The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project

susie w-p · Joined: 23 Mar 2010 Posts: 4

I am currently researching the history of my great grandfather Captain Hector Fraser. His last command was of the 'Hirano Maru' of the NYK Line. Tragically his ship was torpeoded on October 5th 1918 by a U Boat in the Irish Sea and out of 320 crew and passengers only 20 people survived as the ship went down in 7 minutes without being able to launch a single lifeboat. Whilst researching this I came across two War Memorials that name him - the Struy Old Burial Ground,Kilmorack and also the Conon Bridge War Memorial.
If anyone has any further information about Captain Fraser I would be most grateful. I know very little about my great grandfather - even his place of birth and there is now no one left in my family who can fill in the gaps!
Thanks
Susie

[Mod edit Adam: Added links]

Kenneth Morrison · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 4:45 pm Post subject:

Hi Susie and welcome.
I can't really help but your question raises even more questions.
As far as I can see the SS Hirano Maru, a passenger liner, was torpedoed and sunk by u-boat UB 91 about 200 miles south of Ireland enroute from Liverpool to Yokohama via South Africa. The New York times archive has an article on the sinking, probably due the rescue of survivors by a US Navy Destroyer, and names the Master as Captain Frazer.
(Most of the accounts of the sinking give the date as 4 October 1918)

I would have thought that Captain Fraser/Frazer would have been included in the Commonwealth War Grave Commission list but I cannot find him. I know the merchant navy is treated "badly" by CWGC but should not this man be remembered?
Is he a non-com?
Any ideas folks?

ps. just realised that the family gravestone, giving place and date of birth, is at
http://scottishwargraves.phpbbweb.com/viewtopic.php?t=722&mforum=scottishwargraves
_________________
Ken

susie w-p · Joined: 23 Mar 2010 Posts: 4

Hi Ken,
Thank you for your very prompty reply! Yes, I have most of the information surrounding the Hirano Maru and its sinking by U-19 etc and the survivors were taken back to Cobh (Queenstown) though it seems that some bodies were washed up on the Pembroke coast and are buried in various churchyards around there. There were stories in the family that in fact the Hirano Maru was being 'used' to transport troops/ammunition which was why it was part of a convoy steaming its way down the coast when it was torpedoed. But I am still trying to find out any information about my great grandfather - I was under the impression he came from the Dingwall area but I am wondering why he is listed on two Memorials although this may be normal? He had been in the Merchant Navy all his life so would not be listed as a combatant. I have also discovered that there were 'troopers' on board - one an Irishman who had served with the British South Africa Co in Matabele and the Boer War was on the H.M and another was a Signaller with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and he was 'washed up' in Pembrokeshire! Anyway thank you for your interest.
Susie

jrah60 · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 5:43 pm Post subject:

Hi Susie,

If you check this link http://scottishwargraves.phpbbweb.com/scottishwargraves.html
and go to Highlands then Struy you will see the gravestone of Captain Hector Fraser.
Engraved on the stone is his birth year 1855 in Ryefield.
From Scotlandspeople their is a birth entry:
1 1855 FRASER HECTOR M URQUHART AND LOGIE WESTER /ROSS AND CROMARTY 084/00 0069

Hope this helps

John

spoons · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 6:20 pm Post subject:

If he went down with his ship then his death was a direct result of enemy action and I would have expected that his death would be commemorated by CWGC. I believe that the ship was well outside the Irish Sea at the time and probably outside UK waters, does this make a difference?

\Paul

susie w-p · Joined: 23 Mar 2010 Posts: 4

John,
Thank you for the information. That gives me a very good starting point to find out more about him! I gather there is also a war memorial to all the crew and passengers of the Hirano Maru in Japan.
Cheers
Susie

susie w-p · Joined: 23 Mar 2010 Posts: 4

Paul,
Thanks for your reply. As far as I know the Hirano Maru was sunk between the Irish Coast and Freshford on the Pembroke coast - survivors were taken back to Cobh by the American destroyer 'Sterret' and a number of bodies were washed up around Freshford East and Freshford West. I don't know if this is 'outside' of UK waters?
But he and all the others were definately killed by enemy action!
Susie

Adam Brown · Posted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:10 pm Post subject:

Was is because the SS "Hirano Maru" was a Japanese registered ship, would that be why he's not commemorated by the CWGC? (Although I think I've seen foreign regsitered ships with British merchant seamen listed on the WW2 Tower Hill memorial).

