Charles Brewster Harrison
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
Charles Brewster was the son of Robert Harrison and his wife Hannah (nee Marshall). Charles' RN record gives his date of birth as 2 August 1882 but his birth was registered in 1881 (J/A/S Basford). His father was born in Woodborough, Nottinghamshire, and his mother in Calverton. They were married in 1864 (A/M/J Basford) and according to information on the 1911 Census when they had been married for 46 years they had had ten children of whom only six were still living. Ten children were named on the census between 1871 and 1911: Mary Hannah birth registered 1866 (J/F/M Basford) d. 1874 (J/F/M Basford), Ellen probably b. 1868 (A/M/J Basford), Phoebe birth registered 1870 (J/F/M Basford) d. 1910 (J/F/M Basford), Matthew Henry b. 1 April 1873 (A/M/J Basford), Thomas Morden b. 1875 (J/A/S Basford), Robert H. b. abt 1878, Lucy Anne probably born 12 May 1878 (J/A/S Basford), Isaac Marshall b. 1880 (J/A/S Basford) d. 1909 (J/F/M Nottingham), Charles Brewster b. 1881 (J/A/S Basford) and Alexander Edward b. 1883 (J/A/S Basford). Robert Harrison was a framework knitter and appears to have lived in Calverton all his married life. In 1881 he and Hannah (25), a seamstress, were living on Main Street, Calverton with their seven children: Ellen (13), Phoebe (11), Matthew (8), Thomas (5), Robert (3), Lucy (2) and Isaac (9 months). The family was still living on Main Street in 1891 by which time Robert and Hannah probably had eight surviving children: Ellen (23), Phoebe (21), Matthew (18), Thomas (15), Lucy (12), Isaac (10), Charles (9) and Alexander (7). Only three of Robert and Hannah's children were still in the family home on Main Street by 1901; Phoebe (31) a silk winder, Thomas (25) and Isaac (20) who were also working in the hosiery (silk) trade as were their parents. Only Thomas was still living with his parents in 1911; all three were then working as framework knitters. Robert Harrison died on 20 March 1938 (Mar Basford) aged 93; he was then living at Bottom Buildings, Calverton. His son Matthew was his executor. Charles, who had joined the Royal Navy in August 1898, had been discharged by 1907 and married Sarah Beet (b. 10 December 1883) on 21 October 1909 (the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar). In 1911 they too were living in Calverton where Charles (29) worked as a cotton glove knitter and Sarah was described as assisting in the business. They had one child, Charles Sidney b. 15 August 1910 (J/A/S Basford) but were to have another child the following year, Beatrice Ellen b. 6 August 1912. Charles' wife, Sarah, probably never remarried. In 1939 she and her two children, Charles Sidney, a schoolmaster, and Beatrice, a clerical worker, were still living in Calverton. Charles Sidney died in 2004 (Nov. Nottingham) aged 94. Of Charles' siblings: Mary Hannah died in 1874 aged about 8. Ellen has not been traced after 1891 although there is a record of the marriage of an Ellen Harrison to Samuel Froggett in 1893 (A/M/J Basford) who died in 1906 (J/A/S Basford) aged about 38. Phoebe died in 1910 (J/F/M Basford) aged about 40. Matthew Henry married Mary Ann Taylor in 1894 (A/M/J Basford) and they had five children. In 1901 they were living in Calverton with their three children, Ruth (6), Elizabeth (5) and Harold McLaren (1). They later had Hilda Mary and Hedley Hayward (b. 9 July 1907). Mary Ann Harrison died in 1909 (J/A/S Nottingham) aged 34. Matthew (38) was still living in Calverton in 1911; his daughter Ruth (16) was at home caring for the family. Only Harold (11), Hilda (8) and Hedley (3) were in the home on the night of the census. Harold, a framework knitter, enlisted in the King's Royal Rifle Corps in September 1914 but was discharged in December 1916. Matthew himself enlisted in the RAF; the record gives his service date as 9 September 1918 when he was 45 years old. His daughter, 'E Harrison [Elizabeth]' was named as his next of kin. In 1939 he was living at Bottom Buildings, Calverton, and still working as a framework knitter; his youngest child, Hedley, also a framework knitter was still living with him (d. 1990). Matthew died on 25 April 1951, he was still living at Bottom Buildings, Calverton. Thomas Morden died in 1926 (Mar Basford) aged about 50. Robert H. has not been traced after the 1881 Census and may have died in childhood. Lucy Anne probably married Richard Fisher (b. 29 April 1878) in 1898 (O/N/D Basford). In 1911 they were living in Calverton with their two daughters, Elsie May (12) and Lucy Annie (9); Richard was a mechanic at a hosiery factory. In 1939 Lucy and Richard were living on Main Street, Calverton, he was a hosiery factory manager. Lucy Ann Fisher died on 6 April 1941; her husband survived her. They were then living at The Factory House, Calverton. Isaac Marshall joined the ground staff of Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club in 1901 and played for the cricket eleven until ill health forced him to give up county cricket. He died after a long illness in February 1909. Alexander Edward has not been traced after 1901 but it seems likely he emigrated to America (Florida) where he married.
