seaJane Posted 5 November , 2012 Share Posted 5 November , 2012 Just as an aside - not RMLI - but one of the more alarming items in the collection I curate is a bolt from LION which was removed from the knee of Ordinary Seaman Helps (who survived). It's about the size of a small apple... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCeeCee Posted 7 November , 2012 Share Posted 7 November , 2012 Just as an aside - not RMLI - but one of the more alarming items in the collection I curate is a bolt from LION which was removed from the knee of Ordinary Seaman Helps (who survived). It's about the size of a small apple... One of the books has an anecdote of a stoker being treated and him making a big fuss about his missing lower leg, so to pacify him they sent someone to go look for it... he returned with the foot and peace was restored when he fished his bankroll from out the sock!!! You'll notice he was canny enough to say 'missing foot' and not 'money in my sock'! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 7 November , 2012 Share Posted 7 November , 2012 That shouldn't be funny (or should it?) - but I'm laughing. Trust Jack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Eyden Posted 8 February , 2014 Author Share Posted 8 February , 2014 Thanks to everyone for the information since i started this thread on my great-grandfather. There is one point I am not entirely clear on though - what exactly would the role of the RMLI on ships such as the Lion. Were they to form boarding parties, escort duties or manning secondary guns? Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill24chev Posted 9 February , 2014 Share Posted 9 February , 2014 Thanks to everyone for the information since i started this thread on my great-grandfather. There is one point I am not entirely clear on though - what exactly would the role of the RMLI on ships such as the Lion. Were they to form boarding parties, escort duties or manning secondary guns? Thank you. Both RMLI and RMA manned the guns of the Battleships, Battlecruisers and Cruisers usually, but not always the second turret from the stern, "Q" inthe BCs and "X" in the BB's and the guns in a similar position on the cruisers. Both RMA and RMLI worked the guns but probably the RMA men were trained in the more technical gunnery stuff with the RMLI being the lifters and shifters of the shells and cordite. Marines would also be udeful for boarding and landing parties and this was an impiortant role on the cruisers and AMC's involved in the blockade in the North of the North Sea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Eyden Posted 9 February , 2014 Author Share Posted 9 February , 2014 Thank you very much for clarifying this for me Bill. Much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest corriedog Posted 11 February , 2014 Share Posted 11 February , 2014 Regarding the photo of the survivors of the RMLI on HMS Lion My Grandfather on my mothers side Victor Edward Blackmore born 19th July 1878 was a private in the RMLI on board HMS Lion at the Battle of Jutland. He was acting as a batman to an unknown officer. He would be one of the survivors in the photograph. Further research required by me here. He joined the RMLI in 1897 and served for 21 years leaving at the end of the war. He then joined HM Coastguard serving until 1939. I have mounted on a wooden plinth with an inscription a piece of shrapnel from a German shell fired into HMS Lion at the Battle of Jutland that my grandfather picked up from his officers cabin. Eager to learn more regarding my grandfather etc. corriedog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Eyden Posted 18 February , 2014 Author Share Posted 18 February , 2014 Good luck corriedog - I hope you can pin your grandfather down in the photo. If so, that's three out of seven identified by relatives just down to this thread. Amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fungusface Posted 13 June , 2014 Share Posted 13 June , 2014 Greetings everybody, I'm new to this forum and can, hopefully, add some useful input. My grandfather, Harry Willows PTE 13761 RMLI, served aboard HMS Lion thoughout WW1. I'm pretty sure, from identifications already made and facial resemblance to my father, that he is the man on the left, middle row. He died 21 years before I was born. His job was to load the 72lb bags of cordite from the magazine of Q turret onto the hoists to go up to the guns. Harry and a corporal of marines clipped up the magazine doors when the order came down from the mortally wounded Major Harvey. He left a written account of the event which can be found in the Beatty Papers pages 353 to 356. It makes harrowing reading! I have a copy but it's too large to attach here. He was mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Croix de Guerre for his actions. He was discharged "dead" from the service in 1935 aged 46. Regards, Fungusface Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 13 June , 2014 Share Posted 13 June , 2014 It is interesting that you have him still serving in 1935 because his attestation pack of papers at the Fleet Air Arm Museum shows that he was discharged to pension after 21 years service from age 18. This would have been in 1928 in his case. Normal RMLI pension age was 38. