Meaning of "Despatches"

[johnboy]

From Kelleys Directory 1918 Selsey West Sussex.

Shipwrecked Fishermen & Mariners’ Royal Benevolent Society; Hon. Representatives:-
Major F. R. Leith, The Hermitage
Rev. K. H. MacDermott, The Vicarage
R. Berthon, Halton

[johnboy]

Use Google Earth . Search Selsey

[KevinBattle]

Chichester is on the South Coast of England, slightly east of Portsmouth.

There is a place Selsey on the projection below Chichester into the English Channel. It's possible there is a house once named "Halton" there or there is also a Selsey ROAD running from Chichester to yes, you've guessed....

[johnboy]

If the man I have given is correct Raymond Berthon is shown on 1901 Census as living in Selsey aged 32yrs born in Halton. Cheshire. He may have named a house after his birthplace.

Funnily enough his occupation is Private Genealogist.

[johnboy]

Some other addresses

Raymond T. Berthon (son of Charles Harrison Berthon and Anna Tinne) was born Abt. 1869 in Halton, Cheshire, and died date unknown.
Notes for Raymond T. Berthon:
1871 Census - Piece # RG10/3690; Folio 39; Pages 39 & 40; ED 2; Entry No 185
1881 Census - Piece # RG11/2171; Folio 4; Page 1; ED 1; Entry No 1
1891 Census - Piece # RG12/26; Folio 156; Page 19; ED 46; Entry No 108
1901 Census - Piece # RG13/967; Folio 146; Page 23; ED 12; Entry No 179
More About Raymond T. Berthon:
Occupation: 1901, Private Genealogist.
Residence 1: 1871, Halton Lodge, Halton, Cheshire.
Residence 2: 1881, "Southcombe", Southfield, Paignton, Devon.
Residence 3: 1891, 8 Ladbroke Gardens, London.
Residence 4: 1901, South E Lodge, Selsey, West Sussex.

[johnboy]

From BerthonTribalpages

Rev Edward Lyon Berthon M.A. and Inventor of the Berthon Collapsible Boat, says " My family is
decended from the ' haute nobless' of France. MY Fathers great
grandfather St Pol le Berthon was the only son of the Heguenot Marquis de n Chatellerault who
survived the massacre that followed the revocation of the edits of
Nantes in A.D. 1685. He escaped to Bordeaux and eventually Lisbon ".

Raymond Tinne Berthon who undertook what seems a lifetimes research into the Berthon and related
families , has about 14 Family Pedigree Books deposited with the SOG in London, snippetts of, I
have accessed via the web . He also compiled a Berthon Pedigree, a copy of which I obtained from
the Society of Genealogists, London.

[KevinBattle]

Well done - you certainly have dug deep!

[plajr]

Thank you very much for this excellent information, and especially in pointing out that he entered the Navy at age 13 (on his birthday). In checking the links, I noted that his older brother, Charles, also entered the navy on his 13th birthday. Was that common in the early 20th century in England? These boys (can we even call them "young men") might have been cadets at some naval academy and began their "active" service at age 13 (my speculation, which might be in error).

If I read this forum option correctly, this email may be going directly to KevenBattle and not to the Forum group. If you need to reply directly to me, use this email <<< palbright@wiche.edu >>> Thank you, again.

Well, YOUR Edward Lyon Berthon must be related to a namesake in the 1850's the inventor of Berthons Log and the Berthon Folding Boat...

However, your E L Berthon is more known as Captain of the famous Tribal class destroyer HMS Cossack (when under the command of captain Vian)

BERTHON, EDWARD LYON. Rank: Captain. Date of Death: 23/10/1941. Age :47.

Regiment/Service: Royal Navy H.M.S. Cossack Awards:D S O and Bar, D S C

Panel Reference: Panel 45, Column 1. Memorial: PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL.

Additional Information:Son of Claude T. and Annie Berthon; husband of Doris Marjorie Berthon, of Felpham, Sussex.

from http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4423.html

Ranks: 15 May 1912 Midshipman; 15 Sep 1914 Acting Sub.Lt.; 15 Mar 1915 Sub.Lt.; 15 Sep 1916 Lt.; 15 Sep 1924 Lt.Cdr.; 31 Dec 1929 Cdr.; 30 Jun 1937 Capt.

(so as you surmised, he did stay in the Navy between the Wars.) In fact as he was born on 15 September 1894 he entered the Navy on his 13th birthday 15 September 1907.

