Name: Patrick Hopkins
Rank: Private
Unit/Regiment: 9th (Service) Battalion, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles)
Service Number: 20889
Date of Death: 22 October 1916
Memorial: Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France
Patrick Hopkins was born in Batley on 20 December 1894, the third child of Patrick and Margaret Hopkins (née Lynch). The couple came from County Mayo – Margaret’s birthplace is pinpointed to Charlestown in the 1921 census – but married locally in 1890. In the early days of marriage Margaret, also referred to as Maggie in some records, worked as a rag sorter, whilst Patrick worked as a labourer for Batley Gasworks.1
Their first child, Thomas, was born in September 1891 but he died the following March. His death, the subject of an inquest at Batley’s Black Bull Inn, provided the Coroner P. P. Maitland a platform to pontificate about working mothers and feeding methods – something another parishioner, Mary Ann Cafferty, was subjected to by the same coroner in 1916.
On Tuesday night, 1 March 1892, Thomas appeared to be suffering from a severe cold, and Sarah Rowles, wife of Commercial Street insurance agent Thomas Rowles, was sent for. She applied a linseed poultice on his chest, and also saw him the following morning. He did show signs of improvement and Margaret went to work that day, leaving Thomas in the care of Sarah’s 14-year-old daughter. This seemed to be the regular child-care arrangement, with Margaret breast-feeding him in the morning, when she came home at noon, and in the evening. Whilst she was at work Thomas, under the care of his young nurse girl, lived mainly on bread and milk.
Under questioning from the Coroner about why she needed to go out to work, and how much her husband earned (stated to be 24s. a week). Margaret said she was compelled to work.2 Maitland’s publicly expressed view was:
It seems a pity that you should have to go to work, and leave a child so young. It is much better that mothers should nurse their children themselves. Babies so young are better to have the breast regularly.3
Thomas’ improvement was shortlived and in the end Dr Russell was sent for, and said he would “come by-and-by”.4 Thomas continued to deteriorate and died at 7.50am on 3 March, of what the jury deemed to be natural causes.
In March 1893 the Hopkins’ daughter Mary was born, followed by Patrick just before Christmas in 1894. Catherine was born in late 1896, but died in September 1903. James was born in 1899, William in 1902, and Annie in 1905.
Throughout the period the family lived at Fleming Street. The censuses record Margaret as working, either as a rag picker or a rag sorter. Her husband’s job did change, from a labourer, to a stone quarry man, and by 1911 he worked as a willeyer at a woollen mill. For more details about what that entailed click here.
In the 1911 census young Patrick also worked in the textile industry, employed as a brusher in a woollen mill. Brusher was an occupational term which had multiple meanings. In textiles generally it may have applied to a process whereby the cloth was fed into a machine which brushed and cleaned the cloth, raising the nap in preparation for dyeing and finishing. Alternatively it could have referred to a woollen spinning worker who collected the waste from various machines, swept it up, put it in bags and generally undertook other odd jobs in any department of the mill, sometimes known as a waste boy.5 By 1913 Patrick was described as a cloth finisher,6 working in the finishing department of Stubley’s Bottoms Mills.7 However another source stated he worked in the Lady Ann Mills finishing department, which was owned by J. B. and W. Hirst.8
Outside of work, other than his connection with St Mary’s church, he was a bugler in the St Mary’s Boys Brigade and a member of the United Irish League Club.9 But he did not see his future in Batley.
