More about John Murphy

H.M.H.S. Rohilla was a passenger steamer of the British India Steam Navigation Company which was built for service between the UK and India, and as a troopship. After becoming a hospital ship in the First World War, Rohilla ran aground in October 1914 near Whitby with the loss of 83 lives.

There is no John Murray/Murphy listed on the crew list for the Hospital ship Rohilla at the time of her loss. Neither is there any John Murray/Murphy Listed on the C.W.G.C. website as serving and died  on the Rohilla, although he is remembered on the Whitby, Rohilla Memorial.

John Murphy    Rohilla

DUNDEE MAN DROWNED IN ROHILLA WRECK.

John Murphy (42), 133 Princess Street, Dundee, perished in the wreck of the hospital ship Rohilla.  He was an experienced seaman, and joined the Rohilla three weeks ago.  His death has come as a sad blow to his wife and son.  The latter is a Territorial.  Mr Murphy was engaged as a greaser.

Dundee Courier 3rd November 1914

John Murphy lived at 133 Princes Street in Dundee. He was onboard the Hospital Ship Rohilla was on passage from Scapa Flow to Dunkirk. Earlier the ship had put into Aberdeen to land Midshipman Prince Albert, the future King George VI, for an operation to remove his appendix. It is reported that she may have called at South Queensferry and then Tynemouth but was wrecked off Whitby on the night of 30 October 1914. Despite desperate efforts from those ashore and local lifeboat crews the ship broke up and, of the 229 men and women onboard, only 146 were saved. Five local men were lost. John Murphy is not commemorated on the Tower Hill Memorial or by the Commonwealth War Graves but is named on the Whitby Rohilla Memorial and the Dundee City Roll of Honour.