49.
May 13, 2014

Remembering all who perished on HMS Goliath 99 years ago today and in particular my Grandfather's Brother
Edgar Ayton Holland - Officer's Steward 2nd Class. He was only 22 years old.  I have a wonderful photograph of him aged 16 with my Grandfather aged 7 and his other Brother William aged 11, killed in France in April 1917. The photograph shows all three smartly attired members of Baden-Powell's newly formed scouting movement taken in their Hornsey garden circa 1909.

Shirley Quick
West Sussex, U.K.

48.
Apr. 12, 2014

My paternal grandfather, Thomas Percy Jennings, died on the HMS Goliath. He was a father of some 8 children and 5 of his sons eventually emigrated to New Zealand. My father, Cecil Percy Jennings, was one of those men.   I am organising a Jennings family reunion in May 2015 in memory of my Grandfather, to be held in Hamilton, New Zealand.  If any reader of your website is related to Thomas Jennings, I would be very interested to make contact with them.

Elaine Newson (nee Jennings)
Wellington, New Zealand

47.
Dec. 28, 2013

A family friend kindly offered to research my family tree and whilst my family hails from Liverpool, I was shocked to find that my maternal Great-Grandfathers name appeared on the war memorial at Plymouth. More strangely was that I had just met my wife to be and she lived in Plymouth while I live in Exeter. His name was Alexander WALL, he was my grandfathers father and I remembered my grandmother telling me stories of how HMS Goliath had been sunk off the Dardanelles and how one of Alexs' children was nicknamed  'Golly' after the ship.

I saw on the forum that the lady, Tina WALL (Message 43) had a relative of William WALL and whilst the name 'Billy Wall' does sound familiar and could be a relative of my G. Grandfather,  I do not recall my grandmother speaking of the other gentleman Frederick WALL and do not think that Alex and Frederick were related. If Tina does wish to get in touch can you pass her my email address please. My wife kindly obtained his scroll, a picture of the Goliath and his medals and it made a lovely but quite emotional Xmas present.

Do you have any further information on my Great Granddad that you could share? It is our intention to hopefully travel to the site next year on the date of the 100th anniversary.

Kind regards,
Mark Harris

46.
Dec. 9, 2013

I just found your wonderful web site while researching my dear grandfather's history. He was on HMS Goliath in the Boxer Rebellion, receiving the China Medal, as one who landed in China. I remember my grandparents talking about Goliath. My grandfather was Alex Vaughan, Stoker PO, #291857, and he was wounded in WWI, and was bedridden as a result of his injuries when I knew him. He died in 1949, when I was still a small child,  but I remember him very well. I was wondering if you would have any record of what ship he might have been on when be was injured. I found records of his China medal, and also Star, Victory and British War Medal Europe, on Ancestry, but nothing about the ships, other than Goliath in 1902. I do remember some talk about the Dardanelles,  so I wondered if he was on Goliath again when she was torpedoed. Below is a photo of him.

Thanks for any help you can give me, and for an amazing web site!
Sincerely,
Carole Traynham,
St. Johns, Florida, USA.

Alexander Vaughn.

45.
Nov. 6, 2013

I was speaking with my Aunty today who told me more detail about my Great Grandfather John Thomas Corkish who died on the Goliath, she said he would normally have been on deck but had damaged his shoulder and was below deck when the Turkish torpedoes struck.

John was born on 28th November 1880, at Ramsey Isle of Man. Following the conversation I came across your site and was amazed to see that Lesley Hendricks (Message #30) has posted a photograph of him in Sept 2010. I have no pictures of him and I just wanted to pass on my thanks to you and to Lesley for sharing this.

Kind regards,
Nick Cain

44.
Nov. 6, 2013

My great great uncle Noah Robert Jonas served on the HMS Goliath Stoker first class. I was so hoping to find any information or photos with him in it. Any information anyone can give me will be gratefully received.

Regards,
Deborah Rae

43.
Aug. 11, 2013

I have been told that my great granddad went down on HMS Goliath, but I can only find Alexander Wall and a Frederick Wall. I have been told that my great granddad's name was William Wall do you know if the two Walls' that are listed are related to one another as Wall is not a common name.

Many thanks,
Tina Wall

I do not know if Alexander and Frederick were related.
Michael W. Pocock
Webmaster

42.
Oct. 28, 2012

My grandmother's brother was a stoker on the Goliath his name was Sydney Passmore has any one got any information?

Rhys Evans

41.
June 29, 2012

My Grandfather, David Joseph Kelly a Stoker 1st Class was lost when the Goliath met Her end, I would be delighted to receive any information that any one has. He is mentioned on the Memorial at Plymouth.

