George Alexander Waters
(1862 - 1915)
Tramore in Tramore, Co.Cork County
Cape Helles Anıtı in Eceabat County, Çanakkale Province Turkey
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Regiment: Royal Navy
Unit/ship/squadron: H.M.S. Goliath.
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George Alexander, born 28 Sept., 1862, educated at Waterford High School, Carmichael College, Dublin, and University College, Galway, graduated M.D. and M.Ch. in the Royal University of Ireland in 1884. He obtained second place on entering the medical service of the Royal Navy, his commissions being dated, Surgeon 1887, Staff-Surgeon 1899, and Fleet-Surgeon (Surgeon-Commander) 1904. His services in home waters included a commission in H.M.S. Hearty, Commander W. Wilson, in the North Sea at the time of the cession of Heligo-land to Germany, and in the same ship he attended the festivities at Sunder¬land in connection with the memorial to Jack Crawford, a seaman of H.M.S. Venerable, Capt. Geo. Fairfax, bearing the flag of Admiral Duncan, who when the colours had been shot away nailed them to the mast at the battle off Camperdown in 1797. He went to the antipodes in H.M.S. Boomerang, Lieut-Commander Fenton, one of Australia's first ships, in which he visited and was feted in all her ports, and engaged in a joint punitive expedition with the French warship " Scorp " to one of the South Sea Islands, where white traders had been murdered, besides calling at many of the other islands. He spent three years in the Danube in H.M.S. Cockatrice, a ship noted in the Service for a free and easy life away from the ken of an admiral. It was current in his time that the Admiralty having sent certain communi¬cations to her then commanding officer and failing to get any response, at last sent out a special messenger who found that all the commissioned officers were away on a shooting expedition ! In the Pacific he served in H.M.S. Psyche, cruising chiefly amongst the West Indian Islands, and was present when she was sent to represent England at the celebration of Cuban independence, a memento of which was sent to him afterwards in the shape of a fictile vase of native manufacture, which is now at Brideweir. In 1905 he was in H.M.S. Illustrious, attending the Brest fetes in honour of the entente cordiale. In H.M.S. Drake he went to New York in the special squadron of Admiral of the Fleet, Sir E. H. Seymour, sent to attend the Hudson-Fulton celebrations in 1909. Both in France and in the United States they were treated right royally, and many small souveniers of these historic occasions are at Brideweir. When the Great War broke out in 1914 he had almost completed his three years as P.M.O. at Whale Island (Portsmouth), the headquarters of the Naval Gunnery School, from whence he was appointed to H.M.S. Goliath, Capt. Thos. Shelford, a battleship of 12950 tons, which in Nov. blocked the German light cruiser Konigsberg into the Rufigi River, and subsequently bombarded Dar-es-Salam, the capital of German East Africa. Although on the point of retirement he wrote that he would not have missed the War for a double pension. In April, 1915, the Goliath took part in covering the landing of the Allied Armies on the Gallipoli peninsula. On the 12-13 May, while engaged in the dangerous task of protecting the right flank of the French Army, she was struck by three torpedoes and sank in two minutes. The night was pitch-dark and only 166 survivors were picked up. It was the turn of the French Destroyers to protect the battleships and as the Turkish Destroyer was of identical design, having been built in France before the War for the Ottoman Govern¬ment, she was mistaken for one of them and allowed to approach.1
Unmarried, free from pettiness and a ripe scholar without a trace of pedantry, Fleet-Surgeon G. A. Waters was known in the Service as "Reading Waters." Of unflinching courage, of a level head in emergency, full of thoughtfulness for, and kindness to others, he was much beloved in the Service. With these qualities and a fine sense of honour, he upheld, in a worthy manner, the lofty traditions of his family, and, when the final moment came, one is certain that, in the words of Marvell—" " He nothing common did or mean Upon that memorable scene."
Medals, which were awarded posthumously, are at Brideweir, and are the following:—
1914-15 .... Star. 1914-19 .... Victory Medal.
1914-18 .... King's Medal. Bronze Plaque (Naval).
From “THE WATERS OR WALTER FAMILY OF CORK.” Page 41-42.
By
EATON W. WATERS, M.B., M.A.O., M.Ch. (brother of George Alexander Waters)
Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries. President Cork Historical and Archaeological Society,
CORK:
GUY &. CO. LTD., 70 PATRICK STREET, 1939.
