LEATHERHEAD WAR MEMORIALS - WWI
Ordinary Seaman Ernest John Rowe
HMS Natal, Royal Navy
Taken, Not Given, Liam Sumption, L&DLHS
Seaman
Ernest J Rowe
HMS Natal
Invergordon [sic]
Jan 11 1916 [sic]
According to the Parish magazine of in May 1915 (1) Ernest Rowe was
already serving aboard HMS Natal. His ship was an armoured cruiser of
13,500 tons armed with 9.2" guns and was built in 1905. She was powerful
warship.
At 7.50 p.m. on 30 December 1915, the Commander-in-Chief
(C-in-C) of the Grand Fleet sent the following telegram to the
Admiralty:
"Regret to report that NATAL in Cromarty
harbour was reported on fire today 30th. Explosion followed. She turned
over and sank in a few minutes. Accident may be internal explosion. 200
saved, or possibly more." (2)
Though HMS Natal exploded on 30 December 1915, the War Memorial gives
the date of the death of Ernest Rowe as 'Jan 11 1916'. This might be
because he died from injuries on that date or else it was the date of
identification of his remains. [CWGC says 30 December]
Though 14 officers and 380 men survived, another 404 perished with their
ship. Of the survivors, however, 11 officers and 130 men were either on
leave or ashore. It had been a terrible disaster.
Her commander, Captain EPC Back RN, his wife, the wives of several other
officers and some visiting nursing sisters had also died in the
explosion. The ladies had been invited on board to watch a film show in
the wardroom.
In his report of the loss, the C-in-C stated that initial reaction,
after interviewing survivors, was that the aft 9.2" shell magazine had
probably exploded simultaneously. Subsequently concern was also
expressed at the enquiry regarding the quality of small arms ammunition
manufactured in Japan.
In his despatch, Vice-Admiral Calthorpe, the senior officer locally,
provided the Admiralty with a more graphic description of the loss of
NATAL. This was because the C-in-C was at Scapa Flow at the material
time.
Calthorpe wrote:
"From the examination of witnesses it appears
that the first event which attracted attention to the Natal at about 3.20
p.m. was a puff of white smoke rising near or immediately before the
mainmast as high as the tops of the funnels. Very shortly afterwards
flames shot up above of the mainmast to a great height with a rumbling
noise not unlike rolling thunder or a prolonged salvo of guns. This was
immediately followed by a dense volume of yellow brown smoke."
The explosion must have been enormous, because divers reported that the
ship's back had been broken. The C-in-C, on 4 Jan 1916, relaying the
substance of the divers reports said, "there is a lot of loose cordite,
size 37, sticking in the rents in the ship's bottom by the 9.2" magazine.
One of these sticks had burnt away (from outside the circumference).
He also stated "there is a lot of loose 3 pounder shells, broken boxes of
9.2" shell, and 9.2" cordite cases lying about inside the ship and outside
of it."
There was also a minor but sombre happening.
The body of Musician C.H. Hodge was found in a the boat secured astern of
the NATAL. He was carrying a letter to Captain Back, the deceased
commander of the ship. However Admiral Jellicoe, the C-in-C, suggested
that this fact not be made public (2) in case it led to relatives thinking
that it was his remains which had been found.
The subsequent enquiry which was held at Chatham, NATAL's home port, was
exhaustive. Each survivor was traced to where he was at the time of the
explosion and asked to give an account of his experience. One who was
sought was the marine sweeper of the after turret, but he was amongst
those missing.
The eventual verdict was that faulty cordite had destroyed the ship.
The loss of a warship by accident was fortunately an uncommon event either
during hostilities or in peacetime. However besides British losses, one
Russian, two Japanese and four Italian warships had 'blown up' at their
anchorages. (3)
However, what worried the British was the fact that the loss of NATAL had
been preceded by that of HMS BULWARK in almost identical circumstances.
BULWARK had exploded on 26 November 1914 in
the Medway with the loss of 738 officers and men. The loss of this
pre-dreadnought built in 1899 has been attributed to a magazine explosion.
She was a sister ship of LONDON, one of Admiral Bayley's squadron,
mentioned in connection with the loss of HMS FORMIDABLE.
The loss of BULWARK and NATAL might have been blamed on a dreadful
coincidence, though suspicions had been aroused. However, on 19 July 1917,
HMS VANGUARD, a modern dreadnought built as recently as 1909, blew up in
Scapa Flow with the loss of another 804 valuable lives.Coincidence was now
no longer a tenable opinion.
Additionally there had been a fourth lethal explosion in a British
harbour. On 27 May 1915 HMS PRINCESS IRENE, a Canadian Pacific liner
converted for minelaying, had blown up at Sheerness, not far from the
remains of BULWARK, with the loss of another 107 officers and men. However
her cargo of mines in this instance had been the cause of her loss.
The destruction of HMS VANGUARD had been blamed on 'faulty ammunition'.
But what had caused the ammunition aboard BULWARK, NATAL and VANGUARD to
explode? Two accidents could be coincidence, but the third? Could it for
instance have been sabotage?
The destruction of all four ships including PRINCESS IRENE has been very
closely analysed by Philip McDougall in his detached and penetrating study
in his book MYSTERIES OF THE HIGH SEAS.(4)
He puts forward a very persuasive case, that the loss of BULWARK, NATAL
and VANGUARD was in each case attributable to the overheating of the
cordite in badly ventilated magazines. Once this explosive overheated it
erupted. Another factor was the design of at least one of the ships -
there was no impediment to the flash travelling from one magazine to
another.
