CENTENARY OF THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

My Grandfather, Alfred Reginald Randell, who was born in Swindon in 1899, was on board HMS Warrior from April to June 1916, and on active service during the Battle of Jutland, the centenary of which is commemorated today, 31st May 2016.  The battle was fought from 31st May to 1st June 1916 in the North Sea, near the coast of Denmark's Jutland Peninsula. It was the largest naval battle and the only full-scale clash of battleships in the war.

My research shows that “HMS Warrior was heavily damaged at about 6 p.m. on 31st May 1916 by the German shells, which caused large fires and heavy flooding, although her engines continued running for long enough to allow her to withdraw to the west. She was taken in tow by the seaplane tender HMS Engadine who took off her surviving crew of 743”, of which my Grandfather was one.

At the age of 16, he enlisted in the Royal Navy, being assigned to HMS Warrior a few weeks before the Battle of Jutland.  Hearing that there were many casualties - and apparently over 6,000 sailors lost their lives in this Battle - his parents feared the worst, only to be reassured by a telegram that he was fine and coming home on leave.  

My Grandfather was a handsome young stoker, as you will see from his photograph in the collage;  this was taken when he was assigned to HMS Durban in 1939 and is the only photograph I have of him when he was a young man, although by this time he was about 40 years old.  In fact, I only realised today that it was taken in that year, as he has written on it "With love and best wishes, Reg -1939" and is hardly discernible unless held up to the light!

I am privileged to have a log book, written by my Grandfather, dating from 1919 to 1923, when he did a tour of the East Indies, and it is obvious that stoking was a difficult and physical job: “We worked at very high temperatures, in an atmosphere full of coal dust, with the furnaces roaring, in a rolling and pitching ship, knowing that we were under the water line” - but somehow he managed to survive and I am very proud of him, although like many others involved in both World Wars, he never spoke about his experiences.

To make up this collage, I took a photograph of one of the poppies in our garden this morning with a “Swindon Remembers - 1916-2016” lapel badge, which I bought last Saturday in the Royal British Legion shop in our town centre and also printed off a copy of the Royal Navy Registers of Seamen’s Services, showing all the ships on which my Grandfather served during the First World War.

On this day, therefore, we remember all those who gave their lives in the service of their country.

They shall grow not old, 
     as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, 
     nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun 
     and in the morning
We will remember them.
Robert Laurence Binyon 
1869-1943