People on board

STOKES, George Edward Francis

George Stokes was born on the 11th of February 1887, the fourth of the nine children of John Stokes and Ellen Cooney. John, a Railway Porter, and Ellen were both born in Cork city and the family grew up there. They lived at various addresses in the city; they were in Elizabeth Place when George was born. From 1889 they lived in Blackrock and in 1893, on the birth certificate of his daughter Margaret, John said that he was Station Master. From 1895 until about 1901 he was Station Master in Renard, near Cahirciveen in County Kerry, working for the Great Southern and Western Railway. In the 1901 census for Renard, the eldest son William was a Railway Porter, presumably working under his father.

About 1901 or 1902 the family returned to Cork where John was employed as a Ticket Checker on the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway Steamer. On Christmas Eve of 1906 he was on the Steamer about 9 pm between Monkstown and Passage, apparently on his way home. It seems he missed his footing when he stepped ashore and fell between the boat and the pier. Five days later his body was recovered close to the landing stage at Passage. An inquest passed a verdict of accidental death and the jury recommended that the Company should look after the widow and family.

In April 1907 George signed on with the Royal Navy as a Stoker for a period of six years, and served on a variety of ships. He continued in the Navy into the war and was promoted to Petty Officer. From February 1918 he was serving on H.M.S Blake which was a destroyer depot ship. He was presumably returning from leave with his family in Cork when he travelled on RMS Leinster on the 10th of October 1918. He did not survive the sinking, nor was his body recovered. His name is recorded on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.

His mother was living at Ardcairn Villas, Ballintemple, Cork when George died in 1918 and she continued living there until her death in 1935, aged eighty-one.