Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Berlin South-Western Cemetery | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.119 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 5D GQS | |
| 4. Memorial: | Ruhleben Camp Masonic List of POW | ||
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Husband of Georgina Cordiner of 28 Alice Street, South Shields, Co. Durham.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: SS Heworth |
| Action : POW |
PoW includes men who are identified as having died whilst formal Prisoners of War.
Detail :
Alexander CORDINER was the Master of the SS Heworth which was unfortunately berthed in Germany on the outbreak of war on the 4th August 1914. On the previous evening, no doubt anticipating the declaration of war by Great Britain, Captain CORDINER and his crew were arrested and interned for the duration. Captain CORDINER, a native of Nova Scotia but married and living in South Shields, did not survive the long internment and died in March 1918 aged 62 as a Prisoner of War. It is quite possible that Alexander CORDINER was interned in the Ruhleben (Spandau) Camp, Berlin as he was buried in the Berlin South Western Cemetery. That said, after the war PoW's and internees who had died in captivity in camps throughout Germany were reinterred in one of four main cemeteries, of which Berlin South Western was one. There is a document in Grand Lodge records in London that was sent from Rhuleben at the end of 1914 and was signed by 112 interned brethren and we will check if Brother Alexander CORDINER was one of the signatories. No other members of the crew of the SS Heworh appear in casualty lists so it is reasonable to believe they survived captivity and were repatriated at the end of the war.
The masonic prisoners of Ruhleben are commemorated on a plaque now housed at the Library and Museum of Freemasonry the which states:
"The equipment of this ward was presented by the British Freemasons who were interned in Ruhleben, Germany, during the Great War, 1914-1918, as a token of their deep gratitude to the Craft for the fraternal help and relief extended to them during that period of captivity and distress: and in the memory of their fellow prisoners,
Bro. Captain C. Fryatt, S.S. "Brussels,"
Bro. Captain E. Russell, S.S."Bury,"
Bro. Captain A. Cordiner, S.S. Heworth,"
To whom death brought release".
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | St Hilda No. 240 E.C. | Durham |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
27th May 1889 | 12th May 1890 | 9th June 1890 |
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