Post by Administrator on Jan 29, 2014 20:00:08 GMT
Charles Finnegan. Boatswain:
Mercantile Marine Reserve
Special Service Vessel “Peggy”
Died 17/10/1918 Age 42
Husband of Mary Ann Finnegan,
of 11, Bassett Street, Barry Dock.
Buried Ashore: Barry (Merthyr Dyfan) Burial Ground D. 84.
The “Peggy” was a herring drifter boat built in 1907 that sailed from ports along the East coast of Scotland. During the war it was used as an Admirals barge by the Admiralty. It also was used to lay a cable from Peterhead to Russia for the British and Russian governments.
The MMR (Mercantile Marine Reserve) were merchant seamen who signed an agreement with the Admiralty to conduct themselves according to Admiralty regulations and obeying RN officers and authority while their peacetime merchant ship was serving as an RN ship. The discipline was not as exacting as regular RN personnel, but at a higher level than other merchant marine personnel.
Charles is remembered in the Friends of Merthyr Dyfan Cemetery guide / booklet to the cemetery for WW1. A PDF version can be downloaded from:
link
Printed copies are also available from the Barry Council's office.
K