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CROMACK, Arthur Garbutt
 | Rank: Captain Year of death: 1917 Date of birth: 25/1/1872 Date of death: 22/3/1917 Place of death: Service number: Master Mariner Regiment: Mercantile Marine Medals: Arthur was captain of the Rio Colorado, a merchant ship. Cemetery location: Manor Road The Oval number 9 Where remembered?: Manor Road Cemetery |
Biographical Information
Son of Arthur M and Sarah J Cromack who in the 1881 census are shown as working as a photographer and a photographer’s assistant. In 1881 Arthur was a 9 year old scholar born in Darwen, Lancashire and the whole family are living in his grandfather’s household at 33 Queen Street Scarborough.
He married Florence Binks in 1896 and the couple had a son and a daughter. They lived at 195 Prospect Road Scarborough and Arthur pursued a life at sea as a Master Mariner. He was also a Mason in the Denison Lodge.
At 05.45 hours on 22/3/1917 the Rio Colorado with Captain Cromack in charge struck a mine. They had just reached the mouth of the Tyne having made the perilous journey from Montevideo with a cargo of wheat. The ship foundered in 40 minutes and 8 of the 27 crew members were drowned.
Captain Cromack was drowned swimming the short distance to the examination vessel and when his body was found there was in his pocket a gold watch presented by the President of the United States for having saved the crew of an American ship. He was aged 45.
Arthur’s son, also Arthur Garbutt Cromack, served with the 21st Battalion the King’s Royal Rifle Corps and survived the war.
He married Florence Binks in 1896 and the couple had a son and a daughter. They lived at 195 Prospect Road Scarborough and Arthur pursued a life at sea as a Master Mariner. He was also a Mason in the Denison Lodge.
At 05.45 hours on 22/3/1917 the Rio Colorado with Captain Cromack in charge struck a mine. They had just reached the mouth of the Tyne having made the perilous journey from Montevideo with a cargo of wheat. The ship foundered in 40 minutes and 8 of the 27 crew members were drowned.
Captain Cromack was drowned swimming the short distance to the examination vessel and when his body was found there was in his pocket a gold watch presented by the President of the United States for having saved the crew of an American ship. He was aged 45.
Arthur’s son, also Arthur Garbutt Cromack, served with the 21st Battalion the King’s Royal Rifle Corps and survived the war.
Inscription
In/loving memory/ of/ ARTHUR GARBUTT CROMACK/ master mariner/killed at sea march 22nd 1917/ aged 45 years/ also of FLORENCE/ dearly loved wife of the above/ died Nov 28th 1949 aged 81 years.