Tony Lake recalls 100 years ago when Royal Edward was torpedoed and more local men

were lost than on

any other day of the War.
Royal Edward tragedy
British Troop Ship Sunk. Feared loss of 1000 lives. Behind The Times headlines of 18 August 1915 was St
Austell's darkest day.
It was known that lots of men from Cornwall, including at least seven from Penwithick, were on the ship,
and people at home faced an agonising wait for news. Slowly details emerged bringing relief for some;
despair for others.
On 28 July 1915, Royal Edward, under Commander PM Wotton RNR, had embarked from Avonmouth for
Gallipoli with 1,382 officers and troops as well as 220 crew. The majority were reinforcements for the 29th
Infantry Division. Most of the Cornishmen were manual workers serving with the Army Service Corps (18th
& 19th Labour Coy), bringing their vital skills to the conflict.
Royal Edward refuelled at Alexandria on 10 August, then departed for Moudros harbour on the island of
Lemnos, a staging point for the ships in the Dardanelles.
In the early hours of Friday 13 August, Royal Edward passed the hospital ship Soudan. Off the island of
Kandeloussa Oberleutnant von Heimburg commanding submarine UB-14 spied both ships. Von Heimburg
ignored the hospital ship and focussed on the unescorted Royal Edward.
Around 9 am, as the majority of the men aboard Royal Edward were below decks stowing away equipment
after a boat drill, Von Heimburg launched a torpedo. Hit in the stern, Royal Edward sank within six minutes.
Soudan turned around and, over the next six hours, rescued 440 men. Two French destroyers and some
trawlers also responded to the SOS and were able to save another 221. Amongst those saved were two
brothers from Bugle, Guy and Paul Woon, and two men from Carloggas, Andrew Rowe and John Moon,
who had been in the water for a considerable time.
The Admiralty issued names of some survivors on the 19 August and released some more the next day. Mrs
Austin of Little Hallaze, however, waited another week before she heard that her husband was safe. It was
not until 6 September that a list of the missing was published. The death toll was 864. (Other sources put
the figure higher.)
The Army Service Corps lost 121 men including 58 who had resided in Cornwall before the War.
Among the 200 names on St Austell's Great War memorial these men perished with the Royal Edward:

Alfred Eden (aged 45) who was the husband of Harriet Bond Eden of Pentewan.

Samuel Keveth (49) was one of seven brothers, four of whom were serving, and was the husband of

Bessie. He had served with the DCLI for 21 years and had only joined the ASC nine weeks earlier. Born in
Launceston he is also remembered on the Stenalees Methodist Church memorial.

James Martin (36) who was the husband of Emma Jane Martin and father of six children lived in

Slades Road. He is also remembered on the Bethel Chapel memorial.

 Frederick Penrose (58) of Tregonissey who was the husband of Mary Penrose.
James Phillips (40) who lived in Stenalees and was the husband of Annie Phillips and the father of
four children.

Howard Richards who was born in Treverbyn but had been living in St Austell. He left five children.

William Juleff (36) had been born in Ladock and moved to Penwithick to work as clay labourer. He
left a widow, three sons (William (13), Albert (11), Reginald (9)) and a daughter Muriel (5).

James Hoskin (33) who was a stonemason and is also remembered on the Stenalees Methodist

Church memorial. He left a wife and child.

Tywardreath grieved for Thomas Bond, Samuel Martin and Thomas Green. Thirty-eight year old Green lived
in North Street with his wife Ada and had represented St Blazey on the St Austell Board of Guardians.
In St Blazey and Par sorrow was felt for Lydia Carpenter (34) and her three children Clarence (11), Edith (9)
and Richard (5). A week after losing the youngest member of the family, three year-old Marjorie, through
illness, news reached their Prideaux Road home that the head of the family, Richard, was missing believed
drowned. The 35 year-old had moved from Bristol to work for the Clayworkers Company.
Par also lost Richard Netherton who had been born in Fowey, but had been living in Par, and Frederick
Coller who lived at Varcoe's Cottage, Biscovey, with his wife Jane.
St Dennis mourned two men: Ernest Grigg (49) and Brydges Kent (47). Grigg was the husband of Edith and
before the War played the coronet in St Dennis Band. Kent, who lived in Hendra Road, was the husband of
Ada and left five children.
There were mixed emotions in some villages. On the day Roche learnt that John Borlase of Bodmin Road
was missing they also heard that Lewis Cock of Manchester Square was safe. Similarly, Mevagissey got
word that Harriet Robins's husband, William (58), was lost with news of Alfred Williams's survival.
The local men are among the 20881 remembered on the Helles Memorial which stands on the tip of the
Gallipoli Peninsula. It takes the form of an obelisk over 30 metres high that can be seen by ships passing
through the Dardanelles.
Even before news of the disaster reached home a memorial service was held over the spot where the ship
went down. Rev Basil K Bond, Chaplain to the Forces, attached to the hospital ship Devanha hoped the
service gave comfort to the bereaved at home. And there were many who needed comforting.

Photos:
Royal Edward - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMT_Royal_Edward

Heino von Heimburg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heino_von_Heimburg

U-Boat 14 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM_UB-14
Map - http://www.uboat.net/wwi/ships_hit/5236.html
Helles Memorial http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/76100/HELLES%20MEMORIAL