Clifford Aubin – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Cantatrice

Deck Hand Clifford Aubin – Royal Naval Reserve, H.M. Trawler Cantatrice

Clifford Aubin was born in 1899 in Jersey, Channel Islands, the son of George Ernest Aubin and Jane Morris, who were married in 1887 at Holy Trinity Church, Swansea.

1901 Census

At the time of the 1901 Census, the Aubin family were residing at 26 Upper Strand, Swansea. George Aubin (38), born in Jersey, was employed as a fuel worker, while his wife Jane (36) managed the household.
Their children were George (6) and Clifford (2).

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family were living at 48 Green Street, Jersey. George Aubin (48) was employed as a caretaker at a brewers’ branch establishment, and Jane (46) remained at home.
Their children were George (16), employed in spirit store washing and boiling; Clifford (12); Clarence (8); John (5), all attending school; and William (2).

Service and Death

Clifford served with the Royal Naval Reserve, holding the rank of Deck Hand aboard H.M. Trawler Cantatrice.

Cantatrice was a steam fishing trawler requisitioned by the Royal Navy during the First World War for use as an auxiliary patrol and minesweeping vessel. Like many trawlers taken up from the fishing fleet, she was adapted for naval service and employed on coastal patrol and protective duties, operating in hazardous waters where the threat from enemy submarines and mines was ever present.

On 5^th November 1916, H.M. Trawler Cantatrice was sunk by the German submarine UB-38 while engaged in wartime operations. As a result of her loss, members of her crew were killed, including Deck Hand Clifford Aubin.

Clifford Aubin
Plymouth Naval Memorial
credit - findagrave

Having no known grave, Clifford Aubin is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, which honours sailors and marines who lost their lives at sea during the First World War and whose resting places are unknown.

His death reflects the dangerous nature of service aboard requisitioned trawlers, whose crews faced constant risk while performing vital but often unheralded duties in the defence of Britain’s coastal waters.