Pretty much every Japanese merchant ship's name end in "Maru"

Regards

Adam

kinnethmont · Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 1649 Location: Aberdeenshire

spoons · Posted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:28 am Post subject:

Thanks Jim. I knew that civilians were recorded for WW2 but hadn't realised that they were not for WW1.

\Paul

Mama mab · Joined: 04 Jan 2012 Posts: 1

Hi Susie, I came across your query through a Google search on the SS Hirano Maru. I believe I may have in my possession some letters that may be of interest to you in your research of your great grandfather Capt.Hector Fraser. I am originally from near Liverpool where several of my ancestors, including my father, Grandfather and Great Uncle were River Mersey Pilots. I believe my Great Uncle Tom (Thomas Schofield)worked as a River Pilot for the NYK line and piloted The SS Hirano Maru out from the Mersey docks on its last fateful voyage. Tom was believed to be the last person to see Capt. Fraser. Tom would have left the ship once it was safely out of the River Mersey. The documents I have are 2 letters one from Capt. Fraser's widow (Elizabeth???) and one from their daughter to my Uncle requesting information about the last meeting, the letters are very touching and poignant. From reading the letters it appears that my ancestors and yours were clearly more than just collleagues but that there was a friendship between the two families.

Please contact me if you require further information.
Regards

Peter Vessey · Joined: 06 Feb 2012 Posts: 5 Location: wolverhampton

As Suzie's brother (also interested in this). Can you PDF the letters and attach them to an e-mail? I'll send you my e-dress if you can.

Peter Vessey · Joined: 06 Feb 2012 Posts: 5 Location: wolverhampton

Public thanks to Mama mab. Those letters are really great.

I recently found a copy of the Captain's obituary (in a Singapore Newspaper!) which gives his date of birth as 1847; not 1855 as noted on the Struy memorial.

The obituary also mentions a brother, John.

Given that the Struy memorial was erected much later than these events, it is possible that the later date is that of brother John.

The obituary also states that he had won four was medals (not bad for a mercantile marine captain): a "Star of the Secret Mirror" for something he did in the Chinese-Japanese War of 1894 - 5; another one for something he did in the Russian-Japanese Was of 1904-5 and two unspecified medals for World War One.

Adam Brown · Posted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 8:35 pm Post subject: Re: Captain Hector Fraser

Peter Vessey · Joined: 06 Feb 2012 Posts: 5 Location: wolverhampton

Here's the obituary text .....

Captain Hector Fraser

Captain Hector Fraser, who was either killed or drowned when his ship, the Hirano Maru, was torpedoed with 303 lives lost, on the way to Cape Town, has had a distinguished career. Born seventy-one years ago, he started his seafaring life fifty-six years ago when he sailed to Australia on the Murray, which took eighteen months to make the voyage.

Captain Fraser had a genial and kindly personality and before the war captained the Kasuga Maru travelling between Japan and Australia.

The medals awarded to him are: the Star of the Secret Mirror, the highest decoration given by the Mikado, for services in the Russo-Japanese war (08/02/1904 – 05/09/1905); a second one was presented for services in the war with China (01/08/1894 – 17/04/1895); and the other two are Japanese medals for services in the present war.

The Germans had a price on Captain Fraser’s head, similar to that of Captain Fryatt.

“Don’t you find the sea very monotonous, considering you have had fifty-six years of it?” he was asked recently. “Nonsense,” said the old Captain, “there is nothing monotonous at sea, but I often wonder how the people on land can stand the monotony of their life.”

He had held the rank of Captain for forty years. His widow and two married daughters live in London and of his two sons, one, Lieutenant Donald Fraser, was killed in France last January (1917) and the other, Lieutenant-Engineer Hector Fraser is on active service in the navy. A brother, Mr. John Fraser, is an expert gardener on the staff of the Sydney Botanical Gardens.

Straits Times: 5/12/1918, page 8.

Apparently the secret mirror is part of Japan's Imperial regalia and is kept in a temple. There are no tracable pictures of it.

I suppose that Captain Fraser and Admiral McClure WERE on opposite sides, but since Captain Fraser wasn't supposed to be a combatant I don't suppose they ever even saw each other.

I've asked the Japanese Diplomatic Records Office whether they have copies of his citations. I'll have to wait and see what they say.