mark maskery Posted 24 November , 2018 Share Posted 24 November , 2018 Hi All, following an excellent tv documentary mid week on the battle of Jutland with relative of Admiral Jellicoe, I purchased a photo of Indefatigable survivor John Bowyer. I have managed to obtain a copy of his service paper which states he was taken POW following the sinking, but I am trying to determine if he was immediately taken prisoner by german ship who must have picked him up out of the water or was he picked up by HMS Nestoy which was later sunk, and then taken POW. On the back of the photo it states " photo of John Bowyer signal man hms Indefatigable lent to hms nestoy.." . Does anyone have any further information ? Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 24 November , 2018 Share Posted 24 November , 2018 The account of NESTOR's captain, quoted in Innes McCartney's book (the same man as featured in the documentary) makes it clear that the two INDEFATIGABLE survivors were picked up from the water some time after NESTOR's survivors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 24 November , 2018 Share Posted 24 November , 2018 A previous short thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark maskery Posted 24 November , 2018 Author Share Posted 24 November , 2018 12 minutes ago, seaJane said: A previous short thread Many thanks for both replies. malcolm, I understand that Bowyer was the 3rd survivor having been mistakingly thought to have been a nestor survivor ? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 24 November , 2018 Share Posted 24 November , 2018 Every source I have seen talks of only two survivors - the other man was Frederick Arthur Gordon Elliott J.20187. It seems unlikely that NESTOR's captain would have been mistaken about the number of men picked up or the time. Apart from the time gap, the INDEFATIGABLE and NESTOR also went down some distance (10 miles +) apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark maskery Posted 24 November , 2018 Author Share Posted 24 November , 2018 Hi Malcolm, many thanks for reply. Still a bit of a mystery then - his service papers show him as on indefatigable on day of battle. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 24 November , 2018 Share Posted 24 November , 2018 Hi Mark, Yes, Bowyer's service record show him both aboard INDEFATIGABLE and as a German POW afterwards - Elliott's card also does both, but who is your third man? Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark maskery Posted 25 November , 2018 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2018 Charles Farmer i believe...Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malcolm12hl Posted 25 November , 2018 Share Posted 25 November , 2018 Mark I stand corrected - Leading Signalman Charles Farmer J.8713 was indeed an INDEFATIGABLE survivor captured by the Germans. Indeed it is Farmer's account which has been quoted in several books, most recently McCartney's (which misspells his name as Falmer). It is very interesting that every account I have been able to check says that only two were picked up (by the German destroyer S.16). I suspect that the original mistake was made in one of the earliest accounts, and modern accounts have simply been duplicating it. Thank you for opening my eyes to this interesting footnote to the history of Jutland. Malcolm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark maskery Posted 25 November , 2018 Author Share Posted 25 November , 2018 Hi Malcolm, I see that most sources state that there were 2 survivors but a few quote 3. A search on the internet of Indefatigable survivors brings up one link for Jurgen Prommersberger's book - battles at sea in WW1 - lost battleships which names the 3, as does a few others. Very interesting... Cheers, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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