HOTCHKIES

Family Group (main line)

JAMES HOTCHKIES

Coalminer

m. 31 Dec 1868
Bothkennar
RAE

b. 2 Dec 1842, Main Street, Carronshore

d. 13 Oct 1918, Blackmill, Carron

b. 20 May 1844, Falkirk

d. 9 Sep 1893, Carronshore

Parents GEORGE HOTCHKIES

EUPHEMIA RAE

Father

Mother

GEORGE RAE

ANNE CORBET

Parents

The family lived around Carronshore and Airth, Stirlingshire

Child Marriage Spouse Spouse's Parents
1 ANNE m. 1893
Bothkennar
JOHN MALCOLM Parents
b. 5 Jan 1871, Carronshore
d. 24 Oct 1938, living at 2 Blackmill Cresc, Carronshore
Children b. 1870 Falkirk
d. 22 Feb 1942, 240 King, Stenhousemuir
2 Euphemia m. 1892, Larbert Francis Watson
b. 1872E, Bothkennar. Living with g'father George Rae in 1891 Lived in Stenhousemuir and had children: John, Jim, Jack and Euphemia who mar John Todd.
Two of the boys were in the Shanghai and Hong Kong police before the war. Two of Jim's boys, Francis(21) and John(14), a mess boy, were in the Merchant Navy and died at sea on the SS Arletta on the 5 Aug 1942 off Nova Scotia on the way to halifax from Grangemouth. Willie Duckenfield's dad Joseph(49) was Bosun and died on the same ship. Willie was a friend of my dad.
An account of the sinking is below
3 George unm.
b. 1873E, Bothkennar , d 1954 Gratefitter
4 James unm
b. 1875E, Bothkennar, d 1952 Iron Moulder
5 Mary unm
b. 1877E, Bothkennar, d. 1952
6 Cornelius, Gratefitter m. 7 Sep 1903
Victoria Rd
Mary Aitkin Sneddon Robert Sneddon
Janet Fleming
b. 1879E, Bothkennar
aged 23 at marriage living at Blackmill, Carron. Witnesses William Hotchkies and S Dream?
b. 1883E
aged 20 at marriage living at Victoria Rd Larbert
7 Livingston m. 31 Dec 1906
The Manse
Bothkennar
Christina Waugh James Waugh
Marion Penman
b. 1881 Bothkennar
aged 25 at marriage in 1906 and living at Thornhill Rd, Grahamston. Witnesses Marion Waugh and George Hotchkies
b. 1885E
aged 21 at marriage and living at Longdyke, Bothkennar

Children: Mary, Tommy, George, James, Robert, Mirren (Marion?), Livingston. Some of their descendants went to school with me.

8 William m
b. 1883E, Bothkennar
9 Jane unm.
b. 1886E, Bothkennar, d 1967

References:

1. Extract of Entry Birth. Parish of Bothkennar, Stirlingshire, Entry 1

NAME and Surname
When and Where Born
Sex


Name, Surname and Rank or Profession of Father
Name and Maiden Surname of Mother
Date and Place of Marriage


Signature and Qualification of Informant, and residence, if out of the house when the birth occurred

Annie 1871 F James Hotchkies

(Signed)

Hotchkies January Coalminer James Hotchkies
Fifth Father
10h.. a.m. Mary Hotchkies (Present)
M.S. Rae
Carronshore
Bothkennar 1869. December 31st, Larbert

2. Extract of an Entry in the Register of Deaths, District of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Entry 455.


NAME and Surname
Rank or Profession and whether
Single, Married or Widowed

When and Where Died

Sex

Age


Name, Surname and Rank or Profession of Father
Name and Maiden Surname of Mother


Cause of Death, Duration of Disease, and Medical Attendant by whom certified


Signature and Qualification of Informant, and residence, if out of the house when the death occurred

Annie 1938 F 67 James Hotchkies Septceamia

(Signed)

Malcolm October yrs Coalminer of Idiopathic John Malcolm
Twenty fourth deceased Origin Widower
2h. 50m.. a.m. Mary Hotchkies (Present)
Married to Royal Infirmary Falkirk M.S. Rae As cert by :
John Malcolm (Usual Residence deceased A R Shanks (??)
Iron Moulder 2 Blackmill Crescent M.Bch.B
Carronshore)

3. SS Arletta Sinking.
At 16.13 hours on 5 August 1942 the unescorted Arletta (Master George William Stockton Rogers), a straggler from convoy ON-115, was torpedoed and sunk by U-458 south-southwest of Cape Race. The master, 27 crew members and six gunners were lost. The chief officer William M. Duncan and four crew members were rescued after 15 days adrift by the US Coast Guard weather ship USS Menemsha (AG 39) and landed at Boston on 25 August.
The ship, sailing alone, was torpedoed 300 miles from the nearest land and sank within three minutes. The Chief Officer, seeing a number of the crew attempting to lower a boat, jumped into it with the intention of cutting the falls as, owing to the heavy list, the boat was resting on the ship's side. The ship, however, sank too quickly and took the boat down with her. The Chief Officer and two members of the crew managed to reached an upturned boat which had floated clear of the ship. For two and a half days they clung to the bottom of this boat until weather conditions permitted it to be righted. The boat was found to be badly waterlogged and nearly all the equipment, food and water had been washed away. During the next six days two of the occupants of the boat died leaving the Chief Officer alone. Five days later he was picked up. Chief Officer Duncan acted with courage and resource in attempting to release one of the boats, when the ship was sinking and he displayed outstanding qualities of fortitude and endurance throughout the whole of his tremendous ordeal. When the ship sank, nine other members of the crew managed to reach three rafts, which they lashed together. They attempted without success to reach the upturned boat to which the Chief Officer was clinging. During the first night in the heavy seas one of the three rafts broke adrift and disappeared with three of the crew. The remaining two rafts kept together for about ten days, when one of the men died. During this period the remaining rafts were capsized several times by heavy seas and eventually one of them began to break up. The men on this raft were transferred to the remaining sound raft, but during the operation another man was lost. Four men now remained on the last raft, on which they drifted for a further five days before being picked up. Great courage and fortitude, were displayed by Third Officer Eaton, Radio Officer Powell, Fireman Cuthbert and Seaman Kirkwood during the fifteen days they were adrift.

The Arletta Steam Tanker was completed in May 1925 as Vanduara for Vanduara SS Co Ltd (Gow, Harrison & Co), Glasgow. 1937 renamed Arletta for Sir James German & Co Ltd, Cardiff.



Tom Paterson
(last updated 29th May 2019)