Captain David Kenyon Clarke

David’s family

David Kenyon Clarke was the son of David K. Clarke, an Accountant who had pursued most of his career in Oldham and who had married Sarah Kenyon. The elder David Clarke retired to Nantwich, living at the ‘Whitehouse’, White House Lane.

David Kenyon Clarke joined the Merchant Navy and rose to the rank of Captain (possibly ‘Acting Captain’) in the Elder Dempster Line during the First World War.

David married Gladys Salter, the daughter of Joseph and Mary Salter of ‘Riverside’, Brine Baths, Nantwich. Joseph is best known as the breeder of the well-known Riverside Flat-Coated Retrievers under the patronage of Henry Reginald ‘Jack’ Cooke.

Damage and Refit of the SS Burutu

On10th April 1918 the SS Burutu SS (defensively armed), 3,902 gross tons, was damaged by German U-boat, U 154. The U-boat was fought off by gunfire 14 miles SSW from Cape Mesurado, Monrovia area. 2 members of the Burutu's crew were killed. The Captain, H A Yardley, was awarded the DSO and seaman Edward Jones was given a gold medal by the passengers.

With the Burutu damaged, arrangements had to be made for a temporary refit in Freetown, Sierra Leone and for the return of the vessel to Liverpool. It appears that Captain Potter and First Officer Clarke were asked to bring the ship back to England. It is quite possible of course that the ship was not as seaworthy as it would otherwise have been.

Death of David Kenyon Clarke

Captain David Kenyon Clarke died on 3 October, 1918, when the ship on which he was acting as First Officer (i.e. the Steam Ship ‘Burutu’) collided with the steamer ‘City of Calcutta’. The Burutu was a passenger/cargo ship of 3,864 tons launched in 1902 for the British & African Steam Navigation Co. (Elder Dempster Line).

In a law notice in The Times, Saturday, 31 May 1919 it was noted that:

"This action arose out of a collision in the Irish Sea between the steamships City of Calcutta and Burutu on October 3, 1918. The collision took place in dark, rainy, and stormy weather, when the City of Calcutta, a vessel of 7,653 tons gross, was on a voyage from Manchester to Montreal in ballast. She was manned by a crew of 156 hands all told.

The Burutu, a vessel belonging to the British and African Steam Navigation Company, of 3,863 tons gross, was on a voyage from Sierra Leone to Liverpool, with about 114 passengers, a general cargo, and a crew of 98 hands all told.

The two vessels were in different convoys, and, in accordance with Admiralty orders, were steaming without lights.

The Burutu, which was struck on the port side by the stem of the City of Calcutta, sank in a few minutes, and about 160 persons, including the master and officers and others on watch, lost their lives."

The claim and counter claim were dismissed after Mr. Justice Hill concluded that the collision happened without negligence on either side and that the cause was the darkness of the night and the ships navigating without lights (in accordance with Admiralty orders).

In another article in The Times, it was stated that "Captain Potter, Chief Officer Clarke, and Chief Engineer Goddard" were among the casualties.

Postscipt

David Kenyon Clarke is buried at the Barony Cemetery, Nantwich, near to his son-in-law Cyril Johnson who lost his life in 1943 in a flying accident while serving with the RAF in World War II. Their story is told in the BBC People’s War Website at:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/59/a2196759.shtml


Appendix : Elder Dempster & Company / African Steam Ship Company

Elder Dempster & Company, Limited, was formed in 1852 as the African Steam Ship Company, Limited, with a contract to carry mails from London via Plymouth to Madeira, Teneriffe and the West Coast of Africa. In 1856, the home port became Liverpool. A rival firm, the British & African Steam Navigation Company was formed in 1868 with John Dempster and Alexander Elder among it's founders.

In 1894, the African Steam Ship Company entered the Canadian trade by taking over the Avonmouth service of the Dominion Line and in 1898 the Beaver Line was purchased together with their Liverpool - Canada service. Elder Dempster Shipping Limited was formed in 1899 and in 1901 the Imperial Direct West India Mail Service Company was set up to operate services to the West Indies. In 1903 their Canadian interests were sold to Canadian Pacific together with 14 ships.