On 30 August 1913, with $10 in his pocket, his father paid for him to set sail third class from Liverpool to New York on board the Cunard liner Mauretania.10 But third class on the Mauretania was something special. Sister ship to the Lusitania, when she first set sail in November 1907 she was the company’s most luxurious ocean liner. The Shipbuilder magazine extolled her virtues saying:
The passenger accommodation of the Mauretania, when its spaciousness and beauty of decoration are taken into account, certainly justifies the use of the somewhat extravagant term “a floating palace”.11
Whilst First Class passengers travelled in style, there had been major improvements in the quality of Third-Class accommodation too. The Shipbuilder magazine described it thus:
At the forward end of the vessel on the lower, main, upper and shelter decks is the third-class passenger accommodation. Two main staircases extend from the main to the upper deck, one giving direct access to the dining saloon on the upper deck. This saloon is very large, being 84 feet long and the full width of the ship, and its height (10 feet) gives a light and airy appearance. Three hundred and thirty persons can be accommodated at one sitting, revolving chairs being provided for this purpose. The room is panelled out in best polished ash with teak mouldings, and the floor is covered with corticine.12 A piano is placed at the forward end of the saloon; and the side-lights are screened by sliding sashes, fitted with coloured obscure glass. The smoking room and ladies’ room, two large apartments, are situated on the shelter deck. The smoking room, on the port side, is 50 feet long, 24 feet wide, and over 9 feet high. The ladies’ room on the starboard side, is 50 feet long, 20 feet wide, and the same height as the smoking room. Both rooms are panelled out in polished ash with teak mouldings, are provided with revolving chairs, and are generally similarly to the dining saloon, the floors being covered with corticine. The sleeping accommodation for third-class passengers is on the lower and main decks, a large number of the rooms on the lower deck being portable.13
As for food, an early third class bill of fare (menu) shows a breakfast selection ranging from porridge, to smoked herrings, hard and soft boiled eggs, and vegetable stew. Followed by a four course dinner which had selections including pea soup, corned brisket of beef, vegetables, rice pudding with raisins, assorted nuts and fresh bread. Tea and, for the very hungry, a 8pm dish of gruel were also provided.14
More than that, Mauretania was a record holder, which must have been the icing on the cake for any adventuress young man . On her maiden voyage return leg she broke the record for the fastest eastbound transatlantic crossing. From now on she vied with the Lusitania for the accolade of fastest transatlantic ship. By the time Patrick sailed on her, as well as being fastest eastbound record holder, she was also the holder of the Blue Riband for the fastest westbound crossing. It was a major selling-point for Cunard, as can be seen from the Leeds Mercury advert below for Patrick’s voyage. And, such was her prestige, only the month before Patrick stepped on board, King George V and Queen Mary were given a special tour of the ship.
On the sailing to New York Patrick was accompanied by his aunt Bridget Hopkins, and cousins Mary Ann and Catherine. His final intended destination was Kingston, Pennsylvania, to join his uncle Michael (husband of Bridget). From his Ellis Island arrival documentation we have Patrick’s description. He stood at 5 feet 6 inches tall, with a fresh complexion, brown hair and eyes.15
He was still in America when war broke out. As it progressed he made the fateful decision to return home to Fleming Street with the intention of enlisting.
On 14 May 1915 he, along with over 500 other passengers mainly from Great Britain and Canada (note, no Americans), made the return journey across the Atlantic to Liverpool on White Star Line’s Cymric.
His return sailing would have been a totally different type of adventure to his outbound journey under two years earlier – a far less relaxing and luxurious affair. This was a wartime crossing with the threat of U-boats, and accordingly the imposition of wartime restrictions such as lights blacked out and no smoking on deck at night. Extra life rafts were on the upper decks, unlashed in case they were needed quickly. Boat drills were scheduled, and stewards and stewardesses given instruction on showing passengers how to put on, and adjust, life belts.16
This was not over-caution. In an event which shocked the world the iconic passenger liner Lusitania had been torpedoed off the coast of Ireland by a German U-boat only a week earlier, on 7 May, making the same New York/Liverpool crossing. She went down in 18 minutes, with the loss of almost 1,200 lives – men, women and children…including the rich and famous, many from America like the multi-millionaire sportsman Alfred G Vanderbilt.
Despite the risk, the Cymric was carrying war materials which made her according to some American newspapers “little less than a floating arsenal.”17 How much Patrick and the other passengers knew of the contraband when they set sail is unclear, but according to the press not a single passenger cancelled.18
The Cymric made it safely to Liverpool, docking on 25 May 1915.19 But in a further twist, on 8 May 1916 she too was torpedoed and sunk off the Irish coast by the very same U-boat, U-20 captained by Walther Schwieger, which dispatched the Lusitania a year and a day earlier.
By then Patrick was a private serving on the Western Front. In early July 1915 he went to Dewsbury to attest with the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) and, after a period of training, on 2 October arrived in France ready to join the 9th Battalion, part of the 9th (Scottish) Division, who were based in Belgium. He may have been amongst the draft of 398 other ranks whose arrival at their camp at Busseboom, on the outskirts of Poperinge, on the evening of 4 October caused accommodation problems.20
It was a brief initial spell on the Western Front. In the winter of 1915 he was invalided home with trench feet, enjoying 10 precious day’s leave to spend with family and friends at Christmastime.21
He returned to France in February 1916,22 but was back in hospital once more in April. This time he was treated at the 4th Stationary Hospital at Arques, France for what was termed dental caries – in other words tooth decay. This time he did not make it back to England, being discharged on 26 April to the Base Depots at Étaples ready for posting back to his unit.23
Shortly afterwards he was unable to obtain leave to return home, when his father died on 31 May 1916.24 This unfortunately was common. The Army could ill afford to release men on compassionate leave. And even more so at this point – preparations were underway for the Battle of the Somme, with the 9th Scottish Rifles making the move south from Belgium and entering a period of training for the forthcoming attack.
