HMS Bacchante

[Tealeaf]

Can anyone advise on the whereabouts of this ship in February 1919? I am interested because of the headstone (below). This headstone lies in the graveyard of St james, Church kirk, just outside Accrington and is listed on the CWGC site. However, it lies flat in one corner and I do not know whether this is a commemerative stone (having been buried at sea) or does in fact mark his resting place.

I have been able to find out only veryl ittle about this ship. She was involved in giving close support at Gallipoli, 3 of its sister ships were sunk by one German U-boat in the North Sea, and that towards the end of the war she was on station off West Africa.

[Horace Bachelor]

Hello Tealeaf, welcome to the site.

Bacchante was a Cressy class cruiser completed in 1902.

The sister ships to which you refer were Cressy herself, Hogue and Aboukir. They were all sunk in quick succession by U9 on 22/9/14 with very heavy loss of life.

Bacchante was the flagship of the 9th Cruiser Squadron, West Africa based in Sierra Leone 1917-19.

She was paid off in April 1919 and sold in 1920 to Castle, Plymouth.

Cheers

Rich.

[michaeldr]

Just a week later another member of Bacchante’s crew went down

BRISTOW Reginald Stoker 1st Class. K.47221. H.M.S. " Bacchante, Royal Navy. Died Friday 21 February 1919. Age 19. Son of Charles and Alice Bristow, of Fox Common, East Ruston. Buried: EAST RUSTON (ST. MARY) CHURCHYARD, Norfolk, United Kingdom. Ref. GG. 42 See http://www.roll-of-honour.com/Norfolk/EastRuston.html

I wonder if there was an accident on board, or perhaps the ship returned from West Africa with a bug?

Regards

Michael D.R.

[J T Gray]

Sounds like the Influenza to me. I will try to remember to look up the duration of the epidemic over the weekend - prod me Monday if I haven't got back by then. Transferring from Sierra Leone to sunny Blighty in February sounds a mighty good way of going down with something nasty to me.

The CWGC might like to know that the stone is laid down - nowadays councils often seem to lay down stones that they believe are dangerously wobbly, so it may have been laid down deliberately and quite recently.

Adrian

[PhilB]

Since it looks like he died at home, perhaps the Accrington Observer will give details? Phil B

[michaeldr]

Sounds like the Influenza to me.

Adrian

I'd forgotten about the flu

You could well be right there Adrian

Regards

Michael D.R.

[Tealeaf]

Thanks for the replies, everybody.

It's still a bit of a mystery, though. I will check the Accrington Observer next time I'm back in Accrington. I suppose my immeadiate question would be "if Eastwood and his crewmate Bristow did succumb to the Great Flu, while their ship was in port, then would that gain them a CWGC headstone? I would suppose that an incident on board ship (I notice that Bristow was a stoker....possibly a boiler room explosion) would however, lead to CWGC headstone.

I don't know what the jurisdiction of the council over the churchyard is, but about 15 years ago a young girl was killed there by a falling headstone and hence quite a large number are now laid flat.

[kin47]

Hello

BACCHANTE had 13 ratings die in the pandemic between 10 February and 23 March 1919. It sounds like a lot, but many ships had considerably more.

don

[Tealeaf]

Thanks Don....you would'nt happen to know where the ship was in February and March? I would assume she was in port somewhere within the UK for the lads to be buried here and not at sea.

[kin47]

Hello

Not a precise answer I am afraid. Three of the ratings were buried at Gillingham Woodlands, but the rest all over the area, none in the same cemetary. This points to BACCHANTE being in the Chatham area. The three at Gillingham probably died in the R.N. Hospital there and the rest perhaps at home.

Hope this gives you a clue.

don

[Tealeaf]

Thanks again, Don.....it sounds very much like she was in Chatham. I would suppose the wider question now is if Eastwood and Bristow did die at home (on shore leave) from the Great Spanish Flu, how does the cause of death come withing the criteria of being allocated a CWGC headstone? I really don't know the rules on that...it's a different topic and I'll have to look what has already been written/discussed. Of course, if they died on board ship it makes it marginally easier to understand.

[kin47]

Hello Tealeaf

To get CWG commemoration, their deaths had

To still be on active service. You see a lot of people being demob'd and died within a few weeks. These aren't commemorated. One excellent example is an RND rating who served through the war and died at home only days after discharged.

Their deaths were a proximate cause (or direct) of their war service.

There's more to commemoration than this, but this is a good thumbnail.

don