Elder, Dempster & Company, Limited, was formed in 1910 after the death of the managing director, and sale of the company to Lords Kylsant and Pirrie. After the collapse of the Kylsant shipping group in 1931, the company was run by a board of trustees until, with government help, the company could be re-organised and refinanced. The ships of both companies then came under the control and colours of the new company.

In 1951 Paddy Henderson's British & Burmese Steam Navigation Company was purchased in 1965 John Holt's Guinea Gulf Line was taken over. After this date, there were many in-group transfers between Elder Dempster, Guinea Gulf, Blue Funnel and the British & Burmese Steam Navigation Company. For the purpose of this list, these have largely been ignored.

In 1965 the ownership of Elder Dempster passed to the Ocean Steamship Company (Blue Funnel Line). The passenger service to West Africa was terminated in 1974 and in 1989Elder Dempster was sold to French owners and Ocean Shipping withdrew from deep sea ship owning.

Routes:
• 1852 Plymouth - Madeira - Tenerife - Bathurst - Freetown.
• 1853 London - Plymouth - Madeira - Tenerife - Goree - Bathurst - Freetown - Monrovia - Cape Coast Castle - Accra - Ouidah - Badagri - Fernando Po - Plymouth - London.
• 1855 River Niger trade.
• 1856 Liverpool substituted for London.
• 1856 Liverpool - Morocco.
• 1858 Plymouth dropped as mail loading port.
• 1861 Lagos added.
• 1868-1872 Passenger: Liverpool - Las Palmas - Freetown - Terna - Lagos - Takoradi (1875) - Freetown - Las Palmas - Liverpool.
• 1869 Glasgow added.
• 1870 Niger delta feeder service started.
• 1874 Regular sailings introduced to Gold Coast - Accra - Sekondi - Takoradi.
• 1878-1974 coastal feeder services introduced.
• 1879 Hamburg - West Africa service.
• 1888 Antwerp - Tenerife - Las Palmas - Calabar - Lagos - Saint Paul de Loanda. Banana, Boma and Matadi later added.
• 1888-1911 Cia de Vapores Correos Interinsulares Canarios formed for Canary Islands inter island services.
• 1890-1903 Liverpool - Baltimore.
• 1892 Hull, Antwerp, Amsterdam and Rotterdam added.
• 1893-1903 Liverpool/Tyne - New Orleans (winter); Montreal (summer).
• 1895 Cie Belge Maritime du Congo formed to operate services Antwerp - Belgian Congo.
• 1898-1903 Beaver Line's Liverpool - Canada service.
• 1894-1903 London - Quebec - Montreal (Halifax and St.John NB winter)
• 1895-1903 Avonmouth - Quebec - Montreal (Halifax and St.John NB winter)
• 1902-1983 South Africa - USA
• 1905-1911 Avonmouth - West Indies mail contract.
• 1920-1968 passenger: Liverpool - Las Palmas - Lagos - Calabar/Port Harcourt.
• 1945-1949 Takoradi - Port Harcourt
• 1951-1968 British & Burmese Steam Nav.Co Liverpool - Burma service.
• 1957 Passenger: Tilbury - Madeira - Freetown - Rakoradi - Apapa.
• 1965-1973 Felixstowe - Scandinavia (car transport)
• 1972-1974 Southampton - Las Palmas - Freetown - Monrovia - Tema - Lagos.
• 1972-1978 Poole - Lagos (lorry service)

Funnel Colours:
African S.S. Co. 1852-1864 Black
1864-1932 Yellow
Elder Dempster 1887-1890 Black
1890-1989 Yellow
Beaver Line Black with two white bands.
African SS Co. 1852-1864 1864-1932 Beaver
Elder Dempster 1887-1890 1890-1989