South Warwickshire Family History Society War Memorial Transcription Project
The Fallen Men of South Warwickshire - World War One |
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Military History |
| Theatre of War in Which Died | Campaign Medals | Commonwealth War Grave or Memorial |
|---|---|---|
| North Sea | 1914 Star, British War & Victory Medals | Chatham Naval Memorial |
| First Arrived in Theatre | Bravery & Conduct Medals | SWFHS Area Memorials |
| 5 Aug 1914 at Sea | ~ | Leamington Spa War Memorial |
| Action, Battle or Other Reason Died | Date and Place Enlisted | Other War Memorials |
| Killed in an Accidental Explosion at Sea | 22 Sep 1914 as a Cadet Officer | ~ |
| Place of Death | Previous Regiments or Units | |
| Scarpa Flow off the Orkney Islands | See below | |
Naval Service History
- 1 Dec 1912 - Appointed as Cadet in Training aged 14
- 2 Aug 1914 - Appointed as Midshipman aboard HMS Aboukir
- 22 Sep 1914 - Survived sinking of HMS Aboukir - being rescued at sea by HMS Cressy
- 25 Oct 1914 - Appointed Midshipman on HMS Vanguard
Circumstances of Death
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Claude was either killed in the below described accidental explosion or was drowned as his ship, HMS Vanguard, sank instantly. The following is taken from Wikipedia:
The HMS Vanguard anchored in Scapa Flow at about 18:30 on 9 July 1917 after having spent the morning exercising general evolutions concluding practising the routine for abandoning ship. The Captain made a speech to the ship's company in which he stated that under present conditions a ship would either blow up in a matter of seconds, or would take several hours to sink. Practically this meant that all would go down with the ship or that everybody would be saved. It is a remarkable coincidence that his words were to be so tragically proved in less than 12 hours. There is no record of anyone detecting anything amiss until the first detonation at 23:20. Vanguard sank almost instantly, with only three of the crew surviving, one of whom died soon afterwards. A total of 843 men were lost, including two Australian stokers from the light cruiser HMAS Sydney who were serving time in the battleship's brig. Another casualty was Captain Kyōsuke Eto, a military observer from the Imperial Japanese Navy, which was allied with the Royal Navy at the time through the Anglo-Japanese Alliance. The bodies of 17 of the 22 men recovered after the explosion, plus that of Lieutenant Commander Alan Duke, who died after being rescued, were buried at the Royal Naval Cemetery at Lyness, not far from the site of the explosion. The others are commemorated on the Chatham, Plymouth and Portsmouth Naval Memorials. In 1914 Claude survived the sinking of HMS Aboukir when he was thrown into the sea wearing only his pajama's. More here |
| Personal & Family History |
| Birth Date/Place | Baptism Date/Place |
|---|---|
| 2 May 1899 in Leamington Spa | |
| Parents Names | Abode |
| Francis M. Gowan & Emily Margaret Gowan Mauleverer | 20 Beauchamp Square, Leamington Spa |
| Schools | Colleges |
| Osborne House School, Broadstairs, Kent | Dartmouth Britannia Naval College |
| Address History | Employment History |
| 1899 - Leamington Spa | 1911 - Scholar at Osborne House School |
| 1901 - 26 Clarendon Square, Leamington Spa | 1912 - Cadet at Dartmouth Naval College |
| 1911 - Pierremont Cottage, St Peters Rd, Broadstairs, Kent | 1914 - Midshipman in Royal Navy |
| 1912 - Dartmouth Naval College | |
| 1914 - Aboard HMS Aboukir | |
Full Name Claude Du Pre Stansfield Mauleverer Gowan Mauleverer