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCeeCee Posted 13 June , 2014 Share Posted 13 June , 2014 Greetings everybody, I'm new to this forum and can, hopefully, add some useful input. My grandfather, Harry Willows PTE 13761 RMLI, served aboard HMS Lion thoughout WW1. I'm pretty sure, from identifications already made and facial resemblance to my father, that he is the man on the left, middle row. He died 21 years before I was born. His job was to load the 72lb bags of cordite from the magazine of Q turret onto the hoists to go up to the guns. Harry and a corporal of marines clipped up the magazine doors when the order came down from the mortally wounded Major Harvey. He left a written account of the event which can be found in the Beatty Papers pages 353 to 356. It makes harrowing reading! I have a copy but it's too large to attach here. He was mentioned in dispatches and awarded the Croix de Guerre for his actions. He was discharged "dead" from the service in 1935 aged 46. Regards, Fungusface Hi FF So just to be clear, you think No1 (on extreme left as we look at the photo) of the middle row is your Grandfather? Another poster posited that that may be Bishop. It must be good to have an acount of what your forbear did during the war. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Fungusface Posted 19 June , 2014 Share Posted 19 June , 2014 Hi All, After another look at Harry Willows service record he was indeed discharged to pension in 1928 but then joined the Royal Marines Police and later the RMP reserve. It's very difficult to make out some of the dates on the document but it definately states "discharged dead 16th July 1935. TCC. Unfortunately the account Harry Willows gave in the Beatty papers only relates to events during and immediately after the Battle of Jutland. He does mention a 11 inch shell desroying the navigator's cabin and his own personal kit before exploding in 1 of the funnels! Regards FF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemm Posted 27 June , 2014 Share Posted 27 June , 2014 I was just looking for information on the lads pictured to see what if anything had happened to them after their near escape in 1915, when I came across this thread so thought I would share The lads pictures were displayed in the January 30th edition of the Bacup Times, the headline stated " photographs of four young Bacup lads all crew members of H.M.S Lion who had taken part in the naval battle known as the battle of Dogger Bank". They were From left to right Seaman Gunner S Walsh, Stoker C.A.Woodhead, Stoker A Logan, Stoker S Robinson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCeeCee Posted 29 June , 2014 Share Posted 29 June , 2014 I was just looking for information on the lads pictured to see what if anything had happened to them after their near escape in 1915, when I came across this thread so thought I would share The lads pictures were displayed in the January 30th edition of the Bacup Times, the headline stated " photographs of four young Bacup lads all crew members of H.M.S Lion who had taken part in the naval battle known as the battle of Dogger Bank". They were From left to right Seaman Gunner S Walsh, Stoker C.A.Woodhead, Stoker A Logan, Stoker S Robinson Stoker Logan would die at Jutland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemm Posted 29 June , 2014 Share Posted 29 June , 2014 Thanks for that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peternoy Posted 22 February , 2015 Share Posted 22 February , 2015 Hi, I bought this relic at a carbootsale yesterday morning and was just starting to look up the history of HMS Lion and saw these comments. It is a large heavy lump of armour plating from HMS Lion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KaptAdm4 Posted 1 June , 2015 Share Posted 1 June , 2015 A most informative and chilling thread. Heroes all, they now all share the same resting place - God bless them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 19 June , 2015 Share Posted 19 June , 2015 Hi all, I discovered this evening a second cousin of mine who was at the Battle of Jutland: Frederick George Gale. Born 02 Dec 1892 in Exeter, his record shows he was aboard Lion from June 1912 straight through May 1920. Per his file, he was presented with the Good Conduct an Long Service Medals and paid the war gratuity. I am seeking clarity on two parts of the