The Legacy of the Laurentic

Frederick John Abbot, seaman gunner, second son of Henry Octavius and Nelly Abbott, was born 1888 in West Derby, Lancashire.  His parents, both Londoners, moved to Liverpool after the birth of their first son Roderick.  Frederick had been at sea on merchant ships since the age of 15, serving at first as a deck boy…

Harry Dyer,  the third son of William and Sarah Ann, was born in Brixham, Devon in 1884 and lived most of his life in there. His father was a fisherman as were his two older brothers, so when Harry left school before he reached the age of 15 he also joined the fishing fleet, sailing…

Ephraim Freake from Fogo Island, Newfoundland was 21 years of age when he died aboard the Laurentic. In December of 1916 he wrote to his Mother telling of his voyage from Newfoundland to England and of his excitement at finding himself in Portsmouth where he “could see more in an hour than I could in…

Seaman John Patrick Buckley from Youghal in County Cork, son of Patrick and Mary, was 21 years of age when he died aboard the Laurentic. In one of the few treasured photographs of him which remain, he stands proudly in his uniform. This photograph, made in Singapore stands as a reminder of the distances that…

John Heaney was born in Arklow, County Wicklow, son of William Heaney, a local fisherman.  Like many young boys at that time, he left school at the age of 14 and joined the Royal Navy, lying about his age, saying he was the required 18 years old.  It would be a fateful decision that would…

Henry John Reeves (Seen here with his Mother) was born in Brighton, Sussex on October 4th 1890, the oldest son of Robert Henry Reeves  and his wife Ellen. Henry joined the Royal Naval Reserve in January 1913. He was a stoker on the Laurentic, one of the men whose bodies were never recovered.  As he…

Freund Beaumont was born in London on February 15th 1887, the second of five children of William Beaumont and his wife Emma. In 1903 Beaumont started work as a boy clerk in the Accountant General’s office of the British Postal Service.  Three years later, in March 1906, he took a job in London & County…

James Robert Brown served and died aboard the Laurentic. On the occasion of the centenary commemoration, we sat down with Alan Clare, his Grandson who’s shared his experiences with us. https://vimeo.com/271091202