Name
Edwin George Harrison
29 July 1885
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
05/06/1916
31
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Chief Cook
346362
Royal Navy
H.M.S. Hampshire
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Navy Star, British War Medal and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
LYNESS ROYAL NAVAL CEMETERY
F. 31A.
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Baldock Town Memorial, St Mary the Virgin Church Memorial, Baldock
Pre War
Edwin George Harrison was born on 29 July 1885 in Hatfield, Herts, the son of Edward and Mary Harrison. He was one of nine children, but one died in infancy.
By the 1901 Census the family had moved to Football Close, Baldock where his father was working as a railway porter. His parents had moved to Bygrave Lane, Baldock by 1911.
Meanwhile Edwin had joined the Royal Navy on 31 July 1903 for a period of 12 years and served as a Ships Cook. He married Charlotte Anne Cauvin on 22 April 1908 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, their daughter Mabel being born on 17 January 1910 in Portsmouth. On the 1911 Census they were living at 28 Brompton Road, Mile End, Landport, Portsmouth, Hants and Edwin's occupation was recorded as 2nd Ship's Cook, Royal Navy.
His wife Charlotte died in 1913 in Portsmouth, Aged 26.
Wartime Service
Edwin completed his 12 year engagement in 1915 but remained in the Royal Navy at the outbreak of war. He was then serving on HMS Hampshire and had been promoted to Chief Cook on 4 December 1914.
HMS Hampshire was a Devonshire class armoured cruiser and was sailing to Arkhangelsk, Russia, carrying the Secretary of State for War, Field Marshall, Lord Kitchener and his staff, when she is believed to have struck a mine laid by the German submarine U-75 off of the Orkney Islands. on 5 June 1916. Of the 749 people aboard only 12 survived. Edwin's body was recovered and buried in Lyness Royal Navy Cemetery, Orkney, UK
Additional Information
A pension of 5 shillings a week was paid from 7 December 1916 to the guardian of his daughter Mabel, his sister Miss Bertha M Harrison, 4 Bygrave Road, Baldock (later changed to 7 Icknield Way).
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Adrian Pitts, Paul Johnson
