Name
William George Fortnum
11/11/1888
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
08/02/1917
30
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Leading Seaman
229295
Royal Navy
H.M.S. "Ghurka."
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL
24
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
He has no Headstone. He is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial to the missing at sea.
UK & Other Memorials
Not on the Aldenham memorials, Sleaford War Memorial, Lincolnshire, Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Portsmouth
Pre War
William George Fortnum was born on 11 November 1888, at Fort Efford, Egg Buckland, Plymouth, Devon, (some records give his place of birth as Aldenham, Herts), son of William Fortnum a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery and Catherine Margaret (nee Le Couter) Fortnum.
His father was a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery with the service number 2983, (later 17252), he enlisted at London, in 1876, for eight years in the Colours and 4 years in the Reserve, serving at Home, Bermuda and Canada, where he meets and married Catherine Margaret Le Couter on 12 May 1887, in Nova Scotia, Canada. He completed eighteen years’ service and received his discharge in November 1895.
1891 Census records William aged 2, living with his parents, sisters, Annie 3, and Lily 10 months at, Fort Efford, Egg Buckland, Plymouth, Devon. His farther is recorded as a Sergeant in the Royal Artillery.
1901 Census records William aged 12, living with his parents, and six siblings at, Kemprow, Aldenham, Herts. By now his father had retied from the army and is working as a General Labourer.
William enlisted in the Royal Navy on his 16th Birthday, 11 November 1904, but gave his age as 18 years, and date of birth as 11 November 1886. He was given the Service Number 229295.
1911 Census has William serving as an Able Seaman in the Royal Navy, aged 24, and single. He is stationed at Portsmouth.
He married Ruth Hodson the daughter of George and Maria Hodson on in Sleaford, Lincs, in 1912, they had one son John William Fortnum born April 1914.
Wartime Service
At the outbreak of war William was still serving with the Royal Navy. He was Killed in Action on 8 February 1917, when his ship HMS “Gurkha” hit a mine and sank.
HMS “Gurkha” was a Tribal-Class Destroyer Built in 1907, she was part of the Dover Patrol during WW 1. She hit a German mine in the English Channel off Dungeness and sank with the loss of 75 Officer and Men only five crew survived. The wreck is in 30 meters of water and is designated as a protected Place.
Additional Information
Ruth received a widow’s pension of 20/- a week from 16 August 1917.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne
Jonty Wild
