Clarke, William Job

[SS "Koombana": list of crew as per copy of Articles at shipping office, Fremantle, Adelaide Steamship Company, April 1912. provided to the author by Jean Northover, City Beach, Western Australia]

THE CREW AGE BIRTHPLACE

...

W. Clarke, fireman 36 Liverpool

...

["Story of the Koombana", The Sunday Times (Perth, WA), Sunday 31 March 1912, page 12]

...

W. Clarke, J. Smith, J. Brown, C. Nortin, C. Anderson, G. Furlong, H. Offord, G. Olsen, A. C. de Montfort, T. O'Loghlan, T. McDermott, Thos. Taylor, A. Bryant, J. Downie and C. Peters, firemen;

...

["The Crew", The West Australian, Wednesday 03 April 1912, page 7]

The following is the complete crew which left with the vessel, according to the records in the Adelaide Co.'s office:--

...

W. Clarke, J. Smith, J. Brown, C. Norton, C. Anderson, G. Furlong, H. Offord, O. Olsen, *W. Fitzpatrick, A. C. de Montfort, T. O'Loghlin, T. McDermott, Thos. Taylor, A. Bryant, J. Downie, and C. Peters, firemen.

...

["The Koombana", The West Australian, Friday 12 April 1912, page 7]

OFFICIAL LIST OF CREW

The following official list of the names of the crew who signed on the s.s. Koombana's articles and who were supposed to have gone in the vessel is supplied by the Shipping Master of Fremantle (Captain T. W. Smith). The age, birthplace, and capacity of each member is given:--

...

W. Clarke, 36, Liverpool, fireman;

...

[Research file "s.s. Koombana", 1973-. Department of Maritime Archeology, Western Australian Museum, 189/73]

Wade Clarke

[address & telephone numbers withheld]

"I am searching for information concerning my grandfather...

"He was aboard the S. S. KOOMBANA when she went down...

"As I have very little information about William Job Clarke, originally from Liverpool England...

[Barker, Malcolm, 2001, The Truth Is So Precious, Success Print, Perth, Western Australia, page 43]

...

As stated above, on 29th November 1911, the replacement crew of 16 firemen signed on. Sadly, four of these, W Clarke, W Fitzpatrick, T McDermott and C Norlin were still aboard when it left Fremantle on 12th March 1912. Even more curiously, three firemen on that last voyage were none other than J Downie, H Offord and A Olson. These three were among the original 16 who declined to resume aboard the Koombana in protest against the presence of the the Chief Steward.

...

AB notes:

Downie, Offord and Olson were part of the Koombana Firemen's Strike of November 1911,

while Clarke, Fitzpatrick, McDermott and Norlin were part of the (union-sponsored) strike-breaking team.

["The Koombana Firemen", Geraldton Guardian (WA), Saturday 06 January 1912, page 1]

The Koombana Firemen.

UNION'S RECOGNITION OF THE NEW CREW.

In November, when the s.s. Koombana was in port at Fremantle, trouble arose amongst the ship's firemen over the provisions supplied to them, and as a result the vessel was delayed some days. It was not until a new crew for the stokehold had arrived from the East that the Koombana was able to resume her running in the Nor'-West mail service. A member of the crew, who came over from the East by direction of the Seamen's Union, to join the Koombana, has received the following communication from the secretary of the union (Mr. A. Cooper): In recognition of the great services that you and your shipmates, have rendered to the union at a critical period in its history, the executive council have decided to present to each of the men who left Melbourne and Adelaide and joined the Koombana at Fremantle with a gold medal of the union, and, further, whatever may be said to the contrary at Fremantle or elsewhere, your action, as well as that of the executive, has been endorsed by the Federation. We sincerely trust that you will use your best endeavors in order to make things work smoothly during the course of your engagement, and, if there are real grievances, make such complaints to our Fremantle agent (Mr. T. McShearer). Should he be unable to settle matters, your duty is to ask him to forward same to me, but, should he, through any misadventure, fail to do so, I will be pleased if you would communicate with me direct, giving fullest particulars, but it must be distinctly understood that there be no cessation of work until after the fullest inquiry." Daily News.

AB notes:

Clarke, Fitzpatrick, Norlin and McDermott would have received this recognition.

[Wreck of the KOOMBANA - letters re men's estates, Correspondence between the office of the Chief Harbourmaster, Fremantle, and the families of lost crewmembers, Harbour and Lights Department, 1912. State Records Office of Western Australia, AN16/5 Cons 1056 Item 062]

my img 846 & 847

June 17th 1912

Dear Sir

Please would you

kindly let me know

if my Husband William

Clarke was on board off

S.S. Koombana as last I

heard off him he was

sailing on her 3 months

ago and I have not heard

of him since I will be

glad if you can give

me any information about

him as I have got 7

little Children to keep

hoping you will Oblidge

soon as possible

Yours Mrs. D. Clarke

56 Beaumaris Street

Seaforth

Liverpool

[Wreck of the KOOMBANA - letters re men's estates, Correspondence between the office of the Chief Harbourmaster, Fremantle, and the families of lost crewmembers, Harbour and Lights Department, 1912. State Records Office of Western Australia, AN16/5 Cons 1056 Item 062]

my img 848

14th. August

Mrs. D. Clarke,

56, Beaumaris Street,

LIVERPOOL, England.

