Born: 14 September 1893, Bradford
Died: 14 Deccember 1916, at sea
Buried:
Address: 17 Manor Street, Eccleshill
Parents: John and Annie, nee Lightowler
Spouse:
Siblings: Harold, Ernest, Elizabeth
Occupation: Apprentice weaving overlooker, J Benn, Spingfield Mill, Idle
Organisations/clubs:
Military
Rank: Able Seaman
Medals/awards:
Rolls of Honour: Eccleshill, Park & St Paul’s; Plymouth Naval Memorial
Children:
Regiment: Royal Navy
William Arthur Sugden
William Arthur Sugden was born
on the 14th September 1893 in
Bradford, the third of four children
of John Greenwood Sugden and
Annie, nee Lightowler.
John died in 1899 at the age of 38
years and by 1901 Annie was living
at 17 Manor Street, working as a
stuff weaver and her eldest son
Harold as a weftman.
By 1911 Annie no longer needed to
work as all four children were
working, and at 17 years of age
William was working as an
apprentice weaving overlooker.
He enlisted in the Royal Navy on
the 3rd of July 1916 as Ordinary
Seaman J55032 and was engaged
for the duration of the hostilities.
He was 5”6’ in height, a chest
measurement of 37”, brown hair
and eyes with a fresh complexion.
He served on the ship Vivid I from
the 4th of July to the 15th of
September 1916 and then on the
President III until the 14th of
December 1916 when he was
transferred to HMS Russian which
was a British Cargo horse transport
ship sailing from Salonika to
Newport in the United Kingdom.
The ship sailed that night during a
violent thunderstorm and was
torpedoed and sunk by U-Boat 43
210 miles east of Malta in the
Mediterranean Sea.
Seven boats were launched, six got
away with 120 men and these were
eventually rescued after an eight-
hours fight with the storm and were
landed at Malta.
But one capsized and 28 men lost
their lives, William being one of
them. He was 23 years of age.
He is remembered on the Plymouth
Naval Memorial.
Researched and written by Jean
Britteon, to whom many thanks
