Zeebrugge Raid - wounded RMLI records?

[Arncliffe]

My maternal grandfather was Will Percy Clark, d/o/b 3rd May 1893 in Rugby, Warwickshire. On 23rd February 1912 he enlisted at Birmingham in the Royal Marine Light Infantry as Private 17347 and went to the Recruiting Depot at Deal, Kent later as part of the Chatham Division.

On 22/23rd April 1918 grandad sailed on the PS (later HMS) Iris, a paddle steamer ferry from the Mersey, and took part in the raid on Zeebrugge. Per the London Gazette 23rd July 1918 he "participated in Ballot for award of Victoria Cross granted for operation against Zeebrugge & Ostend 22/23 April 1918".

His service record shows "13th June 1918 Discharged Invalided" to 1 Britton Farm Place, Gillingham but I know that he was later hospitalised in Queen Mary's Royal Navy Hospital, Southend-on-Sea as it was there that he met my grandmother-to-be who was a nurse there.

Unfortunately, my grandfather committed suicide (we were told because he never fully recovered from his wound) before I could ask him about his war service. I do recall however that he walked with a pronounced limp and, although I never saw it, understood that he wore a spring mechanism that caused his leg to bend when weight was taken off it e.g. when walking.

Now that I have Granddad's service record I know much about his military service, including the fact that on 7th July 1912 he was awarded the Certificate and Medallion, Life Saving Society! What I don't have is any detail about his wound, his medical history or his time at Queen Mary's Royal Navy Hospital (which is still there by the way, albeit as the Park Inn Palace Hotel).

Is there anywhere else that I can search for this detail?

Nigel

[horatio2]

The only other possible source of information is among the papers in his Attestation Pack, which is held at the Fleet Arm Museum, but it unlikely to have any information for the period when he was a civilian after his discharge .

[Arncliffe]

The only other possible source of information is among the papers in his Attestation Pack, which is held at the Fleet Arm Museum, but it unlikely to have any information for the period when he was a civilian after his discharge .

Thanks for that - I will get in touch with Yeovilton and see what they have. Cheers.

[domwalsh]

I'll have a look through my Zeebrugge files when I get home, just in case I've got anything on him. PM me your email. Dom

[John Morcombe]

Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, specialised in artificial limbs. I would be surprised to find him discharged before having been treated &/or fitted with any device, but his FAAM papers should give you the full low down on his wound & treatment, although his discharge seems very soon after his wounding & appears to proclude any loss of limb. I understand from your post that he did not lose a limb but did wear some aid.

[domwalsh]

Nigel,

My records show that your grandfather served in the raid with 2 Platoon, Chatham Division, aboard HMS Iris. The 4th Battalion records show that he was designated as servant to Lt Norris RMLI. I have a note that the Imperial War Museum files on the Zeebrugge Association have an autograph book which he signed on the anniversary of the raid in 1925 (possibly on a return trip to Zeebrugge??) as W.P. Clark Iris.

I wonder, do you have any photos/documents? I would love to include him in my planned book on the 4th Battalion.

You can email me on dominic.walsh@ireland.com.

Cheers,

Dom

[Arncliffe]

Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton, specialised in artificial limbs. I would be surprised to find him discharged before having been treated &/or fitted with any device, but his FAAM papers should give you the full low down on his wound & treatment, although his discharge seems very soon after his wounding & appears to proclude any loss of limb. I understand from your post that he did not lose a limb but did wear some aid.

Thanks for that. You are correct in saying that Grandfather didn't lose a limb but wore a mechanical aid to help him to walk. I've not got his FAAM papers but unfortunately they only confirm his discharge due to "multiple injuries" without specifying what they were or even the fact that he got them at Zeebrugge! Fortunately his ADM159 shows his participation in the Victoria Cross ballot awarded following the operation against Zeebrugge and Ostend.

[Arncliffe]

Nigel,

My records show that your grandfather served in the raid with 2 Platoon, Chatham Division, aboard HMS Iris. The 4th Battalion records show that he was designated as servant to Lt Norris RMLI. I have a note that the Imperial War Museum files on the Zeebrugge Association have an autograph book which he signed on the anniversary of the raid in 1925 (possibly on a return trip to Zeebrugge??) as W.P. Clark Iris.

I wonder, do you have any photos/documents? I would love to include him in my planned book on the 4th Battalion.

You can email me on dominic.walsh@ireland.com.

Cheers,

Dom

Great information Dom - many thanks for all that. I now have the Attestation Pack from the FAAM from which I have learned a lot, but your information is more specific to the Zeebrugge Raid and for that I am very grateful. I will email you with details of what else I have that might be of interest for your book.

Cheers, Nigel

[domwalsh]

It was, of course, Lt HB Lovatt RMLI he was servant to, not Lt Norris, apologies. Lovatt was officer i/c 2 Platoon, Chatham Division, aboard the Iris. Don't have too much more on him.

[Arncliffe]

With much help from members of this Forum, I now have considerable information regarding my Grandfather, Will Percy Clark and his service with the RMLI, Chatham Division, between 1912 and 1918 when he took part in the raid on Zeebrugge.

One thing that I have discovered via ADM104/149 is that Will is shown as suffering "SW head" whereas a great number are shown as "GSW" which I take to be "GunShot Wound" - in fact only Will appears with this wound description on the pages that I have viewed. Another difference is that Will is shown as transferred to "Military Hosp Dover 23.4 - RN Hosp Chatham 8.5" whereas the majority went direct to either RN Hosp Chatham or Deal Infirmary.