Naturally Mr. McDougall discusses the possibility of sabotage and brings
out that one dockyard ordnance fitter had been employed on board both
NATAL and VANGUARD, and that he had come under suspicion. However, he
appears to discount the fitter's complicity in the loss of the two ships.
For what it is worth the present writer would give the fitter at least
'non-proven' for one very good reason. But first the weight of the case
against the fitter is lessened by the fact that he had no connection with
BULWARK.
Assuming that a saboteur placed an infernal device in the magazine of the
warship, he would want to be well away from the explosion when it took
place. Also he would want to allow for a margin of error in the timing
device.
However, at Scapa Flow, the battleships, in both world wars, lay in what
was in effect a large inland lake. Access to the land is difficult, and
has to be made by authorised ferries or ships' boats. It could easily
happen that owing to the exigencies of the service, a ferry could be
cancelled or delayed. This would be very obvious to a dockyard employee.
Nevertheless a mystery remains. When at the P.R.O. the author looked up
the index of files in connection with the loss of NATAL. One was File
116//1538 which was requisitioned. This prompted the information that this
file had been subsumed into File 178/123 on 11 June 1969. When this latter
file was requisitioned , the author was informed that the file was not
available members of the public! A period of 77 years had elapsed since
the loss of HMS NATAL.
Very possibly this missing file contains the transcript of the
court-martial following the loss of NATAL, as suggested in the letter
which the R.N. Museum, Portsmouth is sent to me, and which has already
been quoted. (3)
So after 77 years there is still a lingering mystery over just what caused
the death of Ernest Rowe.
Notes on sources
1. List in Parish magazine of St Mary and St Nicholas Leatherhead, issue
of May 1915 (courtesy of Mr L Anstee of the parish).
2. File ADM 137/3606 Loss of HMS NATAL - Public Record Office,
Kew,Richmond.
3. The information and material details regarding the loss of HMS BULWARK,
PRINCESS IRENE, NATAL and VANGUARD, and the Russian, Japanese, and Italian
warships is contained in a very helpful letter from the R.N. Museum
Portsmouth reference number 465/91 dated 20 August 1991. The observation
regarding the cargo of mines being responsible for the loss of PRINCESS
IRENE is that of the author.
4. MYSTERIES OF THE HIGH SEAS by Philip McDougall, published by
David Charles, Newton Abbot and London. (This book is very well worth
reading for those interested in Maritime affairs).
Further research
Ordinary
Seaman
ROWE, ERNEST JOHN
Service Number J/23223
Died 30/12/1915
Aged 18
H.M.S. "Natal."
Royal Navy
Son of E. J. and E. L. Rowe, of 72, Jubilee St., Plymouth.
Commemorated at CHATHAM
NAVAL MEMORIAL
Location: Kent, United Kingdom
Cemetery/memorial reference: 10.
Ernest Rowe, a 'Garden Boy', entered the Royal Navy
as Boy 2nd Class on 14 February 1913. He had signed on for 12
years. He was just over 5ft 2in tall, had brown hair brown eyes and a
fair complexion.
He progressed to Boy 1st Class on 30 September 1913 and two years later
had advanced to Ordinary Seaman two months after joining HMS Natal in
July 1915. He had already served on Natal for a couple on months in
1914
He died on 21 November 1915, his 18th birthday.
West Sussex Gazette
Thursday 13 January 1916
Edward J Rowe, one of the missing
crew of HMS Natal, used to live at Leatherhead, his father being foreman
of the Gas Works.
His life
Ernest John Rowe was born on 21 November 1897 in Plymouth, Devon
His father was also named Ernest John Rowe, born 20 February 1866,
Plympton, Plymouth, Devon. He was the Gas Works Manager in Leatherhead. He
was a son of William Rowe b 1834, Yealmpton, Plymouth, Devon and Elisabeth
Landrey b 1836, Shevlock, Cornwall.
His mother was Emily Louisa Radmore, born 11 February 1867 in Plymouth.
She was a daughter of John Radmore and Elizabeth Hedland.
His parents were married at the Parish Church in Plymouth in June 1893
(stated on Ernest Rowe snr's Attestation papers).
Ernest's siblings were Arthur Cecil, Emily, Winnie, Kathleen Rowe and
Nora.
Ernest lived at:
1901 Census: 124 Howard Road, Barking, Essex
1911 Census: Gas Works Cottages, Kingston Road Leatherhead, Surrey
He was single when he died.
After WW1
His father died in Plymouth in 1935 and his mother in Stratton, Cornwall,
in 1944. His father Attested for the Road Construction Corps, Royal
Engineers (giving his age as 49y 11mo) in February 1917. He was discharged
as no longer physically fit for War Service on 4 November 1918.
Ernest Rowe is also remembered on these memorials
Leatherhead Town Memorial
Leatherhead RBL Roll of
Honour, Leatherhead Parish Church
Ladies War Shrine, Leatherhead Parish
Church
Church Lads Brigade Memorial
Tryptich, All Saints Leatherhead
Surrey
in the Great War
the website editor would like to add
further information on this casualty
e.g. a photo of him, and of any recollections within his family
last updated 21 Nov 20