Carswell Deal
Carswell Deal was born on February 6, 1890 in Sylvania, GA but grew up in Brooklet, GA.
His father Allison and mother Julia together had 10 children. Carswell was self-employed and worked as a farm hand in the Arcola and Brooklet areas as a young man. Records indicate that he married Eva May Bertha in 1917, soon before he enlisted later that year.
Carswell was a private in the Coast Artillery Corps in the United States Army, and most of his training was conducted at Ft. Screven on Tybee Island, GA. On September 25th, 1918 a vessel known as the H.M.S Otranto departed from New York to Scotland to deliver troops for eventual transfer to the the western front. Unfortunately, on October 6th, once they entered Scottish waters, hurricane-force winds caused a neighboring ship in the convoy called the Kashmir to crash into the H.M.S Otranto. The resulting hole in the Otranto caused the ship to began to sink. Eventually, the vessel crashed on a nearby island known as Islay.
At the age of 28, Carswell was one of roughly 300 men to drown at sea, including at least 4 other Bulloch county men. Along with other victims of the sinking, he was buried in Kilchoman City, Islay, Argylls, Scotland. His body was disinterred in July 1920 and returned to his father, Allison, for burial in Arcola, GA.
Works Cited
“Bulloch County GA Cemetery Records.” LDS Genealogy. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://ldsgenealogy.com/GA/Bulloch-County-Cemetery-Records.htm.
“Bulloch County Historical Society: Georgia & the Loss of the HMS Otranto.” Grice Connect. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.griceconnect.com/local-news/bulloch-county-historical-society-georgia-the-loss-of-the-hms-otranto-7610910.
Christopher, Chris. “Sinking of HMS Otranto Hit Georgia Hard 105 Years Ago in World War I.” The Doughboy Foundation, October 23, 2023. https://doughboy.org/sinking-of-hms-otranto-hit-georgia-hard-105-years-ago-in-world-war-i/.
“Deal, Carswell - Fold3 - Us, WWI, Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918.” Fold3. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.fold3.com/file/548702546/deal-carswell-us-wwi-draft-registration-cards-1917-1918?terms=deal%2Ccarswell.