Remembrance Day Discovery 13 November 2022

RMS Leinster was an Irish ship operated by the City of Dublin Steam Packet Company. She served as the Kingstown-Holyhead mailboat until she was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UB-123, on 10 October 1918, while bound for Holyhead. She sank just outside Dublin Bay at a point 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) east of the Kish light.

The ship's log states that she carried 77 crew and 694 passengers on her final voyage. The ship had previously been attacked in the Irish Sea but the torpedoes missed their target. Those on board included more than 100 British civilians, 22 postal sorters (working in the mail room) and almost 500 military personnel.

At least 564 died; this would make it the largest single loss of life in the Irish Sea

On Wednesday 9th November, 2022, I was in the Preston Temple representing Percy William Thurston, son of John James Thurston and Jane Elizabeth Doubleday. Jane is the daughter of my wife Eileen's great great grandfather, George Doubleday.

Seeing he was born in 1900, as I sat in the Temple, I was determined to find out if he was a possible casualty in WW1. On remembrance Sunday I found he was. Just weeks after enlisting he was on board RMS Leinster, sadly he perished and his body was never recovered. The following is from the ships log:

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