one page service summary available via Ancestry and NAUK; snippet 1: Would scars indicated here be only from pre-war or might they be a suggestion that he was wounded over the course of his service and if so, where might I find more information about that? Is there any chance anyone can make out the first faint line below 'Class for Conduct'? I wonder if Frederick knew his cousin Arthur Thomas Gale was also at Jutland and that Arthur lost his life in the loss of the HMS Queen Mary? Perhaps we shall never know... -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCeeCee Posted 19 June , 2015 Share Posted 19 June , 2015 The scars are a form of identifier, like tattoos, and both are noted along with hair & eye colour, height, etc. It's so they can identfy him or his body. There was also a marine onboard called Harry Gale from Torquay. Relation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 19 June , 2015 Share Posted 19 June , 2015 His later record of service (after about 1928) is still in the custody of the Ministry of Defence. See this link for how to claim:-- https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/overview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 19 June , 2015 Share Posted 19 June , 2015 The lower line under Class for Conduct seems to me to relate to his being paid off, or repaid expenses for getting to the base: ?Payment of voyages 11/6/29 [11 June 1929] S/65. Vivid I ? 1/50. I can't make out the upper line at all. sJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 19 June , 2015 Share Posted 19 June , 2015 His later record of service (after about 1928) is still in the custody of the Ministry of Defence. See this link for how to claim:-- https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records/overview Outstanding...many thanks to you, Jane and TeeCee for your replies. -Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
horatio2 Posted 19 June , 2015 Share Posted 19 June , 2015 The Form S.165 quoted in those unreadable entries was used to report men joining and leaving a ship. King's Regulations 1913:- 1595. Entries and Discharges.- A return (form S. 165) of every description of person belonging to the Navy and Marines entered on and discharged from the ship's books of all sea-going ships at home and abroad, stationary ships abroad, and all parent ships or depots in respect of torpedo boat destroyers, and all sea-going tenders, is to be made on commissioning, on finally sailing from England for foreign waters, if any changes have taken place since the rendering of the previous return, and upon the 15th of every month subsequently, and transmitted to the Accountant-General by the first opportunity. The object of this return is to keep the Admiralty and relatives supplied with the latest accounts of the disposition of officers and men. When a protracted cruise or other circumstance is likely to prevent punctual transmission of the form, the Captain may at his discretion cause it to be rendered before the proper date, but in every such case the date of its being rendered should be clearly shown upon the front of the return, together with a short note explanatory of the circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ph0ebus Posted 19 June , 2015 Share Posted 19 June , 2015 Hi Horatio, This is quite helpful... Thank you! Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeeCeeCee Posted 28 July , 2015 Share Posted 28 July , 2015 On 19/06/2015 at 13:11, ph0ebus said: Hi all, I discovered this evening a second cousin of mine who was at the Battle of Jutland: Frederick George Gale. Born 02 Dec 1892 in Exeter, his record shows he was aboard Lion from June 1912 straight through May 1920. Per his file, he was presented with the Good Conduct an Long Service Medals and paid the war gratuity. I am seeking clarity on two parts of the one page service summary available via Ancestry and NAUK; snippet 1: Frederic George Gale extract wounds.jpg Would scars indicated here be only from pre-war or might they be a suggestion that he was wounded over the course of his service and if so, where might I find more information about that? Is there any chance anyone can make out the first faint line below 'Class for Conduct'? Frederic George Gale class for conduct.jpg I wonder if Frederick knew his cousin Arthur Thomas Gale was also at Jutland and that Arthur lost his life in the loss of the HMS Queen Mary? Perhaps we shall never know... -Daniel Daniel Thought this may be of interest, here's another Gale aboard the battlecruiser Queen Mary. I believe this is 2 aboard QM and 2 aboard Lion. I don't know what the collective noun for a group of gales or storms is? Or maybe I have that backwards and maybe it is a storm of gales? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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