Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Patchan (Or Paitean) Burial Ground | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.137 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 53A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Husband of A. Wagstaff, of The Anchorage, Church Lane, Tooting Common, LondonService Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: HMS Viknor |
Mike: HMS Viknor was lost off Tory Island in heavy weather in an area recently mined by the Germans on Jan.13,1915. She was a 5386 Ton Blue Star Line ship, formerly the Viking. She was requisitioned by the Royal Navy as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. She was part of the 10th. Cruiser Squadron blockading the seas between the North of Scotland and Iceland. HMS Viknor sank on Jan.13, 1915. She had a complement of 22 Officers and 273 Ratings mostly of the Royal Naval Reserve. She was commanded by Commander E.O.Ballantyne. 25 seamen were of the Newfoundland Division of the Royal Naval Reserve. 24 are commemorated on the Beaumont Hamel Memorial in France. One body was washed ashore and is buried in Colonsay. This was one of three Armed Merchant Cruisers of the 10th. Cruiser Squadron lost in Jan., Feb., and March of 1915. |
| 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 :
WAGSTAFF, John, Paymaster, HMS Viknor. HMS Viknor was a 5386 Ton Blue Star Line ship, formerly the SS Viking. She was requisitioned by the Royal Navy as an Armed Merchant Cruiser. She was part of the 10th Cruiser Squadron blockading the seas between the North of Scotland and Iceland. HMS Viknor was lost off Tory Island in heavy weather in an area recently mined by the Germans. HMS Viknor sank on Jan.13, 1915. She had a complement of 22 Officers and 273 Ratings mostly of the Royal Naval Reserve. She was commanded by Commander E.O.Ballantyne. 25 seamen were of the Newfoundland Division of the Royal Naval Reserve. 24 are commemorated on the Beaumont Hamel Memorial in France. One body was washed ashore and is buried in Colonsay. All the crew perished. John WAGSTAFF was the one member of the crew who's body was washed ashore and he is buried in Colonsay. This was one of three Armed Merchant Cruisers of the 10th Cruiser Squadron lost between January and March 1915. Two other freemasons were lost on HMS Viknor, Edward AKEHURST, of UNITED SERVICE LODGE 1428 and Charles WILKINSON of GUNNERSBURY LODGE No 3268.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Paddington No. 3267 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
10th October 1908 | 14th November 1908 | 13th February 1909 |
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