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| SS Falaba |
Owned by the Elder Dempster Shipping Line, she would regularly ply her trade between Liverpool and ports in Africa and further afield.
Richard Jackson Whittaker was born in 1877 in Heywood to John and Louisa Ann Whittaker, he was baptised on June 3rd 1877 at St. James's church in Heywood.
John Whittaker was a once time owner of the Beach hotel at Hollingworth Lake.
Richard would see service with the 23rd Company, 8th Battalion, Duke of Lancaster's Yeomanry in South Africa during the Boer War, he was discharged from the army on January 25th 1901 due to being medically unfit, he had already been awarded the Queens South Africa Medal with clasps for Cape Colony, Orange Free state and South Africa 1901.
South Africa had a profound effect on Richard, for after the Boer War finished he paid a short visit back to his country of birth before returning to Africa.
As a qualified joiner / carpenter he set himself up as a builder and contractor based in Pretoria.
At the outbreak of war in August 1914 he was working as clerk of works on some building operations in Delagoa Bay in Portuguese East Africa, the work was suspended due to the war, Richard decided to return to England.
On arriving back in England, he stayed with his aunt and uncle on Market Street, Healey, where his mother also lived.
Whilst back in England he was offered the opportunity to take a job as clerk of works on a new Government railway project in Sierra Leone, West Africa.
Leaving Healey on 27th March he made his way to Liverpool to join the SS Falaba for passage to Sierra Leone.
The day after setting sail, the Falaba was shadowed in the Irish Sea by a German U-Boat, U-28, captained by Georg von Forstner.
Whilst off the coast of Southern Ireland the U-boat made contact with the Falaba stating its intention to torpedo the vessel and giving the crew time to evacuate the ship.
The Germans claimed to have given 23 minutes in order to evacuate the ship, this was disputed by the British who claimed they only got 7 minutes.
A single torpedo slammed into the side of the ship, resulting in the deaths of over 100 passengers and crew, including Richard Whittaker, the Germans also claimed that she was carrying rifle cartridges which when exposed hastened the sinking - the subsequent board of enquiry revealed that she was indeed carrying 13 tonnes of cartridges and gunpowder for Government use, this was no more than what was carried during peacetime. Evidence was also given that the crew of the submarine were cheering and jeering whilst the men and women on the Falaba fought for their lives.
Many of the dead were recovered from the cold waters of the Irish Sea, it would be several weeks however before Richards body was found.
His was one of 6 bodies that washed ashore on the coast of Cornwall at St. Ives.
On Richards body was found £11 in gold, a silver watch with a gold guard, a diamond ring and a photograph.
Along with the others recovered, Richard was buried in Barnoon Cemetery, St. Ives.
His headstone reads;
Richard Jackson Whittaker sailed on SS Falaba from Liverpool 27/3/1915 torpedoed by Germans 28/3/1915, body found off Cornwall 25/4/1915 interred 29/4/1915, 39, also Louisa Ann of Lancashire his mother 14/7/1925, 78
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| Richard Jackson Whittaker 1877-1915 |
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