Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Naval Campaign is defined as to include all sea operations where attrition rates are in ones and twos and which do not fall within specific naval battles such as Jutland, Coronel, Falklands etc. This includes Merchant Navy losses.

Detail :

SECOND ENGINEER RENWICK BECK SS ZENT, MERCANTILE MARINE The SS Zent was a steamer of 3,890 tons and was torpedoed without warning on 5 May 1916 while on passage from Garston to St Marta (Colombia) in ballast under the command of Captain Martin. German U Boat U-66 sunk her in the Atlantic, 28 miles W by S half S from Fastnet Rock. She was struck twice on the starboard side. The first torpedo penetrated the engine-room killing two engineers, and was followed by a second, which struck the vessel near No. 3 hatch. The first torpedo also destroyed the dynamo of the wireless, but Operator Proughten brought the emergency set of instruments into service, sent out the distress signal, and gave the position of the vessel. The whole tragedy was begun and finished in two minutes. Of the 58 on board and 49 were killed. The nine survivors including Captain Martin were saved. Mr Proughton the wireless officer showed great bravery when he went down with the ship sending out SOS messages so the others could be saved. One stowaway was also lost. Sources; Daring deeds of merchant seamen in the great war - Wheeler, Harold F. B 1918 The Merchant Navy (Volume 2) - Hurd, Archibald, Sir

Masonic :

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley