Ruaig, Isle of Tiree |
| Boatswain | Eric William ROWSE, BEM | 44 | Hull |
| Able Seaman | Henry George HOOPER | 28 | |
| Able Seaman | Alexander MACDONALD | 31 | |
| Able Seaman | Francis McHUGH | 31 | |
| Able Seaman | Henry MARTIN | 23 | Glasgow |
| Able Seaman | Donald SMITH | 30 | Wick, Caithnesshire |
| Able Seaman | George SOUTHERN | 57 | |
| Able Seaman | James Fleet SUTHERLAND | 28 | |
| Sailor | Malcolm MACDONALD | 18 | Vatersay, Isle of Barra |
| Sailor | Murdo MacLEOD, BEM | 39 | |
| Sailor | Herbert RICHARDS | 22 | Bellshill, Lanarkshire |
| Sailor | George SLATER | 26 | Port Gordon, Banffshire |
| Sailor | Llewelyn Grey THOMAS | 20 | |
| Donkeyman | James Albert TURRELL | 29 | Grimsby, Lincolnshire |
| Greaser | James McCARTHY | 41 | |
| Greaser | Herbert Joseph SPENCER | 57 | Marsh Chapel, Lincolnshire |
| Fireman | David DONALDSON | 21 | |
| Fireman | Gordon Llewelyn HAMER | 18 | Beaufort, Monmouthshire |
| Fireman | Robert JACKSON | 22 | Northwich, Cheshire |
| Fireman | Richard Christopher KENNY | 30 | Rothesay, Bute |
| Fireman | William Paterson McALLAN | 22 | Peterculter, Aberdeenshire |
| Fireman | Colin Francis McDONALD | 19 | Glasgow |
| Fireman | John McGEOWN | 23 | |
| Fireman | George Thomas PRING | 38 | |
| Fireman | Courtney Thomas PURNELL | 19 | Cross Keys, Monmouthshire |
| Fireman | Thomas RAITT | 22 | Old Monkland, Lanarkshire |
| Fireman | Henry Arthur WESTGATE | 27 | Northolt, Middlesex |
| Fireman | Frederick Albert WHITE | 19 | Finchley, Middlesex |
| Chief Steward | John William GUY | 47 | |
| Steward | Christopher JACKSON | 29 | Cambridge |
| Cook | James PURVIS | 30 | |
| Baker | John Nelson ALLAN | 25 | Biggar, Lanarkshire |
| Cabin Boy | Ronald FINLEY | 19 | North Cheam, Surrey |
| Robert A HUTCHINSON | |||
| Galley Boy | William LISTER | 18 | |
| Cabin Boy | Richard John ROONEY | 17 | Eastwood, Renfrewshire |
Royal Navy Personnel | |||
| Surgeon Lieutenant RNVR | Neil Archibald DOUGLAS, MBE, MB, Ch B | 28 | Arbroath, Angus |
| Sick Berth Attendant | Stanley ECCLES | 21 | Bradford, Yorkshire |
| Sick Berth Attendant | Ernest HELME, BEM | 25 | Gorton, Manchester |
| Convoy Signalman | Thomas Arthur WASTELL | 20 | Swansea, Glamorgan |
| Convoy Signalman | William Peter LAWSON | 24 | Dundee, Angus |
| Joseph L FAIRBAIN | |||
| Charles CATOIS | |||
| Able Seaman | Joseph Norman STAPLES | 28 | Stretford, Lancashire |
| Able Seaman | James ANGUS | 20 | Glasgow |
| Able Seaman | Hugh Henderson CRAWFORD | 25 | Glasgow |
| Able Seaman | Colin ASHTON | 29 | Chorley, Lancashire |
| T MARSDEN | |||
| Able Seaman | William Henry STILL | 19 | Harrow Weald, Middlesex |
More information about the crew members can be found on the CWGC web site. Another source for this page was an article in Ships Monthly by Phil Crowther.