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The following is a copy of a Monument Inscription I was wondering if you or one
of you readers could tell me what the Margaret Disaster was?
Caithness Monumental Inscriptions Vol 2 page 129 No 48
Angus MORE, Sarclet 17.1.1896 age 83, wife Janet BAIN 25.10.1896 age 77,
daughter Ann 30.10.1870 age 20, son Donald 22.9.1884 age 26, two named Angus
died young, brother in law William GUNN drowned in Margaret disaster 5.9.1917
age 62 ( wife Janet MORE 25.8.1930 age 68 ), errected by son Robert
email me at John.Page@unisa.edu.au
John Page
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The Margaret was a small motor fishing boat which didn't return to Wick port one night in Sept 1917. An Admiralty patrol vessel found wreckage near the Caithness coast next day. A jacket and some wreckage was picked up later that day confirming it was the Margaret. Her crew of five were all from Pulteneytown, but originally from Sarclet, near Wick. Skipper was William Gunn age 63, married to Jessie More for 32 years. No family. His father Peter Gunn had been drowned in a storm in Wick Bay in 1864. Jessie was a daughter of Angus More, Sarclet.
James Gunn was Wm's brother. He was 57, unmarried.
John Miller,68 , a widower had 2 sons and five daughters. His eldest son was in service in Egypt and the youngest in France.
John Miller, jnr, was John's son. He was married with 2 sons and three daughters, the eldest 15. He had just returned to Wick from Admiralty service on the Friday.
James Oag was 36, son of George Oag, left a widow and family of seven, from 3 months to nine years.
The Margaret was built by William Jack & Donald Bremner for William Parker, confectioner in Wick. It was launched in 1912 under the name Margaret Parker. It was sold in 1914 and renamed 'The Margaret'.
The report in the 'John o Groat Journal' doesn't give any reason for the disaster.
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John Miller, age 68, was my great-grandfather and the youngest son in France, my grandfather, Daniel. John actually had 3 sons and 5 daughters, but the text actually tells this.
My grandfather's version of the event was as follows. There was a 3 mile inner zone where fishing could take place, outside this zone was mined and no one was allowed to fish in this area.
One boat actually fished outside the area and dragged a mine back accidently, but for obvious reasons could not report this fact.
The Margaret hit this mine within the 3 mile zone and the entire crew perished.
