Charles Raca Gorrod

A Fourth Hand with Trawler Speculator. Charles died on 9th of November 1914 at the age of 30. 

Charles was born at Henstead on 21 April 1884, a son of Raca and Emma Gorrod. He was baptised at Saint Peter's Church, Kirkley, on 17 September 1886. In 1891 his family lived at 1 Southwell Road and later they lived at 16 Southwell Road, Lowestoft. 

On 24 December 1911 Charles married Susanna Charlotte Woods. Charles was a fisherman living at Southwell Road and Susanna lived at 25 Commercial Road. 

The trawler Speculator, LT 1050, was last seen between 4 and 5 p.m. on 9 November 1914 fishing in the Yarmouth field near Smith's Knoll. The Skipper of the trawler Achieve reported that he heard an explosion around 8 p.m. that evening and it was presumed that this was the sound of the Speculator being blown up by a mine. The next day wreckage from the Speculator was found. 

See: World War One – History of Lowestoft's Fishing Industry (wordpress.com)

Charles' brother Bertie died in 1918 whilst serving with the King's Shropshire Light Infantry.