John Henry Williams – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Renarro

 Trimmer John Henry Williams – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Renarro

Birth and Family Background

John Henry Williams was born in 1876 at Oystermouth, the son of Henry Williams and Ann Grant.

1881 Census

At the time of the 1881 Census, the family were residing at Gower Place, Oystermouth. Henry Williams (39) was employed as a mariner, while his wife Ann (41), born in Devon, managed the household.

Their children were Dora (13), Susan (12), Margaret (9), E. Jane (7), and John Henry (5), all attending school, along with Matilda (1). Also present in the household was Ann’s mother, Margaret Grant (51), a widow who was employed as a dressmaker.

1901 Census

The 1901 Census is the only later census in which John Henry Williams appears. The family were still living at Gower Place, Oystermouth. Henry Williams (59) was now employed as a general labourer, and Ann (61) managed the home.

Only John H. Williams (24) was recorded as living with them. He too was employed as a general labourer.

Naval Service

John Henry Williams served with the Royal Naval Reserve as a Trimmer, a physically demanding and dangerous role involving the management of coal-fired boilers aboard steam-powered vessels. He was serving on board H.M. Trawler Renarro, one of many requisitioned trawlers employed by the Royal Navy on patrol and minesweeping duties.

Following the signing of the Armistice between the Allies and Turkey on 31^st October 1918, a squadron of minesweepers was deployed to begin the hazardous task of clearing minefields in the Dardanelles, a waterway that remained heavily mined despite the cessation of hostilities.

On 10^th November 1918, while engaged in these mine-clearance operations, H.M. Trawler Renarro snagged two mines. While attempting to free herself, the vessel detonated the mines and was sunk, resulting in the loss of twelve lives. The sinking occurred one day before the Armistice on the Western Front came into effect, marking the official end of the Great War.

As a trimmer working below decks, John Henry Williams would have had little chance of escape when the explosion occurred.

Death and Commemoration

John Henry Williams
Plymouth Naval Memorial, Devon
credit - findagrave

Trimmer John Henry Williams lost his life on 10^th November 1918. He has no known grave, and his name is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, which honours members of the Royal Navy and Royal Naval Reserve who died during the First World War and whose resting places are unknown.

His death stands as a reminder that the dangers of war did not cease with the signing of armistices, and that sailors continued to lose their lives in the perilous task of making the seas safe even as peace approached