George Bullen Spillings

A Deck Hand with the steam trawler William Humphries, George died on 21st November 1939 aged 27.

George was born at Gisleham in 1912, a son of George and Maud Elizabeth Spillings. In 1921 his family lived at Black Street, Gisleham. By 1939 his parents were living at 4 Mill Villas, Gisleham. 

George was a fisherman and in 1939 he lived at 29 Poulton Road, Fleetwood. 

In 1939 George was a Deck Hand on the steam trawler William Humphries. On 21 November 1939 the vessel, along with another trawler, the Sulby, was fishing about 75 miles north-west of Rathlin when confronted by the German submarine U-33. The submarine fired on the trawler, whose crew took to their lifeboat. The crew of the Sulby saw the men in the lifeboat but beyond that nothing is known of what happened to them and they were all reported missing, presumed drowned.  

Note: There are conflicting reports concerning the date on which the trawler William Humphries was sunk. Commonwealth War Graves gives the date as 20 November and this is the date shown on the grave of the trawler's Skipper Charles Bridge. Merchant Navy casualty cards state that the trawler was lost 'on or about 20 November'. Here the date is shown as 21 November. One source for this date is the log of submarine U-33, but beyond this there are eye-witness accounts from the survivors of the trawler Sulby.  

With thanks to Andy Pearce