Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Brixham (St. Mary) Churchyard | ||
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.115 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 6A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Born 5th April 1881 at Brixham and registered at Totnes. By 1891 he was 10, living at King Street, Brixham with his sister Maria Eliza aged 2.Married Harriet in 1904
1908 - Daughter Vera Loye was born and in 1911, the year of the census, he was living at 2 Ranscombe Road, Brixham. Harriet and William had lost one child but two daughters are recorded. Doreen was born in earlier in the year.
Family :
Harriet Ann Johnson b.1880 - d.1953 nee Loye resident at 3, May Deno Berry Head Road Brixham, DevonBuried at Brixham Parish Churchyard and commemorated on the Brixham War Memorial.
Education & Career :
Fisherman (1901), Certificator Shipper (1905), Trawlerman (1911)
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: HM Trawler Courtier |
| Action : No Data |
No Data has been recorded for the final action, because none has yet been found. If you have any information to offer, please contact the Project Team so we can add.
Detail :
William Ash was serving aboard HMT Courtier, a trawler converted for minesweeping, when it struck a submerged mine on the 6th January 1916. The explosion was heard by other vessels in the area, but by the time they reached the Courtier she was lost with 11 of her crew. William, the only survivor, was found clinging to a lifebelt having sustained appalling injuries. He was immediately transferred to Hospital in Grimsby where he was operated on. Both of Williams’s legs had to be amputated and he died five days later, on the 11th January 1916, after gangrene had set in.
William was brought home to Brixham and buried at St Marys Churchyard. He was remembered at his funeral as being a fine Rugby player and member of the ”True Love and Unity” Freemasons lodge of Brixham. He left a young widow, Harriett, and two young children Doreen and Vera.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lodge of True Love and Unity No. 248 E.C. | Devonshire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
20th March 1905 | 17th April 1905 | 16th October 1905 |
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