William Russell Cross

Drowned on the 13/08/1915 when the H.M.T. "Royal Edward" was torpedoed

The 3/1st (Lowland) Field Ambulance were part of the 52nd (Lowland) Division. The S.S. "Royal Edward" was a passenger liner, built and commissioned in 1907. At the outbreak of war she was owned by Canadian Steamship Company and was operating on the North Atlantic routes. She was commandeered for war service as a troop ship and designated H.M.T. "Royal Edward". Her first trip was to bring over troops of the Canadian Divisions. She then spent time moored up as an internment facility for aliens. In July 1915 she was assigned to take British troops to the Dardanelles. She left Avonmouth on the 15th July with about 1400 troops and 220 crew aboard. Most of the men were destined as reinforcements for the fighting at Gallipoli but there was also a large contingent of men from the Royal Army Medical Corps. It was an uneventful voyage down to Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean to reach Alexandra on the 10th August. Alexandra was a staging post for the Dardanelles campaigns. The "Royal Edward" left the next day for the two day run across the Mediterranean, the ship sailed alone with no warship escort. William was aboard the ship. At 9.00am on the 13th August she was torpedoed by submarine UB-14 as she was passing the Aegean island of Kandeloussa near to Kos. The torpedo hit the "Royal Edward" at the stern. The men on board had just completed a boat drill and were returning to their berths. There was confusion and chaos as the men below, in trying to get up and out, met those returning down to below. The ship went down in about 6 minutes. The "Royal Edward" was able to get off an SOS before losing power, and the British hospital ship Soudan arrived on the scene at 10:00 after making a 180° turn and rescued 440 men in six hours. Two French destroyers and some trawlers rescued another 221 men. 10 of William's comrades in the Royal Army Medical Corps were also lost. 4 Coatbridge men were aboard the ship. William and 2nd Lieutenant (5th Engineer) William Duncan Dick Nimmo (see Directory) lost their lives and Private Charles Black and Private Andrew Nisbet both survived (see Newspaper clippings for Charles' story of what happened). William died 10 days before his 25th Birthday. Another tragedy to strike the Division : On the 5th April 1915 the Division was warned that it would go on overseas service ; on the 7th May this was confirmed, with the destination being Gallipoli. The units embarked at Liverpool and Devonport between the 18th May and 8th June. Disaster struck on the 22nd May when a train carrying the Battalion HQ and two Companies of the 1/7th Royal Scots crashed in an accident at Quntinshill near Gretna. 3 Officers and 207 men died, 5 Officers and 219 were injured. Fewer than 70 men survived this crash unscathed. William is also remembered on the Coatbridge Technical College and Trinity Parish Churches Rolls of Honour (see photos). See photos for William's Medal Index Card, his CWGC Grave Registration, his name on the Helles Memorial Panel List, H.M.T. Royal Edward, William's Pension Records x 2 and the Royal Army Medical Corps Cap Badge. Finally, see photos for Newspaper clippings x 9 (Coatbridge Express x 1, Coatbridge Leader x 5 and Airdrie and Coatbridge Advertiser x 3).