Edward Henely Ricketts (1903 - 1945)

Born 11 Mar 1903 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Ancestors

Husband of Vivie Barnicoat Keeling — married 15 Dec 1923 (to 15 May 1933) in St.George's Church, Hobart, Tasmania

Descendants

Died 21 Dec 1945 at age 42 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

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Biography

Edward Ricketts ... ^[1]

No more info is currently available for Edward Ricketts. Can you add to his biography?

Edward was born in 1903. Edward Ricketts passed away in 1945. ^[2]

Edward, a wharf labourer, was drowned on the Hobart waterfront on December 21, 1945. The account of the incident was front-page news in the Hobart "Mercury" on Saturday, December 22, 1945, and is reproduced here:

DIVED AFTER HAT; MAN DROWNED

Plunging into the harbour after his hat, which was blown off by a gust of wind, a man lost his life at Hobart yesterday. He dived off the end of Ocean Pier to recover the hat, and was drowned. A gallant rescue attempt failed.

EDWARD H. Ricketts (42), married, of Waterloo Cres., Battery Pt., waterside worker, who was not on duty at the time, was the man drowned.

Diving to Ricketts' aid, Donald Leonard Seaton (17) first grasped a lifebuoy from the wharf, but was unable to support the drowning man. "Bobby" Brown, well-known Hobart boxer, and Ernest Boone, waterside worker, also dived from the wharf to help. When the four men were brought ashore, Ricketts was dead.

Ricketts went to Ocean Pier to see a friend on a gang unloading the Lanena. He was standing near the edge of the wharf when a gust lifted his hat and took it over the side.

Shouting to his friend: "It's a good hat, and I'm going after it," Ricketts took off his coat and dived without hesitation from the end of the pier. He was considered a strong swimmer.

By the time Ricketts had caught up the hat, men on the pier saw he was exhausted and in trouble.

Seaton, a mobile crane assistant, grasped a lifebuoy and, after taking off his suit and boots, went to his aid, followed by Brown and Boone. He grasped Ricketts and tried to get him onto the lifebuoy. He shouted back to the men on the wharf: "Get a boat; I can't hold him."

A lifeboat was lowered from the Lanena, and two sailors rowed out to the men, who were struggling with Ricketts in a high wind and choppy sea. By this time, they had drifted more than 300 yards from the end of the pier. The tide was running out strongly.

Ricketts, who appeared unconscious, was hauled into the boat and the three others were picked up. They were in the water nearly half an hour.

The ferry steamer Rosny was stopped, and the crew picked up the four men from the lifeboat. The Rosney put back to the wharf and landed the men.

Ricketts was rushed to Royal Hobart Hospital in a motor-lorry, but was dead on arrival.

Seaton's actions in trying to rescue Ricketts was praised by wharf workers and others.

Mr W. Lonergan, waterside worker, said last night it was one of the pluckiest acts he had seen. Seaton had the presence of mind to take a lifebuoy with him, and had a hard swim. Valuable help was given by Brown and Boone.

Seaton, Brown and Boone will share today the sum of 23 pounds, proceeds of a "tarpaulin muster" among members of the Waterside workers' Federation at Hobart, which was taken up yesterday in admiration of the efforts they made to rescue Ricketts.

An inquest will be opened this morning.^[3]

Notes:

1. Mr W. Lonergan, (mentioned above), was an uncle of Edward Ricketts.

2. Later, in 1947, (the then 17-year-old), Donald Leonard Seaton, was awarded a Bronze Medal for bravery, and Certificates of Merit were presented to Robert Brown and Ernest Boone.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Entered by Ngarei Gow, Dec 29, 2011
2. ↑ Entered by Peter Knowles, Feb 11, 2012
3. ↑ Hobart "Mercury", Saturday, December 22, 1945.
4. ↑ Hobart "Mercury", Wednesday, February 5, 1947 (p10).

• Ngarei Gow, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Ngarei and others.
• Peter Knowles. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Peter and others.

• Australia, Tasmania, Civil Registration of Births, 1899-1912," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q244-VL9B : accessed 4 February 2018), Edward Henley Ricketts, 11 Mar 1903; citing Birth, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, The Tasmania Department of Justice, Hobart; FamilySearch digital folder 100939768.

References