CHARLES F. WEDDERBURN, LTJG, USN

Charles Wedderburn '15

Date of birth: October 2, 1892

Date of death: November 19, 1917

Age: 25

Lucky Bag

From the 1915 Lucky Bag:

Charles Foster Wedderburn

Chevy Chase, Maryland

"Hook" "Weiderbaum"

"HOOK" comes from Washington, but, unlike most representatives of the nation's capital, he is not a fusser, although with his good looks and his ready "line" of droll wit he might easily be a heart crusher of the first water.

Hook started life here in the old "wooden" First and remained one of its most loyal members until first class year, when the "Old Man" got three stripes. As a plebe he was a favorite with the upperclassmen for his ability as an entertainer; and some of his original serial stories about Dr. Push, the Henshaw Boys, and the Kadaberisch family, which he would be called upon to continue at any moment, will be long remembered by those who sat at his table.

He knows as much about baseball as "John" Miller, and his arguments with the latter made circuses out of what otherwise would have been dreary evenings in the after starboard hold of the "Massy." His activities in the field, however, have been limited to coaching "Itchy," the "Dutchman," the "Cat," and the "Old Man" on Sunday afternoons out by the mess-hall. It is needless to say that his efforts have been a total failure.

In studies Hook has ever been non-greasy, and, despite the fact that he has never starred, it would be hard to convince anyone who knows him (and particularly anyone who has tried to slip something over him) that he is not as bright as a dollar. He never rhinos. Life is too short, and it can truthfully be said of him that he is always the same, which is quite something to say of a man in this place.

We do not know what Foster's intentions are about remaining in the service, but it's our hope that he does. With no distorted views and no affectation, he is the kind that is always welcome. In short. Hook is a regular man and one that you could ask for his last nickel with the feeling that it was yours for the asking.

Charles Foster Wedderburn

Chevy Chase, Maryland

"Hook" "Weiderbaum"

"HOOK" comes from Washington, but, unlike most representatives of the nation's capital, he is not a fusser, although with his good looks and his ready "line" of droll wit he might easily be a heart crusher of the first water.

Hook started life here in the old "wooden" First and remained one of its most loyal members until first class year, when the "Old Man" got three stripes. As a plebe he was a favorite with the upperclassmen for his ability as an entertainer; and some of his original serial stories about Dr. Push, the Henshaw Boys, and the Kadaberisch family, which he would be called upon to continue at any moment, will be long remembered by those who sat at his table.

He knows as much about baseball as "John" Miller, and his arguments with the latter made circuses out of what otherwise would have been dreary evenings in the after starboard hold of the "Massy." His activities in the field, however, have been limited to coaching "Itchy," the "Dutchman," the "Cat," and the "Old Man" on Sunday afternoons out by the mess-hall. It is needless to say that his efforts have been a total failure.

In studies Hook has ever been non-greasy, and, despite the fact that he has never starred, it would be hard to convince anyone who knows him (and particularly anyone who has tried to slip something over him) that he is not as bright as a dollar. He never rhinos. Life is too short, and it can truthfully be said of him that he is always the same, which is quite something to say of a man in this place.

We do not know what Foster's intentions are about remaining in the service, but it's our hope that he does. With no distorted views and no affectation, he is the kind that is always welcome. In short. Hook is a regular man and one that you could ask for his last nickel with the feeling that it was yours for the asking.

Biography

From Wikipedia:

Charles Foster Wedderburn was born in Chicago, Illinois on October 2, 1892, but grew up in Washington, D.C. Appointed a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy on July 7, 1911, he graduated and received his commission on June 5, 1915. Ensign Wedderburn served in the cruiser Brooklyn (CA-3) from graduation to the end of 1915. In December 1915, he transferred to the destroyer Chauncey (DD-3) assigned to the Asiatic Fleet and based at Cavite in the Philippines. He was promoted to lieutenant (j.g.) on July 1, 1917; and, a month later, his ship departed Cavite with orders to the coast of France. Based at St. Nazaire, his ship escorted convoys in the eastern Atlantic. While on such a mission about 110 miles west of Gibraltar, Chauncey was involved in a fatal collision with the British merchantman, SS Rose, on the night of November 18–19. The destroyer sank at approximately 3:17 a.m. on the 19th taking Wedderburn and 20 of his comrades to their deaths.

He has a memory marker in the Brookwood American Military Cemetery, England.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Charles’ father was Waite Blivens, who was in fire insurance sales. His mother Gertrude (Foster) divorced Charles' father and remarried George C. Wedderburn, Jr., 1st assistant patent examiner, in Washington, D. C., in 1903. They had a daughter Caroline. Gertrude died in Los Angeles in 1957. His father remarried and died in 1925.
Born in Chicago, Charles was educated in the public schools of Washington, D.C. In 1906 he entered the McKinley Manual Training School, leaving that institution in 1908 to attend St. John’s College at Annapolis. He attended a training school for the Army and Navy in this city. In September 1909, Charles was appointed to the Naval Academy by Representative C. C. Carlin. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1915. Following graduation, he was stationed for some time at Manila. He was promoted to lieutenant in July 1917.
Several months after Charles’ death, the newspapers reported that the Chauncey had been cut clean in two by the collision with the transport Rose. She sank in two parts, one going down immediately, and the other remaining afloat for about an hour. The men on this forward portion of the boat were saved, but those on the after portion were all lost. Collisions such as this are inevitable in the war zone, because vessels are compelled to run without lights.

Namesake

USS Wedderburn (DD 684) was named for Charles; the ship was sponsored by his mother.

Photographs

From the Evening Star on November 22, 1917

Memorial Hall Error

Charles is listed on the killed in action panel at the front of Memorial Hall. His loss is more accurately characterized as operational, though, as there were no enemy forces in the area.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.