Member Article

Leasowe Castle Commemorates 100-Year Anniversary Of The Sinking Of Its Namesake Ship

A century on from the sinking of the HMT Leasowe Castle, the Wirral venue has paid tribute to the historic event which took place on May 27, 1918.

Leasowe Castle welcomed John Creedy, the grandson of one of the vessel’s 3000 passengers, exactly 100 years after the sinking. To commemorate the lives that were lost, John has temporarily donated a framed image of the ship alongside a brief account of the events that took place, both of which will be on display in the Castle.

The HMT Leasowe Castle, which was used to convey military troops across the Mediterranean Sea during 1917 and 1918, sunk after being targeted by a torpedo whilst on route to Marseilles with around 85 men thought to have lost their lives. General Manager Mike Dewey said: “Leasowe Castle is steeped in history, dating as far back as the 16th century and the HMT Leasowe Castle is certainly a very special part of our timeline. We are incredibly moved by John’s account of his grandfather’s story and are honoured that he has chosen to commemorate this milestone anniversary of the ship’s sinking with us.

“We are able to get a glimpse into exactly what happened on that day in 1918 as John shared a transcript written by his grandfather documenting the events as they occurred. With great emotion he described how ‘nothing was visible but a tremendous swirl of water and bits of wreckage’. We are very fortunate that this piece of history has been preserved for over three generations and we are able to pay our respects today in 2018.”

Leasowe Castle’s recently refurbished Wreckers Bar also pays homage to the surrounding shores, inspired by historic group of people known as ‘wreckers’ who were situated across the North Wirral Coastline from New Brighton to Leasowe.

Mike added: “To pay tribute to the anniversary of HMT Leasowe Castle we will be displaying the names of those who died outside Wrecker’s Bar to allow guests and residents alike to learn more about the event and really embrace the history of the Castle. We would encourage anyone who is interested in finding out more to visit us as images and information will be on display for a short time.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Craig Guy .