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Edward Morrigan (1895-1917)


Hartlepool man served as a stoker in the Royal Naval Reserve on HMS Vanguard


Edward Morrigan’s date of birth is recorded as being 16 September 1895 on his Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) service record. However the record of his birth and both the 1901 and 1911 censuses suggest that the year of his birth may have actually been 1898. This might suggest he exaggerated his age in order to see active service for his country.

His father was William Morrigan (1851-1917), a bricklayer’s labourer from Dudley, Staffordshire. His mother was Maria Morrigan nee Solan (1851-1934) from Galway, Ireland. The 1911 census indicates his parents married around 1873 and had 11 children, seven of whom were surviving at the time of this census. Of the eight children present on census records, including Edward, four were girls and four were boys. In 1901 the family lived at 18 Charlotte Street, Hartlepool. By 1911 they had moved to 39 Caroline Street, Hartlepool and Edward was still at school; further evidence that he was younger than the age on his RNR record suggests.

Edward was a stoker in the RNR with the service number 6641/S. In 1917 he served on board HMS Vanguard, a St Vincent-class dreadnought battleship launched in February 1909. The ship was involved in action throughout its service but was generally on routine patrol and training in the North Sea.

Just before midnight on 9 July 1917 at Scapa Flow, Scotland, Vanguard suffered an explosion. This was probably caused by an unnoticed fire heating cordite in one of the two magazines which served the midships gun turrets. The ship sank almost instantly and there were only two survivors. In terms of loss of life the destruction of the Vanguard remains the most catastrophic accidental explosion in the history of the United Kingdom and one of the worst accidental losses of the Royal Navy.

Edward was one of the 804 men killed in the explosion. The bodies that could be recovered now lie in Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery, Hoy, Orkney, Scotland, where there is also a memorial. The wreck site is a designated war grave under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. Edward and the other crew who perished whose bodies were not recovered are remembered on the Chatham Naval Memorial.

Edward Morrigan was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal for his service in World War One.

Civil Parish: Hartlepool

Birth date: 16-Sep-1895

Death date: 09-Jul-1917

Armed force/civilian: Navy

Residence: 18 Charlotte Street, Hartlepool (1901 census)
39 Caroline Street, Hartlepool (1911 census)

Family: Parents: William Morrigan (1851-1917), Maria Morrigan nee Solan (1851-1934)
Siblings: John Morrigan (b 1875), Joseph Morrigan (b 1878), Thomas Morrigan (b 1888), Catherine Morrigan (b 1884), Maria Morrigan (b 1892), Mary Elizabeth Morrigan (b 1881), Ann Morrigan (b 1886)

Military service:

Royal Naval Reserve
Stoker
Service number 6641/S
HMS Vanguard

Medal(s): Victory Medal
British War Medal

Memorial(s): Chatham Naval Memorial

Gender: Male

Contributed by David D, Stanley, Co Durham

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