Although they were in reserve in Billon Valley near Carnoy on 1 July 1916, the commencement of the Battle, by 3 July they were in the trenches at Montauban and suffering casualties. Between 3 and 8 July, when they returned to the comparative safety of Billon Valley, they lost 32 men killed, five died of wounds, 100 wounded and two missing believed killed.25
They moved from Billon Valley once again on 13 July to take up a position in front of Longueval for an attack on the German front line the following day. Once more they suffered many casualties but these were described as “slight in nature – arms and legs.” The numbers amounted to eight officers and over 200 other ranks.26
On 17 July they were ordered to support the 6th King’s Own Scottish Borderers in a bombing attack on the North West part of Delville Wood, which was strongly held by the enemy with machine guns. On 18 July they were in trenches at Longueval. Heavily shelled day and night by the Germans they sustained a high number of casualties and their strength was reduced to about 235.27 They were relieved the following day and then followed a period of refitting and training.
Patrick was killed two months later. On 21 October 1916 the 9th Scottish Rifles moved into the front line east of Eaucourt l’Abbaye. The Unit War Diary described enemy artillery as very active. It remained active the following day. On 23 October they were relieved and moved from the front line to High Wood. The Unit War Diary said that casualties during their two days in the front line amounted to approximately 100, and including sick the number rose to 160.28
On Tuesday 14 November 1916 Patrick’s mother Margaret received official notification from the Record Office at Hamilton that her son had been killed in action on 22 October 1916.29 It was only a matter of months since the death of her husband, and now the loss of her eldest son was described in the Batley Reporter and Guardian as a particularly hard blow to her.30
Patrick has no known grave and is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial.
He was awarded the 1914-15 Star, Victory Medal and British War Medal. In addition to St Mary’s, he is also remembered on the Batley War Memorial and on the Scottish National War Memorial, at Edinburgh Castle.
Footnotes:
1. Batley News, 11 March 1892.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. A Dictionary of Occupational Terms: Ministry of Labour. Based on the Classification of Occupations Used in the Census of POPULATION, 1921. His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1927.
6. Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Outwards Passenger Lists, The National Archives (TNA) BT27-124093.
7. Batley News, 18 November 1916.
8. Batley Reporter and Guardian, 17 November.
9. Batley News, 18 November 1916.
10. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists – 1913 – Arrival: New York, New York, USA; Microfilm Serial: T715, 1897-1957; Line: 23; Page Number: 56.
11. Hood, A. G., and H. Bocler. The Shipbuilder. Quarterly Magazine Devoted to the Shipbuilding, Marine Engineering and Allied Industries. Vol. II November, 1907 Special Number. The Cunard Express Liner “Mauretania.”. Printed for the Proprietors (Newcastle-on-Tyne) by R. Robinson & Co. Ld., Clavering Place, Newcastle-on-Tyne, and published by A.G. Hood, at Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1907.
12. A material for carpeting or floor covering, made of ground cork and india rubber.
13. Hood and Bocler, Ibid.
14. RMS Mauretania: Cunard’s most luxurious ocean liner – https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/rms-mauretania-cunard-s-most-luxurious-ocean-liner/
15. New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists – 1913 – Arrival, Ibid.
16. The Sun, New York, 15 May 1915.
17. The Evening Journal, Wilmington, Delaware. 17 May 1915.
18. The Sun, New York, 15 May 1915.
19. Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists.; TNA, Class: BT26; Piece: 607; Item: 9.
20. 9th Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Unit War Diary, TNA WO 95/1775/4.
21. Batley Reporter and Guardian, 17 November 1916.
22. Batley News, 18 November 1916.
23. Medical Records, TNA MH 106/1445.
24. Batley Reporter and Guardian, 17 November 1916
25. 9th Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Unit War Diary, TNA WO 95/1772/4.
26.. Ibid.
27. Ibid.
28. Ibid.
29. Batley Reporter and Guardian, 17 November 1916.
30. Ibid.
Other Sources (not directly referenced):
• 1891 to 1911 England and Wales Censuses.
• Batley Cemetery burial registers.
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.
• GRO Birth, Marriage and Death Indexes.
• The Long, Long Trail website.
• Medal Index Card.
• Medal Award Rolls.
• Newspapers, various.
• Parish Registers.
• Pension Ledgers and Card Indexes.
• Service Records.
• Soldiers Died in the Great War.
• Soldiers’ Effects Registers.
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