NEWPORT [FAKES], William James


No.CH/13141, Private, William James NEWPORT
Aged 32


HMS Hawke, Royal Marines Light Infantry
Killed in Action on 15th October 1914


William Richard James FAKES was born in Great Barton on 11th June 1882 (3rd qtr 1882 Thingoe 4a:813) son of Martha FAKES. His mother married James Edward NEWPORT in 1890, who was born James Edward Newport HAMMOND.

1891 census...William J Fakes, aged 8, he was at The Green, Beyton with his stepfather James E NEWPORT, [35] stationary engine driver born Bury St. Edmunds; his mother Martha [31] born Gt Barton; sister Florence F [3] born Beyton; brother Frank J [2] and half-brother Harry E [4 months] both born Beyton. Florence was entered as Florence F Newport born Beyton, but she as Florence Fanny FAKES, born Gt Barton. Frank also was Frank James FAKES, born Beyton.

1901 census...Aged 18 a garden labourer he was at Drinkstone Road, Beyton with his parents (father now railway navvy);sister Florence and half sister Margaret [8]; half-brother Harry.

1911 census...Aged 26 he was a private in the Royal Marines Light Infantry on HMS Lancaster in Malta. His parents were still in Beyton. Martha had lost 3 of her 7 children



He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds on 4th December 1901, a farm labourer, Church of England, 5 feet 7.2 inches tall, grey eyes, light brown hair. Next of kin his father James Edward Newport of Beyton. He was Chatham based, serving on Hearty, Barham, Speedwell, Albemarle, Lancaster and finally HMS Hawke.
H.M.S. Hawke was an outdated Edgar class cruiser, launched in 1891. She had a new straight bow fitted in 1912 after a collision with the SS Olympic (sister ship to Titanic). On 15th October 1914 she was torpedoed by U-9 while patrolling off Aberdeen. She had stopped to pick up mail and was hurrying to cath up with the rest of the flotilla, (without zig zagging) when the U-boat struck. She capzised and sank, the rest of the flotilla not realising what had happened.
The destroyer Swift was dispatched from Scapa Flow to search for Hawke and found a raft carrying one officer and twenty-one men, while a boat with a further forty-nine survivors was rescued by a Norwegian steamer. 524 officers and men died, with only 70 survivors (one man died of his wounds on 16 October).




William Newport is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial 7

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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