Category Archives: killed in action

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, killed in action, photography, Royal Air Force, Second Lieutenant, story, Surrey, war, Wiltshire

Second Lieutenant Henry Fleming

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Second Lieutenant Henry Fleming

On Tuesday morning another member of the Royal Flying Corps, Second Lieutenant Henry Roland Fleming, lost his life at Upavon. Lieutenant Fleming, who was 28 years of age, and married, having his home at Ripley, Surrey, was attached to the Central Flying School early last month, having volunteered for service on the outbreak of war, joining the Special Reserve Air Service. Nearly four years ago he gained the Aero Club’s certificate at Brooklands, but for nearly two years prior to the outbreak of war had not practiced aviation. On Tuesday morning the conditions were very favourable for flying, and the deceased’s flight was watched by Major Webb-Bowen, assistant commandant at the school, and Captain Stopford, who was flying at the same time. Lieutenant Fleming was about 1200ft [365m] up when the attitude of his machine first attracted the attention of the officers. They noticed it dive in an almost vertical position, after which it turned over on its back and glided for some distance upside down. Then it turned its nose to ground again, and from a height of some 450 feet [137m] dived straight into the earth. Death was instantaneous. The officers found Mr Fleming dead in the remains of the machine, with the strap broke in the fall still about his waist. Medical examination showed that he had dislocated his neck and fractured his skull. Lieutenant Fleming, who comes from a well-known family, was one of the first in the country to take up aviation. His father went through the Crimean Campaign in the 4th Irish Dragoon Guards, and a brother was killed in the South African War.

Salisbury and Winchester Journal: Saturday 28th November 1914

Henry Roland Fleming was born in the summer of 1884 in Farnham, Surrey. There is scant information about his early life, but the 1911 census recorded him as boarding at the New Inn in Amesbury, Wiltshire, where he was employed as an aviator.

Henry gained his wings on the 25th April 1911 – shortly after the census – flying a Bristol biplane. He married Ivy Wyness-Stuart, a widow six years his senior, in the spring of 1913, but after this, the couple’s trail goes cold.

When war broke out, Henry stepped up to play his part. He gained a commission to the Royal Flying Corps and, once again found himself based on Salisbury Plain. Tragically it was only a matter of months because the fatal accident.

While his widow was living in Surrey, her Henry Roland Fleming was laid to rest in Amesbury Cemetery, not far from airfield where he had developed his flying skills.

Second Lieutenant Henry Fleming
(from findagrave.com)
accident, Canada, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, killed in action, photography, Royal Air Force, Second Lieutenant, story, United States of America, war, Wiltshire

Second Lieutenant Forrest Evans

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Second Lieutenant Forrest Evans

The life of Forrest Dinnett Evans is a challenge to uncover, although his service records shed tantalising glimpses into his history.

Forrest enlisted in the Canadian Royal Flying Corps on 8th August 1917. He joined up in Toronto, Canada, but gave his address as 26 Leicester Drive, Boston, Massachusetts.The same document gives his middle names as Dennett, and that his father was called George William Evans. It also suggests that both men were British subjects. While it’s not clear when the Evans family moved to North America, there are no UK census or birth records for either man.

Forrest was 19 years 9 months old when he enlisted and stood 5ft 10ins (1.77m) tall. He gave his trade as an student aviation cadet. He was mobilised straight away, and sent to Britain. His time in the Canadian Royal Flying Corps came to an end on 18th December 1917, when he received a commission in the Royal Flying Corps.

Second Lieutenant Evans, as he was now known, was based at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire. It was here, on 27th March 1918, that he was in charge of an Armstrong Whitworth FK8 two-seater biplane. Shortly after take off, the aircraft span into the ground: Forrest was killed instantly. He was 20 years of age.

With his family overseas, Forrest Dinnett Evans was laid to rest in Amesbury Cemetery, just a few miles from Boscombe Down.

accident, Carpenter's Crewman, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, Kent, killed in action, photography, Royal Navy, Scotland, Shipwright, story, war

Shipwright 1st Class Thomas Collins

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Shipwright 1st Class Thomas Collins

Thomas Collins was born in the Blackfriars area of Glasgow on 12th March 1877. His was a common name, and it is a challenge to find identify much about his early life. He did, however, have a brother called Andrew, and, when he finished his schooling, he found work as a carpenter and joiner.

