Surviving the loss of three different Pre-Dreadnoughts

[Malcolm12hl]

I have come across the record of a R.N. rating who was something of a Jonah, surviving the sinking of three different Pre-Dreadnoughts.  LEONARD PERCY ALLEN J.26225 joined the Navy on 14 August 1913 at the age of 17 and was posted three months later to H.M.S. IRRESISTIBLE.  He was still with her when she was mined and sunk in the ill-fated attack on the Dardanelles on 18 March 1915.  He was then posted to H.M.S. CORNWALLIS, serving on her until she was torpedoed and sunk by U 32 near Malta on 9 January 1917.  After a series of shore postings, he joined H.M.S. BRITANNIA in May 1918, and was still on board when she fell victim to UB 50 just two days before the Armistice.  His luck, if luck it can be called, ran out to a certain extent this time as he has been recorded as wounded in action "slightly gassed", although even here he was more fortunate than many, as just over 40 men were killed, mostly as a result of flash from a fire in a 9.2 inch magazine.  He was invalided out of the service in June 1919.  I wonder how unusual his experience was...

[Martin Bennitt]

The Lords of the Admiralty were clearly aware of his maleficent powers by never posting him to their newer ships .

 

Cheers Martin B

 

[David Filsell]

Reminds me of the old story about Mountbatten who, after the loss of his ship, the third from memory. Churchill apparently said words to the effect, "For God's sake, don't give him another ship, he'll only loose it". MB went on to head Combined Operations and the Debacle which was Dieppe!

[tootrock]

Midshipman Wenman Wykeham-Musgrave was serving on HMS Aboukir wheb she was torpedoed on 22 September 1914.

" He went overboard when the Aboukir was going down and he swam like mad to get away from the suction. He was then just getting on board the Hogue and she was torpedoed. He then went and swam to the Cressy and she was also torpedoed. He eventually found a bit of driftwood, became unconscious and was eventually picked up by a Dutch trawler. "

Three sinkings within one hour!

He survived the war.

 

Martin

[Kimberley John Lindsay]

Dear Martin,

Thanks for that.

What a magnificent name: (Midshipman) Wenman Wykeham-Musgrave, RN (?)...

The rest of his life/career was quite possibly an anticlimax ('peaked early', etc.)!

Kindest regards,

Kim.

[seaJane]

Known as Kit for short.

[michaeldr]

The Aboukir's Ship's Carpenter, R. McWhirter, also survived the three sinkings

 

Picture borrowed from The Great War by John Terraine, Wordsworth Military Library edition

[Felix C]

Among merchant ships I read of  skippers who were sunk and rescued on multiple occasions. 

What where Mountbatten's other ships? Kelly and ?? 

Bernard Montgomery is also attributed as saying something uncomplimentary about Mountbatten and his multiple sinkings.

Edited 16 January , 2019 by Felix C