Aboard the SS Wimmera on her final voyage departing Auckland on 25 June 1918 were 75 members of crew. They comprised 72 men and three women, natives of 12 countries, with over half (39) born in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Deck Department
Archie Howard Brookes
Chief Officer Alexander John Nichol
Second Officer Charles Frederick Wilson
Third Officer Archie Howard Brookes
Ship’s Carpenter: Gerhard Koeck
17 Able Seamen:
- Percy Bennett
- Bernt Benson
- Joseph Donaghy
- Alexander Geary
- Leslie Henningson
- Johan Johannesson
- Owen Jones
- John McFarlane
- Charles McLean
- John Mulvenna
- William John Murdoch
- Charles Riddle
- (Thomas Robinson)
- William Arthur Roper
- Thomas Thomasson
- (Joseph Fanning), and
- (A. Bennett)
Use of image courtesy of Graham Smith
Ordinary Seamen:
- Henry G. Bennett
- Edward Martin, and
- Cecil Rawhiti ‘Rah’ Smith
Engine Department
Douglas Lodder Mowatt
Chief Engineer Alfred Richard Paxton
Second Engineer Stanley Raymond Collier
Third Engineer Robert MacDonald
Fourth Engineer Douglas Lodder Mowatt
Seven Firemen:
- William Alexander Brewis
- James Campion
- John de Beuze
- (Nathanial Frankham)
- Charles Hawes
- Charles Neal
- William Thomas
Engineroom storekeeper: Thomas E. Williams
Four Trimmers:
- (William Henry Frankham)
- (John McCartney)
- Frederick McCreeve
- Alfred Thompson
Greaser: Thomas G. Graham
Greaser/Donkeyman: David Backstedt
Stewards Department
Henry Verge
Purser Kenneth Gorrie
Assistant Purser Norman Stanley Hawkeswood
Chief Steward Henry Verge
Nine First Grade Stewards:
- James Blackborough
- Henry E. Butler
- Frederick Edward Leslie Corner
- Henry William John Gallagher
- William Henry Gallagher
- Edgar Greaves
- Clarence William Richard Stapleton
- James Ralph Wensley
- Charles Thomas Woodard
Four Second Grade Stewards:
- John Cummings
- James R. Forsyth
- William Wood
- Ernest Curtis
Cadet Steward: Keith (Kenneth) McKenzie
Forecabin Steward: Walter Sidney Smeed
Saloon Waiter: Richard Herbert (Bert) Saville
Forecabin Stewardess: Jean Black Robertson
Saloon Stewardess: Clara Louisa McMillan
Stewardess: Edith Keightley Newton
Chief Cook: Henry John Pointer
Second Cook: Thomas George Grimshaw
Third Cook/Scullion: Ernest Edwards
Butcher: Richard Arthur Frankland
Baker: Sydney Victor Yates
Pantryman: Edward (Jack) Gamble
Sculleryman/Scullion: Francis William Woods
Wireless
Wireless Operator
The ship’s wireless operator for the voyage was: Arthur Bomont.
| Feature image: Gallant men of the mercantile marine: most of the surviving members of the crew of the Wimmera, photographed on arrival at Auckland. Supplement to the Auckland Weekly News 4 July 1918 p038 Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19180704-38-3 |
© Ralph L. Sanderson 2004-2021
SS Wimmera 