Thomas sought new opportunities and, on 21st January 1899, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. Working as a Carpenter’s Crew, he was initially assigned to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Barracks in Devonport, Devon. His service records show that he was 5ft 5ins (1,65m) tall, with dark brown hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion.

Devonport was to become Thomas’ base, but, over the twelve years of his initial navy contract, he went on to serve on eight separate vessels. He records suggest that he was good at what he did, and his moved up through the ranks as a result. However, he seemed to have another side to him, which occasionally revealed itself.

Thomas was promoted to Leading Carpenter’s Crew on 19th December 1901, but what had been noted as a very good character seemed to take a downturn at this point. He was committed to cells for two weeks in January/February 1903, while serving on HMS Highflyer, with an incident leading to his demotion to Carpenter’s Crew once more. This also appears to match with a drop in his character: noted as Very Good in his reviews of 1899 to 1901, he slipped to Good in 1902 and fair in 1903 and 1904.

His imprisonment seems to have been the shake up Thomas needed. From here on in, his character was consistently recorded as Very Good and, by August 1909, he had regained the rank of Leading Carpenter’s Crew. There was, however, a serious blip in this good behaviour, noted in his service records:

This man was tried for the manslaughter of Richard Ernest Bell, blacksmith, on [illegible date], who died from injuries received in a fight with Collins on HMS Cambridge. Verdict of Jury at Assizes: “Not guilty”. Judge in summing up stated that he considered Collins was technically guilty of manslaughter.

Thomas had been on the mess deck of HMS Cambridge on 26th August 1905, when he became embroiled in a fight with Petty Officer Bell. Medical evidence showed that Bell died as a result of a blow behind his ear, the punch delivered by Leading Carpenter’s Crew Collins. While it seems likely that he unintentionally caused the Petty Officer’s death, he was cleared by the jury, and remained assigned to HMS Cambridge until November 1905.

Thomas’ initial term of service came to an end on 20th January 1911, and he had no hesitation in re-enlisting. On board HMS St George at the time, his new contract brought with it the rank of Shipwright 2nd Class. Over the next five years, he served on four more ships, and rose a rank to Shipwright 1st Class.

On 8th January 1916, Thomas married Flora Peacock. Little information is available about here, although the wedding took place in Harwich, Essex. Thomas was serving on board the cruiser HMS Conquest by this point, and was based out of the Royal Naval Dockyard in Chatham, Kent.

On Tuesday evening, March 28th, a cutter belonging to HMS Conquest, which was taking forty liberty men off to the ship, was caught in a blizzard and nothing was seen or heard of her again till the morning, when she was found cast up on shore many miles away. All hands were drowned.

The cutter was being towed out by a steam-launch. The hawser broke and the boat drifted away ad capsized.

Westerham Herald: Saturday 8th April 1916

Shipwright 1st Class Thomas Collins was one of those lost from the cutter. He had not long turned 39 years of age. He was laid to rest in the Roman Catholic section of Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, not far from the dockyard at which he had been based.

Thomas’ headstone incorrectly gives his surname as Collings.

Canada, Canadian Infantry, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, illness, killed in action, Leading Stoker, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, Stoker, story, United States of America, war

Stoker Petty Officer Charles Lavis

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Stoker Petty Officer Charles Lavis

Charles Walter Lavis was born in Iowa, USA, on 2nd April 1888. The second of eleven children, his parents were James and Martha Lavis. The only census record Charles appears from – the return from 1901 – shows that James was an agricultural labourer from Long Sutton in Somerset. The family’s move to America seemed not to have lasted for long – Charles’ immediate siblings – Mabel, who was two years older, and George who was two years younger – were both born in Long Sutton.

Charles was drawn to a life of adventure and, on 11th April 1906, he enlisted in the Royal Navy. His service records confirm that he was 5ft 5ins (1,65m) tall, with brown hair grey eyes and a fresh complexion. As a Stoker 2nd Class, he was initially sent to the training ship HMS Nelson, before moving to what would become his shore base, HMS Victory, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire.

