Memorial To William Richard Leggett, Hull Western Cemetery

The memorial to William Richard Leggett is located in Hull Western Cemetery and was created in 1904 by an unknown mason. It is a grave memorial made of white limestone, featuring a pedestal monument with a double plinth and cornices designed in the shape of roofed pointed arches. At the top, there is a sculpture of an anchor and chain resting against a rock. The east face of the memorial has inscriptions in black that read: "In loving memory of my dear son William Richard Leggett, who was killed on the ill-fated Trawler Crane by the Russian Baltic Fleet in the North Sea Octr 22nd 1904 Aged 28 years. In the midst of life we are in death. Erected by his loving mother." Additionally, there is a finely inscribed side view of a trawler at sea on the upper plinth of the east face.

William Leggett served as Second Mate to Captain Smith on the Trawler Crane, and both men were killed during the Dogger Bank Incident, also known as the Russian Outrage. This event occurred when the Russian fleet mistakenly fired on the Hull Gamecock fishing fleet, believing the trawlers to be Japanese torpedo boats. The incident almost escalated into war between Britain and Russia. The memorial is historically significant as it commemorates this event and serves as a reminder of the tensions between major imperial powers leading up to the First World War, highlighting the impact on ordinary people. The monuments for Leggett and Captain Smith share a similar design but have slight differences in their sculptural elements.