Ships Captain
Arthur BELLHOUSE
Mercantile Marine
Died: 16th March 1918 - Age: 47

Commemorated:

1. Memorial:Tower Hill Memorial London
2. Book:The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918Pg.116
3. Memorial:The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour36A GQS
4. Memorial:Liverpool Masonic Hall War MemorialCol.1. Hope St.
    

Awards & Titles:

 

Early Life :

The majority of this legend is courtesy of Geoff Cuthill of the Province of West Lancashire, to whom the project is grateful.

Arthur was the fifth child of Samuel and Sarah Bellhouse nee Heaton, and was born 23 June 1869, at Beeston, Yorkshire, and baptised 27 March 1870 at St Mary’s Church, Beeston, Leeds, also the birthplace of both his parents, Samuel in 1831, and Sarah in 1835. Samuel was a Municipal Overseer to the Post Office.

The family are found residing at Town Street, Beeston on the 1871 census. Samuel is 44, wife Sarah 26, son Frederick William, 13, Thomas F 11 both of whom are said to be employed as Telegraph Clerk, Louisa Katherine 9, Mary C 7, Maud 4 and Arthur 1. All the children, except Arthur, are said to have been born at Burton Leonard, Yorkshire, which is between Harrowgate and Ripon. The following census of 1881 has them at the Post Office Town Street, believed to be number 36. The family are listed as Samuel and Sarah, Thomas Francis 21 a Civil Service Clerk, Louisa Catherine 18 a Milliner, Mary Elizabeth 16 Maud 14, both described as Pupil Teacher School, and Arthur an 11 year old scholar.

By the time of the next census Arthur had left to pursue a career at sea and served an apprenticeship of four years aboard the “Duchess of Albany” built and operated by Thomas Royden & Sons of Liverpool, whose house-flag is pictured here. Arthur obtained his Second Mate certificate (No 022835) for square rigger vessels in August 1890, while residing at 63 Esmond Street, Anfield. This was still his address in 1894 when he attained his First Mate certificate, but was at 61 Belmont Road, Anfield in August 1898 when he achieved his Masters certificate. His voyages mainly covered trips to Brazil, New Orleans, Mexico, as well as Calcutta and Charente, and he is described as being 5’6” in height, of a fair complexion with brown hair and blue eyes.

In 1905 Arthur married Ruth Abse at Llanelly. Ruth had previously been married on 21 November 1901at Llanelly Register Office to Lazar Abse under her maiden name Ruth Evans. Lazar and Ruth had two children Violet Raif Abse in 1902 born at 68 High Street and Doris Abse in 1904 born at 28 Glamnor Terrace, both in Llanelli. Following the marriage of Ruth and Arthur they had a son Arthur Thomas Bellhouse, born at Llanelly on 26 May 1906, presumably named after father Arthur, and Ruth’s father Thomas Evans. The 1911 census shows Ruth and her family resident at Brynycaeran Terrace, Llanelly, Carmarthenshire. We assume Arthur is away at sea, Ruth is head, age 32, mother Mary Evans a widow age 76, Nathaniel Evans brother age 39 and a builder, Violet Bellhouse daughter age 9 and Arthur Thomas Bellhouse son age 5. Sadly Ruth died the following year, 1912, at Llanelly.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

Unit / Ship / Est.: MV Seagull 

Action : Naval Campaign 

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 :

During the war period Arthur sailed throughout on many vessels and was the Master of “SS Sea Gull”, a small ship of 976 tons built in 1889 by Mackie and Thomson of Glasgow and owned by Leach & Co Ltd of London. The vessel was first attacked, without warning, on January 27th 1918, in the Irish Channel, but the torpedo, fired from a German submarine, failed to find the target. Seven weeks later, on 16 March 1918, Arthur was bringing the ship, which was defensively armed, towards Liverpool from Le Havre, France, with a general cargo, when the vessel was again attacked without warning on Saturday 16 March 1918, off Lynas Point, Anglesey. This time the vessel was not so fortunate, being torpedoed and sunk by the U-103, a German patrol submarine, resulting in the death of Arthur, aged 47 years, along with nineteen of the crew. Sometime between the census of 1911 and Arthur being initiated into Anfield Lodge in 1917 he had taken up residence in Liverpool.

The U-103 did not cause havoc for much longer; two months after sinking the “Sea Gull”, she was rammed and destroyed by the “SS Olympic” in the English Channel. The life of this particular submarine lasted barely a year, having been launched from the Bremen shipyard in 1917, built and armed for attacking merchantmen with four 20” torpedo tubes and two 3-4” guns on deck.

The Liverpool Echo of Tuesday 26th March, 1918 has ‘BELLHOUSE - March 16, lost at sea, Captain ARTHUR BELLHOUSE of 5 Lisburn Lane, Tuebrook. Deeply mourned by his family. (Leeds papers please copy). This was followed in the week of 15 April 1918, again in the local Liverpool Echo, ‘CAPTAIN ARTHUR BELLHOUSE, 5 Lisburn Lane, Tuebrook. Lost at sea on 16 March last. Any information as to investment he had or the name of his bankers would be most gratefully received by his sorrowing and distressed relatives at above address. He was a member of Anfield Lodge. He would be well known in Llanelli and district from where he sailed for many years.

The Index of Wills says Bellhouse, Arthur of 5 Lisburn Lane, Tuebrook, Liverpool, master mariner died 16th March 1918 at sea. Administration Liverpool 18th March 1919 to Mary Elizabeth Bellhouse, spinster. Effects £141.18s.8d.

At the time of his death his widowed mother Sarah resided at 5 Lisburn Lane, Old Swan, Liverpool, and son Arthur Thomas Bellhouse was admitted to Liverpool Collegiate Middle School on 18 September 1918, from St Margaret’s School.

Masonic :

TypeLodge Name and No.Province/District :
Mother : Anfield No. 2215 E.C.West Lancashire

Initiated
Passed
Raised
24th May 1917
24th January 1918
-
 

Arthur Bellhouse was initiated into Anfield Lodge No 2215 on the 24th May, 1917, being described as a Master Mariner, born 1872, living at 5 Lisburn Lane, Liverpool, and proposed by C. Yates, and seconded by R. Ashbury. He was passed to the Second Degree on 24th January, 1918, but circumstances of war ensured he was never to be raised to the Third Degree. In the records of Anfield Lodge, at the United Grand Lodge of England, it shows that Arthur "Drowned 16.3.18"

Source :

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

Additional Source:

Last Updated: 2021-02-03 21:35:39