In 1913 Captrain Shearlaw had been in charge of the SS Apollo which had sunk in the North Atlantic due to a leak. On 7th May 1919 the Ardgartan, owned by Lang and Fulton of Greenock, was presumed to hit a mine. He had been involved in 5 previous mine and torpedo incidents. His death was not recorded as an official war death and his wife received no pension. She died several years later leaving 4 children. His son John brought up the other three kids. John Junior was an electrician with Hurry Brothers in West Blackhall Street. He received a BEM for service during WW2. His brother Archie became a 1st Engineer. Another brother was a Japanese prisoner of war, later working as a sanitary inspector in Greenock and then in London.