Where to start?

There was nothing more to be gleaned from the papers, so a first step was the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website. At the inquest it was reported that the Royal Navy claimed him as one of theirs. A quick search confirmed this: George Cawley, Officer's Steward Third Class, serial number L/6572. But for the name of the ship, the website intriguingly stated HMS Q.36. A strange name for a ship?; or could it be that George Cawley was serving on one of his majesty's "Special Service Ships", or Q-Ships.

A further internet search gave some details on this unique type of vessel:
Q-Ships were devised during World War One as an anti-submarine measure. In form, they were merchant ships - often small vessels such as trawlers, oilers, or coastal colliers - manned by a mix of service and merchant personnel. Their size was a deliberate choice. If they were spotted by a U-Boat captain, it was hoped that rather than waste a torpedo, he would surface and engage with his deck guns. As the U-Boat drew near, the Q-Ships would spring their trap. They had been adapted to carry guns, usually two or four, hidden behind false bulk-heads or superstructure. At the right moment, the screens would come down, and the U-Boat brought under fire. Simple in principle, and to a degree successful. But, as the Germans became more wary, the role became more dangerous. By 1917, many U-Boat captains preferred to settle the matter with a torpedo, regardless of the size of vessel. By the end of the war, of the three hundred and thirty-six Q-Ships deployed by the Royal Navy, some sixty-one had been sunk. One of them was indeed HMS Q.36.

HMS Q.36. was a cargo ship of one thousand, four hundred tonnes. She was built in 1904, and, it appears, launched under the name of SS "Peveril". At some time early on in the war, she was chosen for conversion to a Q-Ship, and two twelve pounder guns were added. Although she received the official nomenclature Q.36, she seems to have had a number of identities, including Puma & Polyanthus, presumably linked to her clandestine status. So, it seems that George Cawley had been serving on Q.36 when it was sunk, presumably in action on the 30th of March 1917. However there was a problem with this explanation. In the book "British Vessels Lost at Sea. 1914-18 & 1939-45 reveals", it is stated that the Perveril, or Q-36, was apparently been sunk off Gibraltar in November 1917 by "U.63", a full seven months after one of its lifeboats was washed up in Jersey.

If Q.36 wasn't the ship that George Cawley came from, which could it be? Perhaps the CWGC had got the wrong details in their register?

Turning again to "British Vessels Lost at Sea", there were a number of other candidates. The "Christopher", a Royal Navy hired trawler of 316 tonnes, appeared the most likely. She was sunk by a mine sunk of Southwold on March the 30th, and was the only Royal Navy vessel reported as sunk on that day. Focusing on the "Christopher", I considered this option. She certainly was a small vessel, and therefore could be suit the requirements of a Q-Ship. Also, trawlers were stated as being one of the types used for this purpose. But, on the other hand, there seemed to be no mention of her as Q-Ship. In addition, she was sunk off the East coast of England; could a small boat have drifted unseen all the way to the Channel Islands.

If it wasn't the "Christopher", could George Cawley have been on one of the four Merchantmen sunk on the 30th of March? This didn't seem likely. He was definitely a Royal Navy serviceman, and therefore why would he have been on a merchant vessel?