Chief Petty Officer 161866 William James Aiken HMS Albermarle...

...was born the 30th of August 1875 at St James, Westminster, one of ten children, the son of gold beater William Joe Aiken (1849 to 1919) and Emily nee Baxter (1847 to 1919).

The 1881 census finds the family at King Edward Street, Bridewell, City of London.

On the 21st of September 1899 at Buckland St Mary, Somerset whilst a Petty Officer 2nd Class William married Maria Webber aged 29, the daughter of farmer Henry Webber. The couple had three children. At the time of his death, the family home was 77, London Avenue, Portsmouth

William entered the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class on the 30th of August 1893, signing up for twelve years. His first ship was HMS Impregnable after which, like all sailors he served on a great number of ships ad shore stations until posted to HMS Albemarle as a Chief Petty Officer.

On the 7th of November 1915 CPO Aiken was killed in an accident at sea as reported in the ship’s log - taken from www.naval-history.net/OWShips-WW1-01-HMS_Albemarle.htm (excellent website) as follows -

"Rosyth to Scapa Flow and at Scapa Flow Lat 58.9, Long -3.1 [At 4am wind speed 6, state of sea 5 (rough to very rough, waves 5 to 10 feet)]

2.27am: Ship struck by two heavy seas in quick succession wrecking fore bridge & chart house & shifting roof of conning tower; large quantities of water entered fore turret, mess decks & flats. Commander George Russell Nixon, Royal Navy, Able Seaman George Edward Bracey Stroud Off No. 221919 were lost overboard; Chief Petty Officer William James Aiken, Off No. 161866, was killed & three officers and sixteen men seriously injured by wreckage.

2.45am: Eased engines to dead slow. Shifted to after conning tower steering position.

4.15am: Stopped.

5.35am: Working engines as requisite to keep head to sea.

6.30am: HMS Hibernia closed.

6.45am: Took station astern of HMS Hibernia. Shifted to fore conning tower steering position. Courses as requisite for Hoxa Sound, speed 10 knots. 

7.45am: 7 knots. Courses as requisite for anchorage.

8.10am: Stopped.

8.12am: Came to in C6 berth.

10.00am: Hands employed clearing up wreckage from fore bridge.

10.30am: Hospital boat came alongside. Discharged injured 21 cot cases and Lieut. Commander McLeod RN, Lieut Fletcher RNR, Midshipman Eliott RN to hospital ship Plassey.

10.20am: Hospital boat left.

1.35pm: DD Chief Petty Officer Aiken to Plassey.

2.35pm: Red watch employed clearing wreckage and getting water from flats.

4.00pm: HMS Hibernia and HMS Zealandia proceeded out of harbour.

8.00pm: Mustered both anchor watches."

From Naval casualty lists the following men also died in the above accident:

ARNOLD, Arthur E, Ordinary Seaman, J 22237 (Po);

NAYLOR, David A, Able Seaman, J 18657 (Po).

Both are buried with CPO William Aiken (beneath a non-CWGC cross) in buried Osmondwall New Cemetery, Orkneys