The first death of the war?

[ficam]

Hello again everyone. My next question to test you all.....my grandfather was killed in WWII..in December 1939. He was in the Merchant Marine and his ship, HM Trawler Sedgefly was sunk off the Tyne coast when clearing mines.

My mother was always told he was the first person in their town (Fraserburgh) to be killed in the war and given the date, that could be true.

My question is , is there any way I could confirm if this was true? His name was John Innes.

Thanks all......

[LesleyB]

Hi Ficam

I'd think there may be a chance of it being reported in local newspapers - certainly worth checking.

Best wishes
Lesley

[Currie]

Hello Ficam,

You could check other Fraserburgh deaths for any earlier.

In Google Advanced Search you can search the Commonwealth War Graves site for Fraserburgh. I’m not sure that is going to help much as it will bring up a mix of WW1 and WW2 plus civilian deaths. http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&a ... afe=images

The Scottish War Memorials Project has information about Fraserburgh. Check this thread and possibly elsewhere on the site. http://warmemscot.s4.bizhat.com/warmems ... raserburgh

Alan

[Adam Brown]

From this website:

http://hulltrawler.net/Sidewinder/Vesse ... FLY%20.htm

INNES JOHN 31 HMT SEDGEFLY . Seaman 14th and 16th Dec 1939 .Husband of Mary Innes, of Fraserburgh

From SNWM it shows he was actually in the Royal Naval Reserve and not Merchant Navy.

INNES, John
Service number LT/X7925C
Date of death 14/12/1939
Place of birth Fraserburgh
SNWM roll ROYAL NAVY AND ROYAL MARINES
Rank Ldg Sea
Theatre of death R.N.R. H.M.S. Sedgefly. At Sea.

Thanks

Adam

[Adam Brown]

A search for Fraserburgh on Geoff's WW2 Search Engine gives the following names from the CWGC database.

He was actually in the Royal Navy Patrol Service and is commemorated on the Lowestoft Memorial

INNES, JOHN
Rank: Leading Seaman
Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Reserve (Patrol Service)
Unit Text: H.M. Trawler Sedgefly
Age: 31
Date of Death: 14/12/1939
Service No: LT/X 7925C
Additional information: Son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Innes, of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire; husband of Mary Innes, of Fraserburgh.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 1, Column 1.
Memorial: LOWESTOFT NAVAL MEMORIAL

It looks like he wasn't the first from the town to die. This Merchant Navy sailor died three weeks before him and may be the first.

DUTHIE, JOHN
Rank: Fireman
Regiment/Service: Merchant Navy
Unit Text: S.S. Hookwood (Dover)
Age: 29
Date of Death: 23/11/1939
Additional information: Son of William Purvis Duthie, and of Elizabeth Tait Duthie, of Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Panel 57.
Memorial: TOWER HILL MEMORIAL

Both are commemorated on the Fraserburgh War Memorial.

Regards

Adam

[ficam]

Thanks guys - disproves yet another family "myth"....!

And I did know he was in the RNR...must have been too late at night when I typed that original note!