William Blowers

A Second Hand with H.M. Drifter Silver Queen. William died on 15th of February 1918 at the age of 56. 

William was born at Ellough in October 1861, a son of Charles and Sarah Ann Blowers. In 1871 his family lived at Weston, Suffolk. In 1881 they were living at Green Lane, Weston, and William worked as a fisherman.  

In 1884 William married Mary Ann Francis. By 1891 they were living at Gisleham Road, Carlton Colville. In 1901 they lived at 2 Martins Buildings, Wilson Road, Kirkley, and William was a drift net fisherman. By 1911 they were living at 10 Morton Road, Lowestoft, and William was still a drift net fisherman.

In 1910 William was awarded his certificate of competency as a Second Hand. 

William joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 1 September 1915. He served with the trawler Territorial until 12 November 1915 when he joined the Silver Queen. 

William was serving on the Silver Queen and was killed in an event known by some as the ‘Massacre of the Drifters’. Captain Taprell-Dorling, in his book Swept Channels described the event:

"On the night of February 14-15 1918, an enemy submarine was reported in the minefield [off Dover] by the drifters, and heavy firing began. The "P" boats, monitors and destroyers on patrol concluded that the firing was at the submarine. They were unaware that a flotilla of German destroyers had steamed through the patrol and were attacking the paddle minesweepers, trawlers and drifters who were burning lights to assist in illuminating the minefield.

The trawler James Pond, commanded by Chief Skipper A.E. Berry, D.S.C., R.N.R., was burning her flares near the French coast when he saw three destroyers approaching from the eastward at high speed. Flashing past at very close range, they each fired salvoes. It was impossible to miss. The raiders disappeared into the darkness, to leave the trawler damaged and blazing.

The enemy destroyers had not finished. After passing the James Pond they turned sharply to the north-north-west along the line of drifters, firing salvoes into them as they steamed by. These little ships did not hesitate to return the fire with the tiny guns they possessed; but 3 and 6 pounders were nothing of a match for the 4.1's of the enemy. The Christina Craig, Clover Bank, Cosmos. Jeannie Murray, Silver Queen, Veracity and W Elliott, all between 60 and 96 tons, were sunk one after the other. Still more were damaged."