WALTER HILL

Second Mate on the SS Albert Edward

Kindly contributed by Mary Harvey-Wright

In every family there are legends that are passed down of heroic deeds and bravery. I have come across just such a story which I would like to share with you.

My great grandfather, Walter HILL, was born in Deptford in 1845. His parents, Charles and Maria, moved to Folkestone shortly afterwards and by 1851 were the landlords of the notorious ‘Radnor Inn’ down by the fish-market. In due course Walter received his education and went to sea, working his way up to officer status.

This tale takes place in July 1879 aboard the SS Albert Edward, a newly commissioned Cross-Channel ferry. This vivid account, written in the Folkestone Express of 25 July 1879, reads as follows.

SHOCKING AFFAIR OFF FOLKESTONE - TWO PERSONS DROWNED

A terrible tragedy was enacted during the passage of the South Eastern Company’s vessel Albert Edward (Captain JENKINS) to Boulogne on Tuesday.

The steamer left Folkestone at one o’clock having on board 180 passengers. When about five miles out a passenger, whose nationality is unknown but he is supposed to be an Italian or a Spaniard, was seen by the Captain to get on to the aft part of the paddle box. The captain requested him to get down, telling him it was dangerous, and he immediately got down.

Captain JENKINS, while walking to and fro by the wheel, saw the passenger, shortly after he had been warned to get down, go up to the fore part of the paddle box, and crying out “I must, I must”, throw himself into the sea. The engines were immediately reversed, but the steamer of course went a long distance ahead before the reversing of the paddle had the effect of stopping her. A moment after the passenger had jumped, the second mate, named Walter HILL, threw over a lifebuoy, and also jumped into the sea himself, and before the steamer brought up both men were a long way astern.

A boat was immediately got ready, and the Captain’s intention was to go astern, and take the steamer as near to the passenger possible, and then lower the boat. This intention, however, was frustrated, as the second mate drifted in the way, and the steamer had to be stopped to prevent running him down.

The order was then given to lower the boat. There was tremendous excitement among the passengers, and the crew had some difficulty in carrying out their duties. In lowering the boat, the fore part was lowered faster than the aft part. There was a heavy swell on the sea, and it was necessary to go ahead a little, in order that the boat might be kept clear of the paddle box. While hanging in this inclined position, the boat shipped a quantity of water from the paddle wheel, the force of which broke her completely in two.

The crew, who had got in before she was lowered, clung to the davit ropes with the exception of one man, named WEEKS, a stoker, who was washed out. It is supposed that he was injured in some way when the boat was crushed, but he managed to swim for a short time and then disappeared. The other quarter boat was lowered as soon as possible, and the second mate was picked up, but the passenger and the stoker were both drowned. It being useless to stop longer, the boat was hoisted, and the steamer went on her way.

The passengers on board, who had witnessed the sad affair, finding from enquiries that the man WEEKS left a wife and four or five children, at once raised a subscription for them and £14.10s was collected and handed to Captain JENKINS, and this amount was augmented at Boulogne by £1 5s, thus making in all 15 guineas.

On arriving at Boulogne, the captain made a report of the occurrence to the British Consul and to the South Eastern Company’s agent, who immediately telegraphed to Mr SHAW, the General Manager. The information did not reach Folkestone until the arrival of a cargo steamer on Wednesday morning, when a report was received by Captain JONES. The Albert Edward was seen from the harbour to bring up, and as a boat was lowered, it was conjectured that someone had fallen overboard. The heroic conduct of HILL deserves recognition, because, although a good swimmer, he risked his life in jumping from the steamer when she was going twelve of fourteen knots.”

Walter HILL received a medal from the Royal Humane Society and also a gold medal and a financial reward from the French authorities in Boulogne. In fact he lived in Boulogne for a time with his growing family and was also a lay preacher at the Sailor’s Bethel on Boulogne seafront.

Sadly, there were some cruel things said about him by one or two of his fellow crew members, perhaps reacting to the loss of the stoker, and he refused to wear the medals again. However, as the photograph shows, he was proud to wear his other medals.

As a final postscript. Some of Walter’s sons, grandsons and great-grandsons were also mariners. One of his sons worked on the original Channel Tunnel project in the 1920s, two of his great grand-daughters, one of them me, were in the Navy, here and in New Zealand. To finally come full-circle I now work at Eurotunnel - how they would all have loved to have seen the project finished!

Mary Harvey-Wright Folkestone - November 2002

Another story of the HILL family