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George Alexander Waters b. 28 Sep 1862 d. 13 May 1915, M.D., M.Ch., Fleet Surgeon R.N. lost in the Royal Navy, H.M.S. Goliath. He was present at the operations against the German light cruiser “Konigsberg” in the Rufiji River, German East Africa; and at the bombardment of Dar-es-Salaam in 1914. In April 1915 H.M.S. Goliath a battle ship of 12590 tons, took part in covering the landing of the Allied Armies on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Morto Bay off Cape Helles, Çanakkale, Turkey. On 12-13 May while engaged in the dangerous task of protecting the right flank of the French Army, she was struck by three torpedoes and sank in two minutes. The night was pitch black and only 166 survivors were picked up.
He never married. Medals awarded posthumously 1914-15 Star, 1914-18 King’s Medal, 1914-19 Victory Medal, Bronze Plaque (Naval). Burial Record: Chatham Naval Memorial, Chatham Medway Unitary Authority, Kent, England Plot: 9. Inscription: [“Fleet Surgeon George Alexander Waters, Royal Navy, Birth: unknown, Death: May 13, 1915.”]
Also from the UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914 -1921 and 1939 – 1947, Index No. M.R. I Chatham Naval Memorial 1915, page 218. [“WATERS, Fleet Surgeon George Alexander R.N. H.M.S. “Goliath.” Killed in action (vessel torpedoed) in Dardanelles 13th May, 1915. Age 52. Son of Eaton William and Mary Waters of Tranmore, Waterford. M.D. Was present at the operations against the German light cruiser “Konigsburg” in the Rufiji River, German East Africa; bombardment of Dar-es-Salaam in 1914. 9.]
George’s commissions in the Royal Navy were Surgeon 1887, Staff Surgeon 1899, Feet Surgeon (Surgeon Commander) 1904. He was on the HMS Hearty in the North Sea at the time of the Cession of Heligoland to Germany in 1890. Also on HMS Hearty he attended the festivities at Sunderland in connection with the memorial to Jack Crawford, a seaman on HMS Venerable, who when the Colours had been shot away, nailed them to the mast during the battle off Camperdown in 1797. George went to the Antipodes on HMS Boomerang, one of the Australia’s first ships. Visited one of the South Sea Islands on a punitive expedition when white traders had been murdered. He spent 3 years on the Danube on HMS Cockatrice, a ship noted for a free and easy life away from the ken of the admiral. In the Pacific he was on HMS Psyche and cruised in the West Indian Islands, when she represented England at the celebrations of Cuban Independence 1902, and went to New York on HMS Drake in 1902. He was on HMS Illustrious in 1905. He was appointed to HMS Goliath in 1914 built in 1902.
Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during George's lifetime.
In 1862, in the year that George Alexander Waters was born, on February 22nd, Jefferson Davis was inaugurated as President of the Confederate States of America. His term was to be for 6 years.
In 1873, by the time he was just 11 years old, on March 4th, Ulysses S. Grant was inaugurated for a second time as President of the United States. Grant ran against Horace Greeley - "go West, young man" - and won 55.6% of the popular vote versus Greeley's 43.8%.
In 1882, he was 20 years old when on March 22nd, the Edmunds Act - passed by Congress - made polygamy a felony. The Act also banned "bigamous" relationships and "unlawful cohabitation", making it illegal for polygamists and those who simply lived together without marrying to vote, be on a jury, or hold a public office.
In 1895, by the time he was 33 years old, on September 3rd, in Latrobe, PA, the first professional football game was played. The game was between the Latrobe YMCA and the Jeannette Athletic Club. Latrobe won 12 - 0.
In 1915, in the year of George Alexander Waters's passing, Audrey Munson, playing a model for a sculptor in the film "Inspiration", became the first actress to shed her clothes on screen. Fearing that banning the film would mean that censors would also have to "ban Renaissance art" the film was released, with Munson in the nude scenes and a stand-in doing the acting. (Munson had previously been "America's First Supermodel" and posed nude as the model for many famous artworks.) The film was a hit with audiences.
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He never married. Medals awarded 1914-15 Star, 1914-18 King’s Medal, 1914-19 Victory Medal, Bronze Plaque (Naval).