James Joseph Rafferty

Rank:	Stoker 1st Class
Street:	St. Michael's Road
Townland:
Town/Village:	Longford
Civil Parish:	Templemichael
Catholic Parish:	Templemichael
Country:
Alternative Address:	Drumanure, Abbeyshrule, Co. Longford
Census 1901:	Resident at St Michael's Road http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Longford/Longford_No__1_Urban/St__Michael_s_Road/1556160/
Census 1911:	Serving as a Stoker, 2nd Class,Royal Navy, HMS "Renown", Portsmouth
Regiment/Unit:	Royal Navy (HMS Broke)
Regiment Number:	K/10591
Date of Death:	21-04-1917
Cause:	Died as a result of the Battle of Dover Strait, HMS Broke
Memorial:	St. James's Cemetery, Copt Hill, Dover, Kent
Information:	James was born in Drumanure, Abbeyshrule, Co. Longford in 15 July 1891; his family later moved to St. Michael's Road. It appears that by 1911 the family had left for Durham, England. Rafferty enlisted with the Royal Navy in March 1911, and trained at the HMS Victory II, the Royal Navy's training depot (likely in Portsmouth, but it was based at Crystal Palace/Sydenham during WW1). During his time with the Navy, James served on a number of ships and naval bases, including the Renown, Topage, Duke of Edinburgh, Europa, Hampshire, Tamar (Welland - a shore station), Blenheim (Welland), Pembroke II, At the time of his death Stoker Rafferty was serving on the HMS Broke, with the HMS Attentive II as his home base. The Broke was part of the Dover patrol, when it took part in the Battle of Dover Strait in April 1917, during which it was severely damaged after ramming German ship SMS G42 and close quarter fighting took place between the German and British crews. Rafferty was one of 21 crewmen of the Broke that died in that action.
Parents Names:	Son of James Rafferty and Margaret (née Nolan - later Margaret Begg), St. Michael's Road, Longford.
Notes:	After James's death, his mother's name and address was recorded as Margaret Begg, 157 Malden Road, Kentish Town, London N7.
Links:	Link to CWGC entry; link to Civil Record of birth;