John Newby Saunders

An Engineman with H.M. Trawler Bracklyn, John died on 11th of May 1917 at the age of 32. 

John was born at Lowestoft on 17 January 1885, a son of Aldous Ward and Sarah Elizabeth Saunders. He was baptised at Christchurch, Lowestoft, on 25 February 1885, and his family lived at Anguish Street. By 1901 his family was living at 2 Wellington Cottages and in 1911 they lived at 2 Herring Fishery Score. It is possible that in 1901 John was working on the trawler Smiling Morn, LT 768.    

On 28 December 1909 John married Mildred Cook at Saint Margaret’s Church, Lowestoft. John was a fisherman living at 17 May Road and Mildred lived at 150 Saint Peter’s Street. By 1915 they were living at 39 Edinburgh Road and later Mildred lived at 38 Cambridge Road.

John joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 17 June 1915 and served on the trawler Bracklyn. On 10 March 1916 the Bracklyn, along with four other ships, ran aground at Corton, in bad weather and had to be towed off the beach. On 11 May 1917 the Bracklyn was sunk by a mine off Great Yarmouth. All ten of the crew were killed. 

John’s brother Joseph was killed in the loss of the trawler Derwent in 1920.