Dear list, I have an interest in Lieutenant Launcelot John Barrington Walters who was killed on HMS Partridge on 12th December 1917. On a memorial plaque in our local church it says that he died "in spite of a gallant attempt to save him by Sub Lieut Aubrey Egerton Grey". Can anyone shed any light on this incident? Derrick Parsons

Hi Derrick/Listers, Here are pictures of the HMS Partridge: http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/moon_class.htm#HMS%20Partridge Janice USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "Derrick Parsons" <derrick.parsons@btinternet.com> To: <GREATWAR@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 2:47 PM Subject: [GREATWAR] HMS Partridge 1917 > Dear list, > > I have an interest in Lieutenant Launcelot John Barrington Walters who was > killed on HMS Partridge on 12th December 1917. On a memorial plaque in > our local church it says that he died "in spite of a gallant attempt to > save him by Sub Lieut Aubrey Egerton Grey". > > Can anyone shed any light on this incident? > > Derrick Parsons > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > GREATWAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message

On Sun, 19 Nov 2006 19:47:15 -0000, "Derrick Parsons" <derrick.parsons@btinternet.com> wrote: >I have an interest in Lieutenant Launcelot John Barrington Walters who was killed on HMS Partridge on 12th December 1917. On a memorial plaque in our local church it says that he died "in spite of a gallant attempt to save him by Sub Lieut Aubrey Egerton Grey". >Can anyone shed any light on this incident? The "Dictionary of Disasters at Sea During the Age of Steam..." by Charles Hocking has the following to say, although your two officers aren't mentioned by name: ----------------------------------------------------------------- PARTRIDGE British Navy, destroyer; 1916; Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson; 1,016 tons; 271 x 26 x 8 7; 25,000 s.h.p.; 34 knots; turbine engines; Yarrow boilers; three 4 in. guns, 4 T.T. The destroyer Partridge was a unit of the force based on Lerwick, Shetland Islands, for the purpose of escorting convoys to and from Scandinavia. On December 11th, 1917, the destroyer left the port in company with the destroyer Pellew and the armed trawlers Livingstone, Commander Fullerton, Lord Alverstone and Tokio escorting a convoy of six ships. At 11.45 a.m. on the 12th the convoy was S.W. of Bjorne Fjord when enemy ships were sighted to northward. After signalling the merchant ships to scatter, Lt. Cdr. J. R. C. Cavendish of Pellew, commanding the convoy, went into action followed by Partridge and a wireless signal was sent to the commander-in-chief. The enemy raiders, consisting of four destroyers commanded by Capt. Hans Kolbe formed in one line of three ships with a fourth detached for the purpose of sinking the merchantmen. In a very few minutes Partridge was hit by a shell which severed her main steam-pipe and left her helpless. Her after gun was knocked out and she was struck forward by a torpedo. Under these conditions her captain, Lt. Cdr. R. H. Ransome, gave orders to abandon ship. She was hit by two more torpedoes and sank. The Pellew with only one torpedo tube working, and with her engine room badly damaged managed to keep off the enemy and to avoid further action in a thick rain squall. She was the sole survivor of the convoy and reached Selbjorn Fjord in a very battered condition. The losses were heavy, Partridge going down with five officers and 92 ratings, while three officers and 21 ratings became prisoners. Pellew lost three killed and several wounded. British destroyers rescued ten British and 88 Scandinavian seamen. The crew of the trawler Lord Alverstone (12 in all) managed to escape in one boat. The Germans claimed a total of 50 prisoners including those from Partridge. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Four of the officers who died were: Lt Cdr R H Ransome Lt L J B Walters Sub Lt R E Ferrier Mid A B Wyatt Forrest -- Forrest Anderson, Edinburgh, Scotland. E-mail: forrest@military-researcher.com Website: www.military-researcher.com Forrestdale Research - Military Genealogical Researcher