Dear Madam,

Your letter addressed to the Manager of the

Adelaide Steamship Company has been forwarded to me and

I very much regret to inform you that your husband was on

the S.S. "KOOMBANA" when she was lost in March last.

There is a balance of wages due to your late

husband which I am forwarding to the Shipping Master at

Liverpool to whom you should make application for same.

I might also mention that there is a relief

fund subscribed for in Fremantle, and you should make appli-

cation to the Agent General for Western Australia in London

or the Town Clerk, Fremantle, should you desire to participate

in same.

Yours faithfully,

[copy unsigned]

SHIPPING MASTER.

[Wreck of the KOOMBANA - letters re men's estates, Correspondence between the office of the Chief Harbourmaster, Fremantle, and the families of lost crewmembers, Harbour and Lights Department, 1912. State Records Office of Western Australia, AN16/5 Cons 1056 Item 062]

my img 841

8 Conway Street

Seaforth

July 2nd, 1912

Dear Sir

I should esteem it

a great favour if you

will cause inquiries to be

made and let me know

as soon as possible, whether

there is any information

of a man named

W. J. Clarke who is supposed

to have sailed from your

port on the S.S. Koombana

which is supposed to have

been lost about April 13th.

He has been stepping out

in Australia for close on

2 years and we have not

heard any word of him

since March last. He

has been following the

sea and I am informed

that he has been sailing

in the Koombana as well

as other ships of the same

line I am making these

inquiries on behalf on

my wife who is the sister

and she is very anxious

to know whether he was

one of the crew and whether

[last part missing or glued down I think;

replies below indicate writer and address]

[Wreck of the KOOMBANA - letters re men's estates, Correspondence between the office of the Chief Harbourmaster, Fremantle, and the families of lost crewmembers, Harbour and Lights Department, 1912. State Records Office of Western Australia, AN16/5 Cons 1056 Item 062]

my img 845

S O U T H A U S T R A L I A.

MERCANTILE MARINE OFFICE,

PORT ADELAIDE,

6th August, 1912

Sir,-

Herewith pleas find a letter received from a Mr.

George Bowes with respect to a seaman named W. J. Clarke

who is supposed to have been on the S.S. "Koombana" when the

illfated vessel was lost.

I have informed Mr. Bowes of my having forwarded

this letter to you.

I have the honor to be

Sir,

Your obedient servant,

[signed ? ? Smith]

Superintendent Mercantile Marine.

The Shipping Master,

F R E M A N T L E,

WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

[Wreck of the KOOMBANA - letters re men's estates, Correspondence between the office of the Chief Harbourmaster, Fremantle, and the families of lost crewmembers, Harbour and Lights Department, 1912. State Records Office of Western Australia, AN16/5 Cons 1056 Item 062]

my img 841

14th. August

Mr. Geo. Bowes,

8, Conway Street,

SEAFORTH. Nr.Liverpool,

England.

Dear Sir,

Your letter of the 2nd. ult. addressed to the

Superintendent of Mercantile Marine, Pt. Adelaide, has been

forwarded on to me and in reply to same I am sorry to say

that your late brother-in-law was a seaman on the ill-fated

"Koombana".

Yours faithfully,

[copy unsigned]

SHIPPING MASTER.

[Wreck of the "Koombana" - photocopy of material relating to, Harbour and Lights Department, Western Australia, 1912, State Records Office of Western Australia. Series 1618, Cons. 5055, Item 001, see Koombana Relief Fund correspondence]

EXTRACT FROM LETTER RECEIVED FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE

"KOOMBANA" RELIEF COMMITTEE, PERTH

Dated 31st July, 1912.

--------------

"I give you hereunder a list of persons in Great Britain

to whom the Perth Committee has allotted amounts, and shall be

glad if you will communicate with the Agent-General, requesting

him to pay the sum mentioned in each case, out of the amount he

has in hand, and forward the receipts to me at the earliest

possible opportunity:-

Miss Wardlaw, 36 Bank Street, Hillhead, Glasgow, £47.

Mrs. W. C. Dick, 4 James Park, Burntisland, N.B., £47.

Mrs. W. Clarke, Chestnut Grove, off Marsh Lane, Boudel

Liverpool, England, £65.

Mrs. Levins, 87 Strand Street, Cloyerhead, Drogheda,

Ireland, £11.

Mrs. M. Dwyer, King Street, Abbyside, County Waterford,

Ireland, £11.

Mrs. W. Carton, Droghed, County Louth, Ireland, £11.

Mrs. J. Kearne, 36 Malcolmson Street, Springfield Road,

Belfast, Ireland, $11.

Mrs. Rea, 21 Conderton Road, Loughboro Junction, Camberwell,

London, S.E. £11.

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Further names since received:-

A. Dellar (? English address)

- Clinton ( " Local Committee making enquiries

- Offord ( " " " decline applica-

tion for assistance.

W. Burkin ( " Nothing done so far.

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