Visit the Victims
Buried in Ross Bay Cemetery:
We invite you to visit some of the victims of the Princess Sophia. Below are the names and location of seven victims, along with a compilation of photographs, death notices and personal information where applicable. Please see the end of the page for help on navigating Ross Bay Cemetery and finding victims yourself.
- Captain C.J. Bloomquist
- William Peter Smith and Sons
- Captain J. Frank Gosse, Second Mate.
- George Alan Dallas
- John R. Bell
- Thomas Neilson
- James King, Chief Steward.
1. Capt. C.J. Bloomquist
Captain C.J. Bloomquist was a well known Victorian. A Norwegian by birth, he lived in Canada for many years before starting work as the pilot of the steamer Dawson, based in the north. In the winter he resided in Shawnigan Lake, where he spent the long, cold months with his wife. At the time of the sinking, Bloomquist was fifty-one years old and had just retired. He was on his last voyage home.1
Ross Bay Cemetery Coordinates:
Block T – Plot: 86 W 41
2. William Peter Smith and sons, Roland Hedly Smith and William Peter Smith Jr.
William Peter Smith and his sons were born in Victoria. They boarded the Princess Sophia after a summer of work on the Yukon River Boats. Previously William Sr. had worked as an engineer at the Union Club and the Empress Hotel. It is probable that both his sons perished along-side him, but only his body and that of his younger son, Roland (fifteen), were retrieved. His elder son, William (seventeen), although not mentioned in the death notice (below), is likely to have died on the Sophia as well. William Jr. served in the 163rd Battalion at the age of fifteen, but was sent home in the spring of 1917.2
Ross Bay Cemetery Coordinates:
Block: P Plot: 97b98 W W
3. Capt. J. Frank Gosse, Second Mate.
Captain Frank Gosse had served in the C.P.R. since he was seventeen years old. He worked as the second-mate on the Sophia. He left a wife and child, who resided at 224 Cross Street in Victoria. Gosse was the only victim to make it to shore alive, although he died before rescuers could reach him. He was twenty-six years old. To read more about Gosse and his story during the sinking, see Foundering.
Ross Bay Cemetery Coordinates:
Block: Q Plot: 70 W U
4. George Alan Dallas
Little information is available as yet on George Alan Dallas. A member of the crew, he was twenty years old at the time of the sinking. A resident of Victoria, his parents lived at 859 Cormorant Street.3
Ross Bay Cemetery Coordinates:
Block: Q – Plot: 32 W U
5. John R. Bell
As yet, little information has been found on the life of John Bell other than his age at time of death, twenty-one, and that he was originally from Scotland. His tombstone reads: John R Bell, Drowned on the S.S. Princess Sophia, Oct 25, 1918, Aged 21 Years.
Ross Bay Cemetery Coordinates:
Block: Q – Plot: 51 W U
6. Thomas Neilson
A passenger on the Sophia. Little is known about Neilson other than that he was fourty-six years old when he died. He was born in Scotland and a resident of Victoria.
Ross Bay Cemetery Coordinates:
Block: Q Plot: 54 W W
7. James King, Chief Steward.
King had worked for the C.P.R. for nine years, on practically every boat in service. At time of death, he was 48 years old. King was from Scotland, but he lived in Victoria with his brother, Mr. John Watson King. The Daily Colonist described him as “known and popular.”4
Ross Bay Cemetery Coordinates:
Block: Q Plot: 84 W U
Need help navigating Ross Bay Cemetery?
See the Old Cemetery Society’s brochure for maps and more information on locating grave sites.
Have the name of a Sophia victim but no plot coordinates? Visit Find a Grave to locate their grave site.
Found the grave of a Sophia victim in Victoria who isn’t on our list? Send us a photo and location here!
1. Daily Colonist, 29 October 1918, 2; Victoria Times, 28 October 1918, 10.↩
2. Daily Colonist, 30 October 1918, 2.↩
3. Daily Colonist, 3 November 1918, 17.↩
4. Daily Colonist, 29 October 1918, 2.↩