David Joseph Kelly was born on the 5th April 1885 in Liverpool Lanes and worked as a Cycle mechanic prior to his call up. He also served in other ships as follows:

Vivid II:  from 8th April 1908 to 9th October 1908
Highflyer: 10th October 1908 to 5th January 1909
Hibernia:  6th January 1909 to 10th June 1910
Vivid II: 11th June 1910 to 7th October 1910
Donegal: 8th October 1910 to 10th February 1911
Vivid II: 11th February 1911 to 23rd February 1911
Carnarvon: 24th February 1911 to 31st March 1913
Vivid II:  1st April 1913 to 5th April 1913
Transferred to RFR Devonport on 6th April 1913
Goliath: 6th August 1914 to 13th May 1915

He was married to Catherine at the time of His death who lived at 23 Louisa Street, Bute Dock, Cardiff, Wales.

Many thanks,
David Kelly

40.
June 20, 2012

I am researching the above. Great uncle third writer on Goliath. His friend same on Halcyon-Alfred Anderson. I have knowledge of the first but cannot find any details of what happened to the second man. I have acquired his 1912/13 notebook full of interesting details when he was a writer at the Youth Training Establishment at Devonport. The Royal Naval College want me to donate the notebook to them but I am reluctant just yet as I am completing a novel set in the period 1894-1915. I would like to know what happened to Alfred and also more details about the work of a 'writer' aboard a warship. Would be grateful for any leads.

Yours sincerely,
Joan Rowe (Pianist/Teacher/Writer)

39.
May 17, 2012

My grandmother's husband was Private William Maynard Grainger of The Royal Marine Light Infantry and he perished on Goliath.  She had been married only three weeks in 1914 when he was drafted to the ship and of course she never saw him again.  My grandmother rarely spoke of it and she subsequently re-married in 1918. I have obtained William Maynard Grainger's Service record and know that he was from Shirebrook in Derbyshire, was a coal mine fitter and enlisted in Mansfield in 1907. 

His father lived at 49 Prospect Drive, Shirebrook.  I wonder if his family were informed and did he have brothers and sisters and if so, do his descendant's know of his fate. My grandmother had no evidence of his service, such as medal or citation. He should at least have got a war medal. I would be absolutely delighted if anyone from the GRAINGER Line were to get in touch.

Ian McMillan
 

38.
May 13, 2012

I am today remembering all those who lost their lives on HMS Goliath 13th May 1915 and in particular my Grandfather's older brother Edgar Ayton Holland.

Shirley Quick
West Sussex, UK

37.
Apr. 24, 2012

I have just now discovered my grandfathers name on the roll of honour for the HMS Goliath. His name is Thomas Warnock and he was from Belfast Northern Ireland and was a stoker in the R N R. I don't know his age when he went down with the ship so I would be so grateful if you could give me any information at all about him that is of course if you have any.

Thank you with best regards,
Edith Kennedy

36.
Oct. 18, 2011

I discovered today that my grandfathers cousin, William H. F. Coombs, was lost on the Goliath on the 13th May at the age of just 21. Of course I then 'googled' HMS Goliath and read the heartbreaking stories of how she was lost and found your website most interesting. I have no family photos of William and I know its a very long shot, but could I ask anyone on there if they have any or even any stories of him that may have been passed down through their families?

Kind regards,
Debbie Denton, Manchester, UK

35.
Dec. 9, 2010

The wreck of Goliath may be seen on the internet. I found it a very strange experience, knowing that my grandfather, Frank Cordwell, R.M.A., had been on that ship and so many of his fellow soldiers died. He would never give up smoking to his dying day, swearing that it had been a cigarette that had saved his life.

The Gallipoli campaign lasted 8 and a half months and involved 84 regiments of British soldiers. They experienced torrential rains and freezing blizzards causing mudslides and collapsed trenches in the November.480,000 allied troops took part of which 252,000 suffered casualties and 48,000 men lost their lives.

On the night of 12-13 May my grandfather was on the Goliath waiting to be transferred out of the hell. Goliath was stationed in Morto Bay off Cape Helles [aptly named], along with HMS Cornwallis and a screen of 5 destroyers. Around 1 a.m. my grandfather, who was a smoker decided to go up on deck from his bunk to have a cigarette. The turkish torpedo boat Muavenet-i-Milliye, which was manned by a combined German and Turkish crew, eluded the destroyers HMS Beagle and HMS Bulldog and closed on the battleships. Muavenet fired 3 torpedoes which struck Goliath, causing a massive explosion-the ship capsizes almost immediately taking 570 of the 700 strong crew to the bottom, including Captain Shelford.

Accounts from the time talk of the survivors hearing the screams of men in the water slowly going silent. My grandfather jumped into the water and was picked up by one of the other ships. He said they were freezing, just in their underpants and vests and gathered around the brazier on board. The captain was worried that the men were actually tilting the ship and fired his gun into the air to get them to move away from the brazier. Granddad then went straight on to the Somme and the horrors of that. It is a miracle that he survived.

