|
Officers and Men Killed in
Action H.M.S. Shark
Jutland Bank, 31st May 1916. |
Extract from the
Official History; " Naval Operations" by Sir Julian S. Corbett. 1923
..........When Admiral Hood turned to the rescue of the
Chester his four destroyers were left on his port quarter, and
they soon caught sight of the German cruisers running towards them
south-east, half hidden by shell splashes. The division was led by
Commander Loftus Jones in the Shark, the same intrepid
officer who by his resolute dogging of Admiral von Ingenohl's
cruiser screen at dawn on the day of the Scarborough raid had caused
the whole High Seas Fleet to turn back to its base. Seeing the
excellent chance that had fallen to him, he led off to make the most
of it, followed by the Acasta (Lieutenant-Commander J. O.
Barron), Ophelia (Commander L. G. E. Crabbe)—both officers
had been with him in his previous exploit—and the Christopher
(Lieutenant-Commander F. M. Kerr). As they
approached they could see that ahead of the flying cruisers a number
of enemy destroyers were evidently developing an attack on Admiral
Hood, but as soon as the Germans were aware of the Shark's
direction they turned to protect Admiral Boedicker. A very hot
engagement was the result. The Shark got off a torpedo at one
of the cruisers, but she was quickly smothered with the fire of the
squadron and its destroyers, and by the time Commander Jones knew he
had frustrated the attack on Admiral Hood and had turned back, his
boat was brought to a standstill. His old comrade,
Lieutenant-Commander Barron, rushed up to take him in tow, but he
would not hear of the Acasta, which was also badly damaged,
being sunk for him, and ordered her to leave him. At this moment
Captain P. M. R. Royds in the Canterbury appeared coming up
to the rescue from the southeast. By turning to the southward he
enticed the cruisers to chase, and for a while the Shark was
left in peace. Presently, however, more destroyers, which Admiral
Hipper had ordered to attack Admiral Hood in order to cover his
retirement, came up and poured in a merciless fire. In a
moment her after gun was hit, and its crew killed, and Commander
Jones, who was himself controlling its fire, had a leg shot away at
the knee. Yet he continued to encourage his men to fight the only
gun he had left, when the Shark went down with her flag still
flying. 1..........
1 An able
seaman, C. C. Hope, one of the only two men left unwounded, thus
describes the scene after the captain was disabled : " The gaff on
which the ensign was flying was shot away, and Captain Jones, seeing
the ensign was hanging down the mast, asked what was wrong with the
flag, and appeared greatly upset as he lay on the deck wounded.
Twice he spoke of it. Then I climbed and unbent the ensign from the
gaff. I passed it down to Mid-shipman Smith, R.N.R., who then
hoisted it on the yardarm. Commander Jones seemed then to be less
worried when he saw the flag was hoisted again." A petty-officer got
the wounded captain to a life-saving raft, but a few hours later he
died of exhaustion, to be awarded subsequently a posthumous Victoria
Cross. The six survivors were eventually picked up by the Danish
steamer Vidar. |
Commander
Loftus W. Jones.
Lieutenant
Ernest T. Donnell.
Sub-Lieutenant
Patrick H. G. I. Vance.
Midshipman
Thomas Smith, R.N.R.
Surgeon-Probationer
Robert Walker, R.N.V.R
Gunner
William T. Gale.
Artificer-Engineer
Allan J. Hurst.
|
Abinett. Alfred Ernest, Ld. Sto. |
Allan, Robert, Sto. P.O. |
Attard, Paolo, Of. Std. 2. |
Bauham, Bernard Samuel, Yeo. Sig. |
Bartholomew, Chas. Harold Norman,
Of. Std. 3. |
Bennington, James Arthur, Sto. 1. |
Beresford, John George, Sto. 1. |
Bourton, Fredk. James, A.B. |
Brice, Albert Bertram, A.B. |
Bright, Alfred, A.B. |
Brown, James, E.R.A., R.N.R. |
Bullock, John, Ld. Sto. |
Clempson, Wm. Percy Eggs, A.B. |
Collett, Harry, Ord. Sea. |
Cownden, Arthur James, Boy Tel. |
Crow, Wm. Fredk. Sto. 1. |
Culver, Wm. Alfred, Ord. Sea. |
Daniels, John, Sto. 1. |
Daughtrey, Leonard, Ord. Sea. |
Dewick, George Henry, A.B. |
Doey, Joseph John, Sto. 1 |
Dormer, George, Sto. 1. |
Dudley, John, A.B. |
Dudman, Samuel, A.B. |
Duncan, Wm., Act. E.R.A. 4. |
Dwyer, James, Ld. Sea. |
Earl, George Thomas, Ld. Sea. |
Fawcett, Wm. Henry, Sto. 1. |
Fennymore, Charles William, Act.
Ld. Sto. |
Garrett, Albert, A.B. |
Gillies, Richard James, Sig. |
Genever, John William, Sig. |
Griffiths, Chas., A.B. |
Hamill, Thomas, Ch. Sto |
Hayler, Chas., Ch. E.R.A. 1. |
Hodgetts, Albert George, Ld. Sig. |
Holmes, Edward George, A.B. |
Jeffrey, Arthur Herbert, Sto. P.O. |
Keappock, John Alfred, E.R.A. 4. |
Kelly, James, Sto. R.N.R. |
Langford, Harry Joseph Clee, A.B. |
Lee, Alexander, Sto. 1 |
Lester, George, Sto. 1. |
Leverett, Wm. James. A.B. |
Lovell, John Francis Garnet, Act. Ld. Sto. |
Lowe, Frederick, Sto. 1. |
McGrath, John, Sto. 1. |
McLean, Wm., A.B. |
Mayhew, Stephen Hysted, Sto. P.O |
Miller, Frank, Ord. Sea. |
Morris, Albert Edward, Ord. Sea. |
Munro, George, Sto. 1 |
Newcombe, Frank, Ch. Sto. |
Norris, William, A.B. |
Nicholson, Sidney, Sto. 1. |
Orme, William Edward, Ld. Sea. |
Payne, Ernest Alf. Victor, A.B. |
Peiworth, Leonard Ernest, A.B. |
Pierce, James, Sto. 1. |
Primmer, Ernest Joseph, A.B. |
Rogers, Horace Chetwyn, A.B. |
Sayers, William George, Sto. P.O. |
Seagar, Ernest John, A.B. |
Sealy, Andley Harry, Ld. Cook's M. |
Sheppard, Wm. James, A.B. |
Sheppard, Frederick. P.O. |
Singleton, Thomas, Sto. 1 |
Sly, Walter, Ld. Sto. |
Titheridge, Wm. Henry, Sto. 1. |
Turley, Fredk. Edward, Ld. Tel. |
Turner, Charles Henry, Sto. 1. |
Wade, Edward Reginald. A.B. |
Way, Henry, P.O. 1. |
Webb, Wm. Thomas, Ord. Sea. |
Wells, Clement, A.B. |
Williams, Charles, Sto. P.O. |
Willis, Albert Edward, Act. E.R.A. 4. |
Wood, Alfred Hector, Sto. 1. |
Woodford, Albert Edward Victor, Ld. Sea. |
end |
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