Over the next year, Charles serves on HMS Hecla and HMS King Edward VII, where, on 17th May 1907, he was promoted to Stoker 1st Class. He remained on the King Edward VII for more than four years, before returning to Portsmouth in August 1911.

Back on shore, Stoker 1st Class Lavis was promoted to Leading Stoker, and spent the next nine months training for the role at HMS Fisgard, also in Portsmouth. He spent six months on the battleship HMS Revenge, before moving again to another battleship, HMS Britannia.

Charles spent two years on the Britannia, and it was while assigned to her that he got married. He wed Bessie Patten on 31st May 1914 in Martock, Somerset: the couple would go on to have a daughter, Eileen, who was born the following April.

It was while Charles was serving on HMS Britannia that was broke out. In November 1914, he returned to Victory for further training and, in the spring of 1915, he was promoted to Stoker Petty Officer.

Over the next three years, Charles served on three more vessels, before finally returning to Portsmouth in April 1918. The reason for his return was because of his health, and he was soon admitted to the Royal Naval Hospital in Haslar, Gosport, suffering from tuberculosis of the neck. The condition necessitated an operation, but Stoker Petty Office Lavis was not to survive the procedure. He suffered from heart failure, and died on 2nd May 1918. He had not long turned 30 years of age.

Charles Walter Lavis was taken back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the quiet graveyard of All Saints’ Church in Martock.

Records suggest that the Lavis family could not settle. Passenger lists from March 1912, show James and Martha travelling with nine children to Portland, Maine, before moving on to Huron in Ontario. James was still recorded as being a farm labourer, so it seems that opportunities for the family were better in North America than in Britain.

When war broke out, citizens of the Commonwealth were called upon to play their part and, despite being under age, Charles’ younger brother Arthur, stepped up to serve. Details of his time in the army are scarce, but he was assigned to the 14th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry. His troop set sail for Britain in October 1914: Arthur was just 14 years old at this point, and had lied when he joined up, giving his date of birth as 20th May 1897.

Private Arthur Lavis was in France by August 1916, taking up position on the Front Line at Coucelette. They met heavy troops, even before a full offensive got underway on 16th September. Ninety-two soldiers from the 14th Battalion were killed during the attack, Arthur included. He was just 16 years old, and his remains were never recovered. He is commemorated on the Vimy Memorial in France.

Captain, Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, history, killed in action, Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire Yeomanry, photography, Somerset, story, war

Captain Sir Thomas Trollope, Baron Kesteven

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Captain Sir Thomas Trollope, Baron Kesteven

Official intimation has been received of the death of Capt. Lord Kesteven, of the Lincolnshire Yeomanry, who sailed for the Balkans last week. Sir Thomas Carew Trollope… third Baron Kesteven, who was born in May 1891, was the only son of the late Hon. Robert Cranmer Trollope and the Hon. Mrs Trollope, of Crowcombe Court, Taunton, and was educated at Eton. He succeeded to the barony on the death of his uncle, the second Baron, in July last. He joined the Lincolnshire Yeomanry about six years ago, when his uncle was Colonel of the regiment, and was gazetted Captain in October 1914. He had seen service in France during the present war, being attached to Jacob’s Horse, Indian Cavalry, until he succeeded to the title. Lord Kesteven was unmarried, and the title becomes extinct, but the baronetcy goes to Mr William Henry Trollope.

Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette: Saturday 13th November 1915

Thomas Carew Trollope was born in Middlesex, London on 1st May 1891. He was the younger of two children to Robert and Ethel Trollope, whose main residence was Crowcombe Court in Somerset.

Thomas was destined for great things. The 1901 census recorded him as being a boarder at Naish House Preparatory School in Wraxall, Somerset, while his older sister, Dorothy, remained at home with their parents and ten live-in servants.

Ten years later, and on his way to being prepared for the barony, Thomas was living with his uncle, John Trollope, the Baron Kesteven, at his estate, Casewick, in Uffington, Lincolnshire.

On the 5th November 1915, on Thomas’ journey to the Balkans, the ship he was on, the SS Mercian, was shelled by U-Boat SM U-38. After more than an hour being bombarded, the Mercian escaped. By that time, however, 78 men were wounded, 23 were killed, and 22 troops and eight crew members were missing. The Mercian managed to dock at Oran, Algeria, and those killed were either buried at sea or in the city’s cemetery.

