Family :

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

Post War includes all operations in all theatres up to 31st August 1921. This excludes the campaign in Russia against the Bolsheviks. It also includes men who succombed to wounds post war and who died from various causes whilst still in the services but post war.

Detail :

Globe 15th May 1919 - "EXPLOSION IN NAVAL WORKS AT BARROW - FATAL EXAMINATION OF A POWERFUL EXPLOSIVE? - TWO KILLED: THREE INJURED. - An explosion occurred in the captain superintendent's office at the Naval Construction Works, Barrow, early to-day. The result was that two naval officers-Lieut. Webley and Lieut. Dabbage- were killed, and a naval engineering sub-lieutenant, a workman, and an office boy were injured. The cause of the explosion is not yet known, but it was evidently the work of an explosive of the very powerful kind. The side of the two-storey building was wrecked completely. It is believed that the officers were examining some explosives. There was a terrific report, and great volumes of smoke and debris shot into the air."

Exeter and Plymouth Gazette. 16th May 1919 - "THREE - OFFICERS KILLED - An explosion occurred yesterday at Barrow shipyard in the office of the Admiralty Captain Superintendent. Lieut. Webly and Lieut. Babbidge were killed, and Engineer Sub-Lieut. Davidson and a boy seriously injured. Lieut. Davidson succumbed to his injuries in hospital. It is believed the officers were examining some explosives."

A larger report two weeks later appears in the Lancashire Evening Post 28th May 1919 - BARROW EXPLOSION - HOW THREE NAVAL OFFICERS ME THEIR DEATHS - Cylinder of Gun Cotton - CORONER AND REMOVAL OF FIRING PIN. The Coroner of Furness resumed the inquiry, at Barrow, yesterday, into the deaths of Lieut. Wm. T. Webley, R.N., of Devonport; and Engineer-Lieut. John Duncan Davidson, R.N.R., of Devizes, which occurred on Thursday, May 15th, as the result of an explosion in the captain superintendent's office at Messrs Vickers Naval Construction Works, Barrow. Mr. W.G. Pearson represented the Admiralty; Mr. R.B.D. Bradshaw, Mssrs Vickers Ltd; Mr. Wm Tilly, Lancaster, the widow and relatives of Engineer-Lieut. Davidson, Major Cooper Key, H.M. Chief Inspector of Explosives, Home Office, was also present.

Thomas Talloch, Government inspector, said that on the morning of the 15th May, he received a report and visited the ship Lady Evelyn. He was taken by the ship's manager to the saloon, and on the top of the seat was an open box containing a number of cylinders. He reported to Lieut. Webly int he Captain Superintendent's office, he being the examining officer. and witness described them and made a sketch on paper. Lieut. Webyly recognised the description, said they were harmless, and he asked witness to bring one to him. He said they were harmless and he laughed at the idea of Messr. Vickers' mena being afraid of them. He said he was going to open one and gave him no instruction in regard to the box and the others. Witness advised him not to open the cylinder; if he did he would clear out. Witness had not seen things like them before; he did not like the look of them. Before the explosion took place witness returned to the office and gave information to Miss Gaffney, the lady typist and asked her to pass it on to Lieut. Webley that he was not stopping. A few minutes after he had left, the explosion occurred. He went back after the explosion, and found the place a wreck.

The Coroner: Can you tell us anything about the s.s. Lady Evelyn? Had she been the service of the Admiralty? She had been requistioned for Admiraltry service and had not yet been returned to her owners. I suppose one of the first things to be done when the vessel was demobilised would be to remove all such things? Who would be responsible? - Witness said he was not responsible for explosions. By Major Coooper Kev: When Lieut. Webley said the thing was harmless he gave the impression he knowe exactly what it was. By Mr. Tilly: the cylinder was about a foot long and 3 1/2 in diameter.

Engineer-Commander Ayres, R.N. attended along with other naval officers, and expressed the regret of Admiral Slayter and Captain Superintendent Downs that they were unable to be present, and also expressed, on behalf of the Admiralty, sympathy with the bereaved.

London Gazette 1 Jan 1919. He received an MBE in the New Year Honours List of 1919, but list under the Royal Air Force.

Masonic :

Past District Grand Steward (Malta) having been initiated out there. Joined Daedaleus Lodge 27th April 1918.

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