Memorial To Captain George Henry Smith, Hull Western Cemetery

680-1/0/10106 CHANTERLANDS AVENUE 29-JUL-05 Memorial to Captain George Henry Smith , Hull Western Cemetery

II Grave memorial, 1904 by unknown mason, principally for Captain George Henry Smith. White limestone pedestal monument with double plinth and cornices in the form of roofed pointed arches, capped by a sculpture of an anchor and chain resting against a rock. Inscriptions in black. On east face: 'In loving memory of my dear husband Capt George Henry Smith, who was killed on the ill fated Trawler Crane by the Russian Baltic Fleet in the North Sea Octr 22nd 1904 Aged 40 years. We cannot Lord thy purpose see, But all is well that is done by thee. Erected by his loving wife'. On the south face: 'In loving memory of Ada, the beloved wife of Capt George Henry Smith, who died Augt 8th 1912 Aged 49 years. At rest.' On the upper plinth on the east face is a finely inscribed side view of a trawler at sea. HISTORY: Captain Smith and his Second Mate William Leggett were the two men killed by the Russian Baltic Fleet during the Dogger Bank Incident. Also known as the Russian Outrage, this incident occurred when the Russian fleet fired on the Hull Gamecock fishing fleet, mistaking the trawlers for Japanese torpedo boats. The incident nearly led to war between Britain and Russia. The monuments to the two men are of identical general design but with slight differences to the sculptural elements.

The memorial is of special historical interest for its connection with the 1904 Dogger Bank Incident. It is a human scale reminder of the tensions between the great imperial powers in the years leading up to the First World War, marking an incident involving ordinary people, which nearly led to war between Britain and Russia.