Captain Sir Thomas Carew Trollope was also killed: he was just 24 years of age. It is unclear whether Thomas’ body was brought back to Britain or was buried in Oran, but the family plot includes a memorial to him.

A memorial service was held in the Church of the Holy Ghost, Crowcombe, on Monday 15th November 1915, the villagers commemorating the untimely passing of their favourite “Mr Tom Trollope”.

Captain Sir Thomas Trollope, Baron Kesteven
(from findagrave.com)
Able Seaman, Boy, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Gloucestershire, Great War, history, killed in action, Leading Seaman, Ordinary Seaman, Petty Officer, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, story, Suffolk, war

Petty Officer Thomas Slade

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Petty Officer Thomas Slade

Thomas Charles Slade was born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, on 13th March 1880. One of twins, he and his sibling Ernest were two of nine children to Charles and Elizabeth Slade. Not long after the twins were born, the family had moved to Minehead, Somerset, where both Charles, who was a mason and bricklayer, and Elizabeth had hailed from.

Whilst Ernest seemed content to remain in Somerset – going on to become a poultry farmer – Thomas sought a life of adventure. Foregoing his gardening job, he enlisted in the Royal Navy, setting his sights on a life at sea.

Thomas’ service records show that he joined up on 12th November 1895. He stood just 5ft 2ins (1.57cm) tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and a ruddy complexion. As he was to young to formally join up, he was give the rank of Boy 2nd Class, and sent to HMS Impregnable, the shore-based training establishment in Devonport, Devon.

Boy Slade seemed to create a good impression. He was promoted to Boy 1st Class in July 1896, and the follow February was given his first posting, on board the battleship HMS Benbow. This was the ship he was serving on when he turned 18 and, having come of age, he was officially inducted into the navy, and given the rank of Ordinary Seaman.

And so began a glittering career for young Thomas. Over the twelve years of his contract, he served on nine different ships, returning to HMS Vivid – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Devonport – between voyages.

Small in stature, Thomas appears to have been a dedicated young man. His annual reviews noted his character was ‘very good’ every year, and his ability was either ‘very good’, ‘superior’, or ‘excellent’. He was promoted to Able Seaman in September 1898, just eighteen months after becoming an Ordinary Seaman. By June 1906 he rose in rank again, ending his initial term of service as a Leading Seaman.

Thomas was not done with the navy yet, however. He immediately re-enlisted and, over the ensuing years served on a further four vessels. He spent more and more time on board HMS Defiance, the torpedo and mining school ship in Devonport. Whether this was because he was being taught, or was supporting incoming students is unclear, but by September 1912, he had been promoted again.

In November 1915, the now Petty Officer Slade had moved to the depot ship HMS Dido. His new posting supported the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla in the North Sea, patrolling the waters off the East Anglian coast. In February 1917 he moved to another of the support vessels, HMS Sturgeon.

In June 1917, a mine exploded on board, injuring a number of the crew, including Petty Officer Slade. The wounded were transferred to a hospital near Ipswich, and it was here that Thomas was to pass away. The only one of those caught up in the incident to die, he was 37 years of age.

Thomas Charles Slade was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the sweeping Minehead Cemetery, close to the grave of his mother, Elizabeth, who had passed away nine years before.

Thomas’ headstone also includes an inscription to Roy Thomas Allen, who died six months after him. Roy was the young son of Thomas’ younger sister Emily: an uncle and nephew reunited.

Additional, Commonwealth War Graves, East Surrey Regiment, Essex, Great War, Hampshire, history, killed in action, Lance Corporal, photography, Private, story, Surrey, war

Lance Corporal Henry Rowell

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Henry Edward Rowell was born on 22nd May 1898 in Southwark, Surrey. One of five siblings, of whom only three survived childhood, his parents were Henry and Jane Rowell. Henry Sr was a bricklayer’s labourer from Southwark, and the family were brought up in a small terraced house on Brandon Street, Walworth.

When he finished his schooling, Henry Jr found work as a turner’s improver but, when war came to Europe, he was called upon to play his part. He enlisted on 29th May 1915, and, as a Private, was attached to the 12th (Service) Battalion (Bermondsey) of the East Surrey Regiment. His service records tell a little of the man he was, confirming that he stood 5ft 3.5ins (1.61m) tall, and suggesting that he gave his age a 19 years old (he was just 16 at the time).

