The Women's Royal Naval Service, known as the Wrens, was first established in 1917. Nineteen year old Josephine Carr a shorthand typist was one of the three Wrens from Cork who were travelling together on the R.M.S. Leinster. On 10 October 1918 Josephine became the first Wren to die on active service when she was lost on the Leinster. Her body was never recovered. In Memory of Clerk JOSEPHINE CARR G/4985, W.R.N.S., Women's Royal Naval Service who died age 19 on 10 October 1918 Daughter of Kathleen Carr, of 4, Bethesda Row, Blackrock Rd., Cork, and the late Samuel Carr. Remembered with honour PLYMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL
R.M.S. Leinster - 1897 -1918 On the 10th of October 1918 at a little before nine o'clock in the morning, the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company owned mailboat - the R.M.S. Leinster - left Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) on route for Holyhead. Three members of the Royal Navy manned 12 pound guns on board as a precaution. Including these three men there totalled 771 on board. Of these, 489 were military and 180 were civilian passengers. 22 Dublin Post Office workers and 77 crew accounted for the rest. An hour into her journey, a torpedo was launched by U-boat UB-123, which just missed the Leinster. A second torpedo struck the Leinster in the area of the sorting room, and just one of the 22 workers inside would survive. Captain William Birch - Irish, but living in Holyhead in a property named 'The Sycamores' - gave the order to turn the ship and attempt to get back to Kingstown harbour. The third torpedo struck amid ships in the engine room, causing devastating damage, and the ship began to sink. Survivors found themselves struggling in rough seas, and by the time rescue boats arrived 501 would have perished. This was the largest maritime disaster ever witnessed on the Irish Sea, with multi national loss of life, including Welsh, Irish, Scottish, English, Canadians, Americans, New Zealanders and Australians.
A sad reason to be remembered, but do casualties of merchant vessels sunk in war count as "killed in action" rather than "lost on active service"? Certainly a RN crewman lost in a torpedoed RN ship would be listed as KIA.
Hello Adrian, In the Deaths at Sea Register it has the abbreviation E.A. (Enemy Action) before each entry and is followed by several descriptions such as "War Cause" "Supposed Drowned" followed by vessel lost by enemy action "Shock, exposure" & "Killed through enemy action" to name a few. Regards Hugh
