Edward John Irving – Mercantile Marine - S.S. Henry R. James
Boatswain Edward John Irving – Mercantile Marine, S.S. Henry R. James
Early Life and Family
Edward John Irving was born in 1885, in Swansea,
the son of James Henry Irving and Louisa Irving. Although few
records of his early life survive, it is likely that he came from a family
familiar with maritime work — a common background in Swansea, one of Britain’s
key industrial ports. Like many young men from the city, Edward went to sea at
an early age, joining the Mercantile Marine, the civilian fleet
responsible for sustaining Britain’s lifelines of trade and supply.
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| Edward John Irving and Gertrude Jane Bollom marriage certificate St. Matthew's Church, Bootle, Lancashire |
The surviving record of his personal life is his marriage certificate. In September 1915, he married Gertrude Jane Bollom at St. Matthew’s Church, Bootle, Lancashire. The couple made their home at 9 Delaware Street, Bootle, an area closely connected to Liverpool’s bustling docks and shipping industry.
Service and Loss
By 1917, Edward Irving had risen to the rank of Boatswain
aboard the S.S. Henry R. James, a British merchant vessel engaged
in wartime cargo transport. As Boatswain, Edward held a position of significant
responsibility — overseeing the ship’s deck crew, managing rigging and
maintenance, and ensuring the safe handling of cargo.
On 16th July 1917, the Henry R. James
was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine while sailing through the Bay
of Biscay. The attack was sudden and catastrophic, and Edward John
Irving was among the 24 crew members who perished in the disaster.
The S.S. Henry R. James
The S.S. Henry R. James was a British steam
cargo vessel, built in 1909 by J. L. Thompson & Sons Ltd.
of Sunderland for the Henry R. James Steamship Company Ltd. of
Bristol. She had a gross tonnage of 3,146 tons and was used in
international trade, carrying valuable wartime materials such as iron ore
and coal.
On 16th July 1917, the Henry R. James
was en route from Bilbao, Spain, via Brest, France, to Middlesbrough,
England, with a cargo of iron ore when she was torpedoed without
warning by the German submarine SM UC-48. The ship went down
quickly, approximately 10 nautical miles east-north-east of Île de Batz,
off the coast of Brittany, at position 48° 49′ N, 3° 46′ W.
The explosion was devastating, leaving little chance for the
crew to escape. Twenty-four men, including Boatswain Edward John
Irving, were lost. The sinking of the Henry R. James came during the
height of Germany’s unrestricted submarine warfare, a campaign that
targeted merchant ships in an attempt to cut off Britain’s vital supply routes.
The German Submarine SM UC-48
The SM UC-48 was a Type UC II minelaying
submarine of the Imperial German Navy, commissioned on 6th
November 1916. Compact yet lethal, she displaced 417 tons surfaced
and 493 tons submerged, and was equipped with six mine tubes, three
torpedo tubes, and an 8.8 cm deck gun.
Over the course of her wartime service, UC-48
completed 13 patrols and was credited with sinking 35 merchant ships,
totalling over 67,000 gross register tons. She operated primarily in the
Western Approaches and Bay of Biscay, where she was responsible
for numerous attacks on Allied shipping, including the S.S. Henry R.
James.
Her career came to an end in March 1918, when she was
severely damaged by depth charges from British naval patrols. Unable to
reach her base, UC-48 was forced to seek refuge in Ferrol, Spain, where
she and her crew were interned for the remainder of the war.
The operational history of UC-48 illustrates
the deadly efficiency of Germany’s submarine fleet — and the constant peril
faced by men of the Mercantile Marine, who sailed unarmed through
hostile waters to keep Britain supplied.
Commemoration
S.S. Henry R. James
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources:
The Merchant Navy MemorialS.S. Henry R. James
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources:
The Merchant Navy Memorial
Boatswain Edward John Irving is commemorated on
the Tower Hill Memorial, London — the national monument honouring those of
the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets who have no known grave but the
sea.S.S. Henry R. James
Tower Hill Memorial, London
credit - Benjidog Historical Research Resources:
The Merchant Navy Memorial
Legacy
Although little is known of his life beyond the records of
his service and sacrifice, Edward John Irving stands among the thousands
of merchant seamen who gave their lives during the First World War. His story —
from his birth in Swansea to his final home in Bootle — embodies the courage,
duty, and endurance of Britain’s maritime communities.
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