Henry seemed to have made an impression on his superiors as, in early October, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. His early service was based on home soil, primarily in Witney, Surrey.

In December 1915, Henry was temporarily released from military duty for munitions work. Sent to work for the engineering company Peter Hooker Ltd, in Walthamstow, Essex, Lance Corporal Rowell was to remain here for the next four months. On 25th March 1916, however, he was called back to service, as his battalion readied itself to move from its base, by that point in Aldershot, Hampshire, to Northern France.

Lance Corporal Rowell found himself in the thick of things very quickly. From 1st July, the 12th Battalion was caught up in the Battle of the Somme, and he remained entrenched there for the next couple of months.

On 15th September 1916, the British launched an attack on the German front line at Flers-Courcelette, mid-way between Albert and Bapaume. Lance Corporal Rowell was involved in the battle, which lasted until the end of the month, and was cut down on the very first day. He was just 18 years of age.

Henry Edward Rowell was laid to rest in the Bulls Road Cemetery in Flers, Picardie.

Henry Edward Rowell was my paternal grandmother’s first cousin.

Commonwealth War Graves, Gloucestershire, Great War, Gunner, history, illness, killed in action, photography, Royal Field Artillery, Somerset, story, war

Gunner Stanley Parry

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Gunner Stanley Parry

Stanley William Parry was born in the spring of 1890 in St George’s on the outskirts of Bristol, Gloucestershire. One of four children to Herbert and Susannah Parry, Stanley was a twin to brother Roland. Herbert was a commercial clerk for a chemical manufacturer, and this afforded the Parry boys a level of education, with both Roland and Stanley attended the Colston Endowed School in Bristol.

Tragically, Susannah had died when Stanley and Roland were just 3 years old: their younger brother, Wilfred, had died the year before, when just a babe-in-arms. By the time of the 1911 census, Herbert had moved the family to Portishead. He was still working as a clerk, while both of the twins were employed as insurance clerks. Their older brother, Edwin, was also a clerk, in the docks at Bristol, and Herbert had employed a live-in housekeeper, Mary Govier, to look after him and his sons.

When war came to Europe, both Stanley and Roland enlisted. The two of them joined the Royal Field Artillery as Gunners. While full service records are not available, Stanley was assigned to the 40th Trench Mortar Battery, while Roland became attached to A Battery of the 240th Brigade.

Stanley was serving in France in the summer of 1916, when he became ill.

The funeral took place on Saturday afternoon, at Portishead Cemetery, of Gunner Stanley Wm Parry, who… died at Mile End Hospital, London, on September 19th. The deceased, who was 27 years of age, was always somewhat delicate in health, but was anxious to serve his King and country, and joined the [Royal Field Artillery]. He was brought to London from France on the previous Saturday suffering from enteritis, and although he lived until his father reached him, he died shortly after. He was the third son of Mr HC Parry… whose two other sons are also serving, one in France and the other in Egypt.

Bristol Times and Mirror: Monday 25th September 1916

Gunner Stanley William Parry was laid to rest in Portishead Cemetery, just a short distance from the family home.

Gunner Stanley Parry
(from findagrave.com)

Roland continued to serve his country in France, but tragedy was to strike the family once more.

Mr HC Parry… has received the sad intelligence that his son, Rowland G Parry [sic], of the [Royal Field Artillery], was killed in action on the 17th September. A letter from deceased’s officer stated that Gunner Parry was returning to the battery when a shell burst on the track, killing deceased instantaneously, death being absolutely painless. The letter further states that Gunner Parry had been a very valuable member of the battery, and will be missed by them all. Gunner Parry was the second of Mr Parry’s three sons to lay down his life in the great fight, a twin brother having died in a military hospital in London last year. The other son, the eldest, is serving in Palestine.

Bristol Times and Mirror: Saturday 29th September 1917

Roland George Parry was 28 years of age when he died. He was laid to rest in the Vlamertinghe New Military Semetery, in Ypres.

