Ordinary Seaman William New

William was born in Mitcham between April and June 1899. His father Henry who was a labourer and his mother Mary were an old Mitcham Family. In 1901 the family were living at 8 Fieldgate Lane, Mitcham which was situated between Western Road, and Church Road. This was a poor area of Mitcham, and their previous address at Half Acre Row, had been deemed unfit for human habitation. William was 2 years of age, and the rest of the family were Henry 3, John 1 and their cousin Edward aged 8.

By 1911 the family had moved a few doors down to 4 Fieldgate Lane. The head of the household, Henry, had died the year before and Mary had to provide for the family by working at Pains Firework Factory. William, Henry and Edward were still living at the family home, although John was not on the census, and it seems he died in 1914. The family later moved to 15 Seaton Road, which was the address given when Henry got married at Christ Church in 1918.

At some point during WW1, William joined the Mercantile Marine (later known as the Merchant Navy) as an Ordinary Seaman. During WW1 the Mercantile Marine entered the conflict, and became the supply service of the Royal Navy, carrying troops, and supplies to the armed forces, and raw materials, food and other essential goods and to Britain’s home front.

William served on SS Galway Castle. On 12 September 1918, the ship was part of a convoy on route to South Africa when she was torpedoed by a German submarine, around 200 miles west of Lands' End. The Galway Castle was carrying 346 civilian passengers, 400 invalided South African Troops, and 204 crew – around 1,000 souls in all. The explosion extinguished the lights below, put the wireless out of action and stopped the engines so that the ship was rolling helplessly in the heavy seas. The men in the stokehold had been killed and water was pouring into the engine room. The order was given to launch the lifeboats, but this was made difficult as the ship was almost broken in two and in the chaos 143 people including William, lost their lives. A skeleton crew of the captain, officers and 40 crew and volunteers stayed on the ship until the ship eventually sank three days later.

William was posthumously awarded a Campaign Medal called the Mercantile Marine War Medal. This award was given to a mariner who did service at sea for not less than six months between 1914 and 1918. William’s name is included on the Tower Hill Memorial, London, which commemorates men and women of the Merchant Navy who died during both World Wars, and who have no known grave. He is also commemorated locally on the Mitcham War Memorial.