Ernest Henry Medland was born on 25th March 1873 in Woodford. His father, John, was a bank cashier and along with his wife, Maria, had 11 children, although only seven of them were alive in 1911. In the 1881 census Ernest is living with his family at May Villa Snakes Lane, Woodford Green. In the 1891 census he is listed as a Warehouseman with his family at 2 Woodbine Villa, Chelmsford Road, South Woodford. He joined the Merchant Navy, gaining a Certificate of Competence in Melbourne Australia as a 2nd Mate on Square Rigged Shipping on 27th October 1897, and qualified as a First Mate in London on 25th May 1900.
He remained in the Merchant Navy throughout his life, moving to Australia in 1908 where on 9th March 1908 he married Lily Dellow in Adelaide South Australia, and their home was at "Lindisfarne" Chevalier Street, Prospect, South Australia. They had a daughter Hazel Ford Medland.
HMS “Orbita” was escorting ships from the USA on 2nd October 1918, among which was SS “Arca” an Admiralty chartered armed oil tanker owned by the Anglo Saxon Petroleum Company. It was carrying a cargo of Benzene from Philadelphia to Portishead. The “Orbita’s” log entry for 10.32 shows at 53.26 Lat. and 9.22 Long. (north of Ireland, about 40 miles north north west of Tory Island), the “Arca” burst into flames and then blew up.
It was the victim of a successful torpedo attack by the U118 Commanded by Herbert Stohwasser, and all 52 men on board were lost. The ship had been damaged by the UC75 on 6th January 1918.
The U118 was taken by the French after the Armistice, but on 15th April 1919 while under tow it broke free and ran up on Hastings beach where it proved a popular public attraction.
Research by Adrian Lee and Redbridge Museum
Sources:
Ancestry.com
Commonwealth War Graves Commission