Description
The Mercantile Marine War Medal awarded to Quartermaster Reginald Arthur Eric Lofthouse who was serving aboard the S.S. Glenogle when she was sunk by U-24 on the 27th of March 1917, 207 miles southwest of Fastnet, whilst the crew was saved Quartermaster Lofthouse was admitted to Hospital with Frostbitten Feet and Hands, comprising Mercantile Marine War Medal 1914-1918, (Reginald A.E. Lofthouse), very fine
The S.S. Glenogle, was built by Hawthorn, Leslie & Co. Ltd., Newcastle in 1916 and owned at the time of her loss by Glen Line (McGregor, Gow & Co.), Ltd., Glasgow, She was a British steamer of 7682 tons. On March 27th, 1917, Glenogle, on a voyage from London to Yokohama with general cargo, was sunk by the German submarine U-24 (Walter Remy), 207 miles southwest of Fastnet. There were no fatal casualties.
U-24 was one of 329 submarines serving in the Imperial German Navy in World War I. She was engaged in commerce warfare during the First Battle of the Atlantic.
In seven patrols, U-24 sank a total of 33 merchant ships and 1 auxiliary warship totalling 106,122 GRT and one warship for 15,000 tons, damaged three merchant ships for 14,318 GRT, and took one merchant ship as prize of 1,925 GRT.
Her second kill was the most significant. The victim was HMS Formidable, torpedoed 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) south of Lyme Regis, at 50°13′N 03°04′W. She was hit in the number one boiler room on the port side. Out of a crew of approximately 711 men, 547 died as a result. This was one of the largest ships sunk by U-boats during the war.
In 1915, U-24 claimed another noted victim, the passenger steamer Arabic, causing 44 deaths, including three Americans. Arabic sank in 10 minutes. This escalated the U-boat fear in the U.S. and caused a diplomatic incident which resulted in the suspension of torpedoing non-military ships without notice.
The 1921 census shows him curiously a visitor at the Taplow Grammar School, still a merchant sailor for Devitt Moore & Co (unemployed). Reginald Died April 1922 of a stroke at Wellington Hospital whilst serving aboard SS Zealandic .
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Zealandic_(1911))
