Walter Hedger,
boy seaman of the fo'c'sle, aged 15
My great-uncle's parents came from the
Portsmouth/Gosport area.
Walter had two brothers and three sisters, one of whom
became my grandmother.
She was adopted at an early age by an uncle and aunt
who farmed near Burlesdon, Hampshire.
Walter's tragic death must have been a great shock.
She was only ten years old and had been separated from her brothers and
sisters.
I became aware of our family tragedy when a boy, and I
was told that a letter written by my great-uncle three months before his
death was a treasured memory.
My late brother, Walter Henry Dolan was named after
our Great uncle.
V A J Dolan
(see
Walter's letter)