(RFR/PO/B/2275) Charles joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on 3 August 1898; his date of birth was recorded as 2 August 1882 although this was probably an administrative error. He entered on a 12 year engagement on 2 August 1900, which according to his Naval record was his 18th birthday. He served in the following ships and shore establishments: HMS Impregnable, 3 August 1898-10 August 1898 (Boy 2nd Class), HMS Ganges, 11 August 1898-15 June 1899 (Boy 1st Class, 11 May 1899); HMS Minotaur, 16 June 1899-5 December 1899; HMS Agincourt, 6 December 1899-10 June 1900; HMS Majestic, 11 June 1900-2 June 1901 (Ordinary Seaman 2 August 1900); HMS Excellent, 3 June 1901-12 December 1903 (Able Seaman 17 September 1902); HMS Firequeen,13 December 1903-24 February 1904; HMS Crescent, 25 February 1904; HMS (-), 21 November 1904-9 January 1905; HMS Crescent, 10 January 1905-31 May 1907; Victory I, 1 June 1907-17 August 1907. He was discharged Shore by purchase (£8). Following his discharge Charles transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserve (Portsmouth B2275) on 18 August and re-enrolled on 14 July 1911 'to serve to 17 August 1917'. He was probably mobilised shortly before the outbreak of war and was drafted to HMS Good Hope in July 1914 as an Able Seaman. He was still serving in the ship when she was lost at the Battle of Coronel on 1 November 1914. His Naval record was annotated, ‘NP2788/14. DD [Discharged Dead] when HMS Good Hope was sunk in action off Chilean coast.’ Charles' body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. He qualified for the 1914 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. HMS Good Hope was a Drake Class armoured cruiser built in 1901. In 1914 she was Rear Admiral Sir Christopher George Cradock’s flag ship which with HMS Monmouth, HMS Glasgow and the armed cruiser Otranto of 4th Cruiser Squadron, encountered Vice Admiral von Spee’s Scharnhorst and Gneisenau forty five miles off the Chilean port of Coronel. The German ships were faster and more heavily armed than Cradock’s fleet. The sun set at 18:50 on November 1st 1914, which silhouetted the British ships against the light sky while the German ships became indistinguishable from the shoreline behind them. Spee immediately turned to close and signalled his ships to open fire at 19:04 when the range closed to 12,300 yards. Spee's flagship, Scharnhorst, engaged Good Hope while Gneisenau fired at Monmouth. Cradock's flagship was hit on the Scharnhorst's third salvo, when shells knocked out her forward 9.2-inch turret and set her forecastle on fire. Cradock, knowing his only chance was to close the range, continued to do so despite the battering that Spee's ships inflicted. By 19:23 the range was almost half of that when the battle began and the British ships bore onwards. Spee tried to open the range, fearing a torpedo attack, but the British were only 5,500 yards away at 19:35. Seven minutes later, Good Hope advanced directly at the German ships which succesfully evaded her. Spee ordered his armoured cruisers to concentrate their fire on the British flagship which had drifted to a halt with her topsides ablaze. At 19:50 her forward magazine exploded, severing the bow from the rest of the ship, and she later sank in the darkness. Von Spee estimated that his flagship had made 35 hits on Good Hope, suffering only two hits in return that did no significant damage and failed even to wound one crewman. Good Hope was sunk with all hands, over 919 officers and men. Note: Good Hope and Monmouth’s ships companies largely comprised reservists whereas von Spee’s crews were well trained and experienced. The light cruiser HMS Glasgow and the armed merchant cruiser Otranto were little threat to von Spee’s modern ships which had a greater fire-power than those of the British Squadron. The captain of Cradock’s flagship, HMS Good Hope, Captain Philip Francklin, came from Gonalston, Nottinghamshire (Gonalston memorial). Von Spee’s squadron was destroyed and he and his two sons killed six weeks later at the Battle of the Falkland Islands, 8 December 1914 (Admiral Sturdee).’
Nottingham Evening Post, 26 February 1909: ‘Cricket. Death of ex-Notts County Player. There died in Nottingham on Wednesday, at the early age of 28, Isaac Marshall Harrison, of Calverton, who will be recalled as a promising member of the Notts. County cricket eleven. From his native place Harrison joined the ground staff, and in 1901 he represented the county in six first-class matches, and playing ten innings he had an average of 12.50, his highest score being 33. He also played for the Colts that season. Until 1904 he remained a member of the ground staff, but then owing to ill-health he was compelled to give up all thoughts of county cricket …He was a promising young batsman of the dashing order, and but for his health would undoubtedly have taken a prominent place in the eleven. Recently he made occasional appearances for the Calverton team. He was of a quiet and unassuming disposition and was deservedly popular among his club mates and friends. Harrison died, after a long illness, in the Nottingham General Hospital of which he was an inmate for some months about four years ago.’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) Probate: Harrison Robert of Bottom-buildings Calverton Nottinghamshire died 20 March 1938 Administration (with Will) Nottingham 4 July to Matthew Henry Harrison framework knitter. Effects £223 19s. 1d.