See Reference: ADM 196/117/15 Description: Name Berthon, Edward Lyon. Date of Birth: 15 September 1894

Date of Appointment: 15 September 1907; Date: 15 September 1907. Held by: The National Archives, Kew

Decorations: 22 Jun 1917 DSC; (https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30147/supplement/6254/data.pdf )23 Jul 1918 Bar to DSC ;16 Aug 1940 Mentioned in Despatches (MID) 25 Nov 1941 DSO (posthumous)

Warship Commands listed for Edward Lyon Berthon, RN

Ship Rank Type From To

HMS Keith (D 06) Capt. Destroyer 27 May 1940 1 Jun 1940

On 1 June 1940 HMS Keith (Capt. Edward Lyon Berthon, RN, also Commanding officer of the 19th Destroyer Flotilla) was sunk by German Ju87 Stuka dive bombers off Dunkirk, France while she was participating in the evacuaton of the British Expeditionary Force from France. The wreck lies in 23 meters of water in position 51º04'43"N, 02º08'46"E.

HMS Cossack (F 03) Capt. Destroyer 10 Jul 1941 23 Oct 1941.

At the beginning of July 1941, the ships were sent to Plymouth to defend British coastal convoys against raids by German destroyers and E-boats based in Brittany, France. More rapid firepower was needed against the fast moving E-boats so HMS Cossack, HMS Maori, HMS Sikh and HMS Zulu had single 2 pounder guns mounted on each side of the bridge. On 14th July, HMS Cossack, HMS Maori and HMS Sikh arrived in Gibraltar to take part in Operation Substance, the reinforcement of Malta's garrison which was expected to repel an anticipated German airborne assault.

In October 1941, HMS Cossack (Capt. Edward Lyon Berthon, DSO and Bar, DSC, RN) left Gibraltar escorting a slow, UK bound convoy. On the night of the 23rd, she was at the rear of the convoy when a torpedo from U-563 hit forward of the bridge killing Captain Berthon and 158 of his officers and men. A further 29 were injured. Ammunition had exploded; No.1 boiler room was flooding and the survivors abandoned ship using Carley floats. The Commodant Duboc and the Legion picked them up however the Cossack did not sink and was reboarded and towed by the Tug Thames after damage control teams managed to effect repairs, again however due to the worsening weather their efforts were in vain and she foundered on the 27th. Those onboard abandoned ship and were rescued by the Jonquil.

The Berthon name still exists in yachting circles, with a boatyard at Lymington.

[plajr]

Someone posted a map showing Chichester and Selsey. Thank you for that. So my question is:

If the 1915-1917 letters to England from the Berthon's are addressed as follows:

Halton

Selsey

Chichester

in that sequence on the envelopes, then does that mean the house (Halton?) is located in the town/village of Selsey in the town or region (province) of Chichester? Or is the house in the town of Chicester, perhaps on Selsey Way?

Thanks to all with the research assistance, which has been most helpful.

[johnboy]

Written that way

Halton would be the name of the house

Selsey the place name

Chichester the nearest large town or admin district.

It is not in Chichester

The addresses in my post #26 were all in Selsey,

[KevinBattle]

Well, your post didn't come to me as a Private Message and therefore anyone knowing more about the Edwardian Royal Navy is able to chip in.

I'd just say that it seems a common thing for well off parents to have little actual contact with their offspring.They'd have wet nurses, nannies and private tutors and as soon as possible many went into private boarding schools.

In this case, it seems that with the family's previous involvement in designing various apparatus for the Navy, the children went into a Naval Cadet establishment.

Despite Hornblower etc, I don't think midshipmen (the lowest officer rank) were accepted until at least age 16 or older on board ship.

I can search the internet with some ease but have no personal knowledge of things watery....

As Johnboy points out, the family were living in a house named Halton (after their Cheshire origins) in the small town Selsey on the south coast near Chichester, the nearest city.

Zip or post codes didn't exist then, most postmen knew the people on their round well enough to deliver mail even by surname or just the house, no need for a road name.

Despite my initial terse comment, this has been a great learning experience, so thanks!

You'll have to let us know how your research goes.

Incidentally, naval vessels would send despatches including mens personal mail via any British vessel homeward bound or by "packet" boat which would take their packet of reports, despatches and mail. It could therefore take between a few days up to several months depending on how fast or directly the receiving vessel travelled.