He rarely if ever spoke of his experiences like so many of that generation, but when war arrived again he was utterly against his only son [my father] being involved in it. Granddad worked with the horses and guns and got his leg crushed between a gun and the horse at some point. He always walked with a limp and is leg was twisted outwards at the knee. I never heard him complain once.

Post No 33 wanted to hear survivor stories. It is true what post 12 said-it was those on deck who survived...my granddad was on deck for a quick fag! Attached is photo of my granddad.

Stephanie Rudd

May 12, 1916: Frank Cordwell, R.M.A. in his engagement photo.

Frank Cordwell, R.M.A. seen in uniform.

34.
Nov. 15, 2010

My Wife`s Great Grand Father was Petty Officer George Painton, who was killed when HMS Goliath was sunk in 1915. Here is a picture of him on his Wedding Day in 1911 with his Wife Julia.

Thanks,
Richard Carpenter

33.
Sept. 28, 2010

My Great Great Great Granddad's cousin was one of those lost on HMS Goliath. His name was Jacob Fletcher and he was 55 when he died. If anyone knows anything about him or if anyone has any survivor stories I would be really keen to hear them. I'm tracing and documenting my family tree so details about events like these make the people come alive again in our thoughts if not in flesh.

Many thanks,
Mark Watts

32.
Sept. 23, 2010

I would like to hear from anyone who has travelled to the Dardanelles and Morto Bay in recent years as part of any association with the sinking of HMS Goliath. My grandfather, CPO William Smith, died that morning and as the 100th anniversary of this event is coming up in under five years time I am considering a visit to the area. I would particularly like to hear how anyone travelled there, what can be seen on land there, what memorials exist in the area for the Goliath's crew and how the Turks themselves have commemorated the sinking.

John Maunder

31.
Sept. 18, 2010

My great grandfather Able Seaman John Shaw, RNR, form Aberdeen, Scotland, served and died on the Goliath. If any one has any knowledge of him, I would be delighted to hear from them.

Neil Shaw

30.
Sept. 2, 2010

I was sorting thru some old family photographs and found this one of my great-uncle John T. Corkish. He is the one in the center. Curious about the ship he was on, I did a search and found your website on HMS Goliath. He was a seaman (RNR) on board the ship. He was from the Isle of Man.

Lesley Hendricks

29.
Aug. 24, 2010

It is almost midnight here in Malta and it is around this time that I usually decide to look up some curiosity.  Today I thought of looking up again for any reference to my late husband's grandfather PIO LAUTIER.  He died at sea around the begriming of the last century near Gallipoli. Today his name came up with HMS GOLIATH. I am not sure if it is the same person. Is it possible to know if he was MALTESE - I'm not sure of his father's first name and he was married to JESSIE nee' MCFARLANE and he was born in Cospicua (Bormla) Malta.

Thank you in anticipation,

Mary Lourdes Lautier

28.
Aug. 6, 2010

My great grandfather (Tomas Keohan) was on the HMS Goliath I would like to get his service record I am hoping that you can advise me the best way to do this. Also what would I see in it?

Regards,
Emmet Keohan

27.
May 19, 2010

The users of this website may be interested to know that a memoir of a midshipman's service aboard the Goliath was published in 1916. The book is called "From Dartmouth to the Dardanelles: A midshipman's log". The name of the ship is not mentioned in the book (nor that of the author - perhaps by choice, perhaps through censorship) but the identity of the ship can easily be determined through matching events described in the book with those in historical records. The author's ordeal at the time of the sinking of the Goliath is sensitively described.

I have a copy and there is also one in the Australian National Library in Canberra. I imagine there is a copy in the British Library although I have not searched the catalogue. It is only a small book and could probably be purchased at a reasonable price through antiquarian book sellers.

Regards,
Dr. Ashley Watson
Canberra, Australia

26.
Mar. 29, 2010

I would love to hear more about John Horden MOORE, born about 1874 in Brixham, Devon, who died 13th May 1915 on HMS Goliath. John was in the Royal Navy Reserve, and was 41 at the time of his death. He left a wife, Mary Jane, and 5 children. His wife Mary Jane (nee STAPLETON) had just the previous month lost her brother Samuel at Ypres, (there is no grave for him either - he is commemorated on the Menin Gate) and was also to lose her cousin Philip John NORRISH on board HMS Defence at the Battle of Jutland the following year (who is commemorated on the memorial on Plymouth Hoe).

Thank you,
Diana

25.
Mar. 18, 2010

I am trying to trace the wife of my Great Great Uncle who died aboard HMS Goliath. His name was Stoker 1st Class Percy J. Crump, we believe that his wife's name was Emily (she may have remarried to become Emily Clarke) and they had a son. I believe that Emily was born in Upton upon Severn in Worcestershire. I've attached a picture of the couple with their son, which was taken shortly before Percy left for the Dardanelles. If anyone has any information on Emily I'd greatly appreciate them getting in touch.

Regards,
Robert Daniel