Jutland - Family Myth?

[gwalchmai]

My grandfather who is no longer around to ask! was supposed to have been at Jutland but the ship that he was recorded as being on doses not seem to have been present. I have attached his papers, but does anyone know if hi ship was there or could he have been transferred and it not be on his papers?

Avery.pdf

[Lancashire Fusilier]

My grandfather who is no longer around to ask! was supposed to have been at Jutland but the ship that he was recorded as being on doses not seem to have been present. I have attached his papers, but does anyone know if hi ship was there or could he have been transferred and it not be on his papers?

The Battle of Jutland took place on May 31 - June 1, 1916.

Looking at your Grandfather's RN papers, and if I am reading them correctly, for the period starting 1st October 1915, and going through 3rd June 16 to 12th March 1917, which includes the dates when the Battle of Jutland took place, your Grandfather appears to have been serving aboard HMS Eagle, which was a Royal Naval Reserve Training Ship based at Liverpool.

HMS Eagle was launched on 27th February 1804, and became a Training Ship in 1860.

What is interesting, is that in your Grandfather's RN papers, there are 2 entries for HMS Eagle, the first shows his service starting on HMS Eagle on 1st October 1915, with no ending date ? then there is a second entry for HMS Eagle starting on 3rd June 1916 ( 2 days after the Battle of Jutland ) until 12th March 1917.

We know his service on HMS Eagle started on 1st October 1915, is it possible that sometime after 1st October 1915 he transferred to another ship ? which fought at Jutland, with your Grandfather listed as returning to HMS Eagle on 3rd June 1916 ( 2 days after the Battle of Jutland ) ??

Regards,

LF

[gwalchmai]

Interesting stuff. My grandfather was not prone to make things up which leads me to believe he was there but it would be nice to be able to explain the papers difference. Although apparently he is serving on HMS Dove a destroyer while on the Eagle books

Edited 25 November , 2014 by gwalchmai

[rolt968]

I don't have an answer but a couple of interesting observations:

From 5 March 1915 to 30 September 1915 your grandfather seems to have been serving on HMS Tara (the Tara I have found was an armed boarding steamer (formerly Hibernia)). Tara was sunk by U35 in the Mediterranean on 5 November 1915. (Warships of World War 1).

Following both Tara and Eagle (both times) it looks to me as if it says "Nore" in brackets. Could he having come ashore from Tara still be at the Nore, but carried on the books of Eagle?

R.

[gwalchmai]

naval service records gave me the following info

Your grandfather was borne on the books of the depot ships HMS TARA (at Stranraer) and then HMS EAGLE (at Liverpool) while he was serving in the destroyer HMS DOVE. DOVE was mainly employed in the Mersey and Irish Sea and I do not believe she was at Jutland. Similarly, he was borne on the books of HMS VICTORY X (at Portsmouth) while serving in the patrol boat HMS P.45.

[sotonmate]

gwalchmai

DOVE is not on the list of Jutland participants. It's Ship's Log for 1 May to 30 Jun 1916 is at Kew under ADM53/40123.