ABLE SEAMAN WILLIAM TRAVERS: 225435 (Po)
Royal Navy HMS Ghurka
William was the eldest of nine children born to Richard and Alice Travers. The family lived at 4 Albert Place, just off of South Street in Bridport.
With his schooldays behind him, William spent time working as an errand boy, but when he reached the age of eighteen, he left Bridport and enlisted with the Royal Navy, signing on for twelve years’ service in November 1904.
His initial training was done at the shore-based HMS Boscawen, and he spent the following years serving on many different vessels including HMS Invincible – the worlds’ first battleship.
At the outbreak of WW1 William was stationed at HMS Excellent a naval gunnery training school based at Whale Island , Portsmouth but in October 1915 he joined the crew of HMS Ghurka.
HMS Ghurka was a minesweeper, one of several vessels that made up the ‘Dover Patrol, involved in laying and sweeping for mines, escorting merchant and hospital ships through the dangerous waters of the English Channel and conducting anti-submarine patrols.
The crew has successfully captured a German submarine just before William’s posting, but their success did not last.
Early in February 1917, whilst on patrol, Ghurka struck a mine , just off the coast at Dungeness and sank, with the loss of 74 crew members. William was not one of the five survivors.
William died five months before his brother Arthur also lost his life , serving with the Royal Field Artillery on the Western Front. A double tragedy for the Travers Family.
William is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.