Gunner Roland Parry
(from findgrave.com)

Herbert Parry passed away in the summer of 1920, at the age of 62. He had outlived three of his sons, as well as being a widower for 27 years. He was laid to rest in Portishead Cemetery with his son Stanley.

Edwin Parry, Stanley and Roland’s older brother, had returned from the First World War by the summer of 1919. He resumed his work as a clerk at the docks in Bristol, and married schoolteacher Annie Homewood in August 1919. They went on to have three children, Barbara, Gwladys and Roland. Edwin died in September 1959, at the age of 71 years old.

accident, Commonwealth War Graves, Devon, Great War, history, killed in action, Middlesex, photography, Royal Navy, Somerset, Stoker, story, war

Stoker 1st Class Phillip Clemett

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Stoker 1st Class Phillip Clemett

Phillip George Clemett was born on 5th December 1891, one of eight children to Albert and Mary Jane Clemett. Albert was a carpenter from Devon, Mary Jane came from Somerset, but by the time Phillip was born, the family had moved to Fulham in Middlesex.

The 1911 census records the family as having moved back to Somerset. Mary Jane had been born in the village of Huntspill, and it was here that the Clemetts returned. Albert was now working as a farmer, so it is possible that they had moved to work on the family farm.

Labouring was not a job to satisfy Phillip, though, and he sought a career on the high seas. On 3rd February 1913, he enlisted in the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class. His service records show that he was 5ft 4ins (1.63m) tall, with brown hair, brown eyes and a fresh complexion.

Stoker Clemett’s was initially sent to HMS Vivid, the Royal Naval Dockyard in Plymouth, Devon. Here he received a few months’ training, before being given his first posting, on board the battleship HMS Indefatigable. He remained on board for the next fifteen months, gaining a promotion to Stoker 1st Class in the process.

Over the next couple of years, Phillip served on a couple more vessels, but on 11th February 1917 he was assigned to the submarine HMS C16. Stoker Clemetts was on board for a couple of months, as she was patrolling off the Essex coast. On 16th April 1917, the C16 was accidentally rammed by the destroyer HMS Melampus. She sank to the bottom and a couple of attempts were made for the crew to escape, but they became trapped and all perished, including Stoker 1st Class Clemetts. He was 25 years of age.

Contemporary newspaper reports give little detail about the accident – stating simply that Phillip ‘perished at sea’ [Western Daily Press – Tuesday 01 May 1917] His service documents are equally cagy about the incident, confirming jus that he ‘lost his life on duty.’ The records, however, show that on each of his five annual reviews, his character was noted as ‘very good’, while his ability was ‘superior’.

When the submarine was salvaged, Phillip George Clemett’s body was brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful graveyard of St Peter’s Church in Huntspill.

Commonwealth War Graves, Great War, Hampshire, history, killed in action, London, Ordinary Seaman, photography, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, Somerset, Spain, story, war

Ordinary Seaman Herbert Fry

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Ordinary Seaman Herbert Fry

Herbert Austin Fry was born on 30th January 1889 in the Somerset village of Moorlinch. He was the fifth of ten children and his parents were Joseph and Ellen Fry. Joseph was a farmer, and by the time Herbert was just two years old, the family had moved to Sutton Farm, in nearby Sutton Mallet.

The whole family chipped in to play their part on the farm, and, even before he finished his schooling, this was something that Herbert was also destined to do.

When war came to Europe, Herbert was keen to play his part. He enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 7th September 1916 as an Ordinary Seaman. His service records give a hint as to the young man he had become: he was 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall, with sandy hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion.

Ordinary Seaman Fry was initially sent to HMS Victory – the Royal Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth, Hampshire – for training. Over the next year, he was given two sea-going postings, before returning to HMS President in London in September 1917.

On 31st October, Herbert boarded SS Dunrobin, a merchant ship. Having sailed to Almeria in Spain, she was returning to Britain, with a cargo of iron ore and grapes. On 24th November 1917, while 49 miles (79km) south-west of The Lizard in Cornwall, the Dunrobin was torpedoed by a German submarine. She sunk, and 31 lives – including that of Ordinary Seaman Fry – were lost. Herbert was 28 years of age.

Herbert Austin Fry’s body was recovered and brought back to Somerset for burial. He was laid to rest in the peaceful Sutton Mallet Churchyard.