Post by Administrator on Feb 16, 2017 13:18:25 GMT
Finally in 2017 after eight years fighting this case common sense has prevailed after all these years and all five men have finally been accepted by the CWGC and are now officially recorded as war dead.
Hopper Barge "D". 262grt (William Cooper & Sons Ltd) On the River Mersey loaded with a cargo of sand at the Eastham Channel the barge left her anchorage at 23.30 hours on the 15th January 1945 and had been heading for the West Bank Dock, Widnes. The barge never arrived. An extensive search was made and wreckage was eventually discovered three days later just over a mile from the Eastham pumping chimney. The wreck damage was found to be consistent of that from an external explosion. The Head Dock Gateman at Eastham informed the inquiry about midnight on the 15th January he had been awakened by an explosion. The final conclusion was that the barge had been sunk by an external explosion, probably that of a relic of the blitz three years earlier. The explosion theory was later substantiated when the body of the Chief Mate was found the following month and the Coroner recorded a verdict of "Death from asphyxia, shock and multiple injuries following an external explosion" The body of the young boy rating was also discovered some considerable time later.
BOOTH, Boy Rating, ERIC. Hopper Barge "D". (Merchant Navy) 16th January 1945. Age 16. Son of Mr. and Mrs. John Edgar Booth, of 105 Cholmondeley Street, Widnes, Lancashire.
BRENNAN, Fireman, MICHAEL. Hopper Barge "D". (Merchant Navy) 16th January 1945. Age 40. Husband of Mary I. Brennan, of 235 Upper Mann Street, Liverpool 8.
LEE, Master, RICHARD. Hopper Barge "D" (Merchant Navy). 16th February 1945. Age 48. Son of the late Capt. William Shaw Lee; husband of Alice Lee, of 118 Mersey Road, Widnes. on the River Mersey.
MURRAY, Chief Mate ROBERT. Hopper Barge "D" Merchant Navy. 16th January 1945. Age 54 of 28 White Street, Widnes. Body found at foreshore, Speke, opposite the airport 25th February 1945.
ROWE, Chief Engineer, ALBERT. Hopper Barge "D" Merchant Navy. 16th January 1945. Age 61. Husband of S. J. Rowe, of 56 Oakland Street, Widnes.
Death certificates I obtained on both men back in 2009 stating they were killed by enemy action was originally ignored by the Commission due to them invoking the Merchant Navy Pension Act law, which the crew were deemed not to be part of. Just another ridiculous part of the official commemoration act the CWGC are governed by for Merchant Navy war dead.
Lest We Forget!
Information via Billy McGee.