As soon as war began in August 1914 Vice-Admiral Graf Von Spee’s Asiatic Cruiser Squadron, based in Tsingtau, about one hundred miles north of Shanghai, commenced a campaign of commerce raiding against British merchant shipping across the Pacific. Von Spee’s squadron was built around two powerful modern armoured cruisers, SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU, each armed with eight 8.2 inch and six 5.9 inch guns.
The Admiralty gave the task
of intercepting the German commerce raiders to Rear Admiral Sir Christopher
Cradock’s squadron which consisted of the old battleship HMS CANOPUS and the
armoured cruisers HMS GOOD HOPE and HMS MONMOUTH, together with the light
cruiser HMS GLASGOW and the armed liner HMS OTRANTO.
Cradock left The Falkland
Islands in GOOD HOPE on the 22 October and sailed into the Pacific aiming to
rendezvous with the rest of his squadron off the west coast of South America. However, he left CANOPUS behind as she was
suffering from engine problems.
On November 1st
1914 Cradock’s squadron came upon Von Spee’s ships off the Chilean port of
Coronel. Cradock ordered the lightly
armed OTRANTO to clear the area leaving GOOD HOPE, MONMOUTH and GLASGOW to
engage Von-Spee’s two armoured cruisers and their accompanying light cruisers
DRESDEN and LEIPZIG. The two forces were
not evenly matched. The British ships
mounted a total of four 9.2 inch, thirty two 6 inch and ten 4 inch guns
compared to the German’s sixteen 8.2 inch, twelve 5.9 inch and twenty 4.1 inch
guns.
Three hours after forming
line of battle the action was over. GOOD
HOPE and MONMOUTH were overwhelmed and sunk with all hands; Cradock and 1600
men were lost. GLASGOW escaped to fight
Von Spee another day at the Battle of The Falklands.
One of those lost with GOOD
HOPE was Able Seaman George Mattravers Stoker 1st Class, the son of
John and Eliza Mattravers of Broadway in South Somerset, he was aged 31.
Able Seaman Mattravers is
remembered on a commemorative plaque in Broadway’s Church of St. Aldhelm and
St. Eadburga, and on the village’s war memorial. His name is also on the Portsmouth Naval
Memorial.
The plaque inside the Church of St. Aldhelm and St. Eadburga at Broadway in South Somerset commemorating those who served |
Note.
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