Seeking help with research on Great Uncle

[City Hall]

Hi all. I am new to the forum and this is my first post. A warm hello to you all.
I am seeking information on my Great uncle.
Dennis Cannon, member of Mercantile Marine, died 21st January, 1915 while serving on board 'The Flying Buzzard'
He is commenmorated on CWGC wsbsite and has a CWGC headstone.
He died by drowning in Scottish waters (not during enemy action), maybe in a place called Aultbea but I am not certain if that location is correct.
And that is all I have. I have searched for information about him on National Archives without success. There is an entry for him on FindmyPast but it doesn't contain any additional information. What I was wondering was, would there have been an inquest into his death, held in Scotland, and if so, is access to the inquest details available? Or would a local newspaper have reported the incident?
I would be grateful for any information.

Thank you.

[margaretmarch]

Welcome to FTF!

Inquest records are rarely kept so newspaper reports are the most likely to help if the incident was covered.

Do you have a death cert as that would say if an inquest or post mortem was held. I can't see an entry on scotlandspeople for the death so maybe it isn't registered as he is covered by the CWWG .

I've looked on FMP but can't see the entry you are referring to - can you give more details?

Margaret

[City Hall]

Hi Margaret, thanks for the reply. Here is a link to the entry on FMP http://www.findmypas...=dennis&route=X (Hope it works)
I don't have a death cert. Do I apply to somewhere in Scotland (I am based in N Ireland).

Thanks.

[City Hall]

Margaret, I don't think the last link worked. I'm a novice at this.
Below is the search result.



Maritime deaths 1794-1964

Results:

5 records found.
Search criteria used:

Deaths from 1913 to 1917
First name(s): Dennis
Last name: Cannon
Cost:

You will be charged 5 credits for a transcription and an original index image unless you have purchased a subscription for this set of records.
redefine search all search results

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CANNON	D	Unknown	1915	VIEW
CANNON	Not stated.	Unknown	1913	VIEW
CANNON	Not stated.	Unknown	1914	VIEW
CANNON	Not stated.	Unknown	1915	VIEW
CANNON	Not stated.	Unknown	1915	VIEW

redefine search all search results
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[margaretmarch]

Had a look at those listed and the last one is yours. I'll send you a private massage about it look at the 'notifications' tab at the top of the page and when you click on that it will take you to your inbox.

Looking at this it seems there is unlikely to be any other record but the site to check is www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk and you can order any certificates found direct from them on that site. Not sure what it costs.

Margaret

[margaretmarch]

Thinking about it you might like to also ask the GRO https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/c...contact_us.asp if there would be a registration in the normal records and whether they hold the details. I would have thought there should be some more information about how and why he died.

Margaret

[angelina]

If you go on commonwealth war graves commission website

http://www.cwgc.org/search-for-war-dead/casualty/662679/CANNON,%20DENNIS

it says he was Son of J. Cannon, of Meenacurrin, Lettermacaward and is buried in the catholic cemetery there.
may be a letter to the priest there would help?

Lettermacaward is in County Donegal.

[angelina]

http://www.thecumbriadirectory.com/Town_or_Village/location.php?url=maryport

I put 'HM tug flying buzzard wreck' into google and found this link to a steamship museum in maryport in cumbria. maybe they can help you? I see you have already asked on great war forum and other naval sites so i cant think of anything else at the moment. I am sure someone else will come along with a good idea so hang on in there.

[SueNSW]

According to this research guide - http://www.rmg.co.uk/researchers/lib...-world-war-one - merchant seaman's deaths that were recorded in the National Archives series BT334 were reported to "the General Register Office for England and Wales, and where the seaman was Scottish or Irish, a copy sent to the General Register Offices in Edinburgh or Dublin"

Family Search records of Irish Civil Registrations include a Denis Cannon who died in 1915 (his age is shown as 29 though) so it should be possible to order a death cert through the Irish GRO in Roscommon

[margaretmarch]

According to this research guide - http://www.rmg.co.uk/researchers/lib...-world-war-one - merchant seaman's deaths that were recorded in the National Archives series BT334 were reported to "the General Register Office for England and Wales, and where the seaman was Scottish or Irish, a copy sent to the General Register Offices in Edinburgh or Dublin"

Family Search records of Irish Civil Registrations include a Denis Cannon who died in 1915 (his age is shown as 29 though) so it should be possible to order a death cert through the Irish GRO in Roscommon

Thanks for that Sue, it wasn't clear on FMP where else the death might be reported but their records are from BT334 so that confirms there should be a record elsewhere for this person.

Margaret

[City Hall]

Thanks to Margaret,Angelina and SueNSW for your replys. I think my next move now is to get a death cert from GRO in Co Roscommon, which will hopefully state exactly where he died and may have additional information on how he drowned.

Thanks again.
Paul.

[angelina]

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Donegal/Lettermacaward/Meenacarn/487689/

This link ought to take you to the 1911 census in Ireland where Dennis is son of John Cannon a farmer.
I really think an email to the local priest about the burial entry may help you. If this is your family then maybe Dennis joined the merchant marine when war was declared
good hunting

[City Hall]

Hi Angelina, thanks for the further reply. The family listed on the census is indeed my family. The Mary, aged 17, was my grandmother. I never knew her, but apparently she was known to all as Mia, long before the name Mia became a fashionable yuppie forename. I may write a letter to the parish priest, but I have e-mailed priests previously and, sad to say, have not received any replies, not even an acknowledgement.

Thanks again.
Paul.

[margaretmarch]

Thanks to Margaret,Angelina and SueNSW for your replys. I think my next move now is to get a death cert from GRO in Co Roscommon, which will hopefully state exactly where he died and may have additional information on how he drowned.

Thanks again.
Paul.

I think this is your best bet as it should show cause of death and where.

Margaret

[City Hall]

Thanks Margaret. I agree.
A little piece of info that might be helpful to anyone seeking Irish ancestors. Whilst the main GRO for the Irish Republic is indeed in Co Roscommon, there is a 'sub-office' in Lower Abbey Street in the centre of Dublin city where you can go in and search BMD registers year by year, and order a photocopy of the original certificate, which is available within minutes.

Paul.

Paul.