Can anyone tell me what "SW head" means and, is the fact that he was taken straight to Dover rather than on to Chatham indicative of a more serious wound?

[seaJane]

Only guessing but could SW be Shrapnel Wound?

[Arncliffe]

Only guessing but could SW be Shrapnel Wound?

Yes, I wondered that, but there are other men listed as "Mult Shrap wnds" rather than just "SW" so I'm not sure.

[seaJane]

hmmm - medical I-Spy.... scalp wound? I don't know why any of this would lead to admission to a different hospital, though.

[Arncliffe]

No I don't think so. I am told that he was in hospital until at least 1919 and was unable to walk for a long time - his discharge papers R110 shows he wasn't discharged until 8th January 1919 from RN Hospital Chatham as "Multiple Injuries". From there he went to Queen Mary's Naval Hospital, Southend-on-Sea where he was a patient until much later that year.

[GrahamC]

^{The Chairman of our local RBL thinks his uncle, Thomas William Leighford MYCOCK, took part in the raid. Are there any records to check if he did and in what capacity?}

^{I have looked but am not very used to looking up naval records.}

^{Just found him in the NA with the number: J65833 - can anyone explain what this means and if poss. what ship he served on?}

^{Thanks for looking}

^Graham

Edited 14 May , 2012 by GrahamC

[ken.mycock]

Graham

Over recent years, I have been in touch with with Thomas William Seighford MYCOCK's nephew (possibly, but perhaps not the same one as you ... if not both are RBL notables!) - note the that the third name starts with an S, according to birth and marriage records and the 1901 census; in the 1911 census, he was "Thomas Seaforth MYCOCK"!

Whatever his full name, he was born in May 1900 in Buxton, Derbyshire and was still there, aged 10, with his family in 1911; he would have been aged 17 (nearly 18) at the time of the Zeebrugge raid.

The family recollection (as told to me) is that he served during the Great War in HMS Iron Duke and HMS St George (possibly to 1919 or even later) and that he subsequently survived the sinking of HMS Courageous in September 1939, but was then transferred to a shore draft and died shortly afterwards. Unfortunately, GRO index records show that he died in the Blandford district in 1936, so could not have been in Courageous at that time.

I have been unable to replicate your NA search on the TNA catalogue to find him as J65833 and would welcome further information on this. However, I believe that the J prefix indicated that he was a long service rating (12 years or more) in either the Seaman or Communications branches.

Records available on ancestry.co.uk, all with service number J65833 and identifiably the same man, despite ancestry's bizarre indexing:

Ordinary Seaman, awarded BW & V medals, HMS Monarch [Rn Medal Roll ADM 171/110]

Petty Officer, awarded LS&GC medal 17 May 1933, HMS Courageous (NB link back to family memory ...) [Medal Register ADM171/150]

Petty Officer, LS&GC medal presented 5 July 1933, HMS Courageous [ADM171/141]

The LS&GC medal records show that there was ample time for him to be transferred from Courageous to a shore draft at Blandford (probably appropriate for a Comms rating and where he was married in 1932) and subsequently die in 1936.

I would be very grateful for any further information you may have, either on or, if appropriate for family privacy, off the forum.

Ken Mycock

Researching MYCOCKs anywhere, any time

http://www.one-name.org/profiles/mycock.html

[Arncliffe]

Graham,

I am not very well up on Naval records myself, but can confirm that NA ADM171/110 shows TWS Mycock Ordinary Seaman J65833 was awarded he was awarded the "V and B" medals and served in 1918 on HMS Monarch.

I do know that Monarch did not participate in either the Zeebrugge raid or the susequent raid on Ostend so, as well as Thomas being under age at the time of the raid, I think it unlikely that he took part in either.

Certainly I have scoured the list of personnel killed and wounded at Zeebrugge and he is not listed there. Unfortunately I have not found a list of men who did take part, but returned home unscathed!

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.

Arncliffe

[GrahamC]

Hi guys

Sorry not to have got back to you sooner - but moved house, from Derbyshire to Lincolnshire - last week, so have been away from the Forum doing a "few" other odds and ends!

Since my first post I have spoken to Brian Mycock (nephew of our man here), who confirms that his uncle Thomas William did indeed serve in the Navy all the way up to the Second World War - including on a carrier, but that could be more family folklore.

There are quite a number of Mycock's on the Buxton War Memorials - all in all a very brave family. Brian's brother was killed at Arnhem and he served in the R.M. with great (though modest) distinction. You know - "Did no more than anyone else" etc. He sends shivers up my spine and tears to the old eyes every time I speak to him.

However, I digress - thanks for the extra information, which I will add to my website footnotes for his brother, who was k.i.a. in 1918.

I will get back to the topic when I have a bit more time - and should be able to send you (Ken) what I have on the Buxton Mycocks on my website (It's not uploaded yet as I still have about 50 names to go and there's nothing worse than an incomplete website!)

Cheers for now

Graham

[domwalsh]

There are no Mycocks on the list of those served aboard the Vindictive, Daffodil and Iris for the landing of the Mole but it is not impossible he served on one of the support vessels or blockships. I will have a root around in my files to see if I can find any mention.... Dom