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Details - WWI Trio and Plaque to RMA |
Four. 1914/15 Star; British War and Victory medal trio all named to "R.M.A. 12857 Gr. C. Wilson". Memorial Death Plaque named to"Charles Wilson". Gunner Wilson is buried in Freetown (King Tom) Cemetery, Sierra Leone, Plot 1, Row B, Grave 11. Gunner Wilson is listed with three other HMGS Africa ship's crew as "illness." Another similar write-up had an account for an Edward Charles Marsh also buried in the same Cemetery with the following information. "The ship that Edward served on was of particular significance to Kent, as when H.M.S. Africa was launched from No.8 Slip, at Chatham Dockyard on 20 May 1905 she was destined to be the very last battleship to be launched there. With the ever increasing size of naval battleships, they became too large to be launched safely into the river Medway. At the time of Edwards' death, almost 600 of the 779 ships compliment of H.M.S. Africa were struck down by the world wide Influenze pandemic. Freetown, Sierra Leone was major coaling centre for ships of the Royal Navy, and in August 1918, HMS Mantua had docked at the port to refuel at which time it was carrying approximately 200 people infected with influenza, who passed the virulent infection on to workers at the port. When Edward's ship arrived at Freetown, the virus was then passed from the port workers to the crew of the HMS Africa with devastating results." So, it is surmised that Wilson (this group) was a victim of the Spanish Flu pandemic that swept the Grand Fleet. A great group and interesting research project related to over-crowded and poorly ventilated mess-deck life.
Price: EF $395.00 Canadian
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