George Arthur Church

A Third Hand with Trawler Queen of Devon (Lowestoft), George died on 20th of December 1914 at the age of 40. 

George was born at Carlton Colville in 1874, a son of George and Harriet Church. In 1881 his family lived at Cambridge Road, Lowestoft. 

On 25 December 1899 George married Ellen Sarah Hammond at Saint Peter's Church, Kirkley. George was a fisherman and they both lived at Kirkley. In 1900 they lived at 9 Clements Square. By 1911 their home was at 2 Saint Margaret's Plain and Ellen worked as a factory hand at a preserved provision factory. In 1911 George was the Third Hand on the trawler Successful at Padstow. 

By 1914 their home was at Police Station Road and later Ellen lived at 50 Princes Road. 

On Tuesday 15 December 1914 the Queen of Devon sailed from Lowestoft. On 20 December an explosion was heard around fifty-five miles east by north of Lowestoft and it was presumed that the Queen of Devon had struck a mine. 

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

George's son, George Harry, died in 1918 in the loss of the trawler W. A. Massey.