The Battle of Jutland. Three of those lost are remembered on church memorial plaques in Taunton and Ilminster.

I recently had occasion to visit the centre of Taunton during which I came across the impressive tower of St. Mary Magdalene’s Church.  At the entrance was a sign inviting passers-by into a coffee shop and bookshop, so in I went.

St. Mary Magdalene Church, Taunton.

 

As always my curiosity took me to the memorial plaques on the walls.  The first one I looked at was:

“Sacred to the Memory of the Non Commissioned Officers and Private Soldiers of the 40th of Foot, 2nd Somersetshire Regiment who fell in the second Afghan Campaign of 1842 and the Battle of Maharajagie in the Dominion of Scindiah on 29th December 1843”. 

As my grandfather and great-grandfather both served as regular soldiers in the Somerset Light Infantry I decided to take a photo.

 

At this point a gentleman of the cloth approached and was kind enough to explain that the southern aisle was known as the Regimental Aisle of the Somerset Light Infantry and its successors.  I then spent some time reading the memorials on the walls of the Aisle.

As it was only days away from the one hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Jutland one plaque in particular caught my attention. It was that of Brigadier General C. B. Prowse, which read:

“Brigadier General, C. B. Prowse, D.S.O. Somerset Light Infantry.

Who served throughout the South African War 1899-1902 and in the Great War from 1914-1916.  During the retreat from Mons, LeCateau, The Aisne, The Marne, and Ypres.  He gave his life for King and Country at the Battle of the Somme on July 1st 1916 aged 47.

Also to his elder brother Captain C. I. Prowse, R.N. of H.M.S. Queen Mary who went down with his ship at the Battle of Jutland on May 31st 1916 aged 49.”

Captain Prowse was in command of HMS QUEEN MARY, a battlecruiser of 27,000 tons, a top speed of 28 knots, armed with 8x13.5inch guns and which had a crew of 1,275.  The ship was part of Admiral Beatty’s Battlecruiser Fleet.  HMS QUEEN MARY blew up after 2 hits by the battlecruiser SMS Derfflinger detonated her magazines. Only18 men were rescued by British ships and 2 by the Germans.  It is poignant to learn that Captain Prowse’s brother was killed just over one month later on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.

Reading Captain Prowse’s memorial reminded me of the First World War memorial plaque I saw, some time ago, in Ilminster’s Church of St. Mary (The Minster) on which I seemed to recall the names of warships were mentioned.  The next day I visited St. Mary’s and found that two of the men commemorated were also from ships involved in the Battle of Jutland.

Able Seaman Frank Dade, aged 23, was killed aboard Admiral Beatty’s flagship, the battlecruiser HMS LION.  The ship, of similar design to HMS QUEEN MARY, was hit14 times at Jutland and lost 99 dead and 51 wounded from her complement of 1092.

Able Seaman Robert Wilfred Soper*, aged 19, was killed aboard HMS BLACK PRINCE, an armoured cruiser of 13,000 tons with a speed of 23 knots and armed with 6x9.2inch guns.  The ship was part of the 1st Cruiser Squadron made up of HMS DEFENCE, HMS WARRIOR, HMS BLACK PRINCE and HMS DUKE OF EDINBURGH.  HMS DEFENCE had already been destroyed and HMS WARRIOR heavily damaged when HMS BLACK PRINCE stumbled into the German High Seas Fleet at night and came under heavy close range fire.  She sank with no survivors from her crew of 789.

Similar memorial plaques in churches throughout the land commemorate those of both high and humble rank who participated or lost their lives in military conflict while in the service of their country.

 

While in St. Mary Magdalene's Church I purchased A Guide to the Regimental Aisle.  A very interesting and informative booklet.

* Able Seaman Soper's name appears on the Imperial War Museum's crew list for HMS BLACK PRINCE as Robert Wilfred Soper.  On the memorial plaque inside St. Mary's Church his name appears as Soper. Wilfrid Robert.