HMS Hampshire book shortlisted for prestigious award

It is thrilling to report that the HMS Hampshire book published by Orkney Heritage Society has been shortlisted for a prestigious award.

The Mountbatten Maritime Award 2017 will be presented at a London dinner on Wednesday 8 November.

The cover of the book – HMS Hampshire: A Century of Myths and Mysteries Unravelled

‘HMS Hampshire: a Century of Myths and Mysteries Unravelled’ is one of 13 books shortlisted for the award, from an original long-list of more than 40.

The book, edited by James Irvine and written with 11 local experts – Brian Budge, Jude Callister, Issy Grieve, Kevin Heath, Andrew Hollinrake, Keith Johnson, Neil Kermode, Michael Lowrey, Tom Muir, Emily Turton and Ben Wade – commemorates the 737 men who died and the 12 survivors when Hampshire was lost off Orkney on 5 June 1916.

The authors address Kitchener’s last voyage, Jellicoe’s routing instructions, the eye-witness accounts as Hampshire sank, the search and rescue efforts at sea and ashore and the outrage arising, the minelaying and sweeping operations, the censorship and consequential rumours and conspiracy theories, the Kitchener Memorial on Marwick Head, diving the wreck, the artefacts recovered, and the centenary events of 2016.

Meanwhile the book is attracting complimentary reviews, including these…

Dr Ray Fereday: “A magnificent historiography, bridging the gulf between local and national history.”

Sigurd Towrie: “Succeeds in its goal admirably, deserves a place on any bookshelf.”

Cdr John Bingeman RN: “An in-depth study and important contribution to naval history.”

Professor Tom Stevenson: “A darned good read.”

Living Orkney: “Without doubt – this is a Christmas present worth giving to anyone with even the slightest interest in Orkney and its wartime history.” John Ross Scott

Centenary News: “This is a meticulous, but nonetheless enthralling, new account of a naval disaster that shook Britain at the height of the First World War.”

The International Journal of Nautical Archaeology: “This is an interesting publication, covering many topics surrounding this most enigmatic of shipping losses, and it will appeal to a wide range of readers. There is even a chapter covering conspiracy theories. A worthy addition to any library covering Orcadian or broader naval history; recommended.”

Naval Review: “Buy it, borrow it, steal it if you must, – but read it! The people of the Hampshire and of Birsay deserve no less.” John Burgess, Rear Admiral, RN
(review in full – http://hmshampshire.org/hms-hampshire-a-century-of-myths-and-mysteries-unravelled-book-reviews/)

Stand To, the thrice-yearly journal of The Western Front Association: “The book, with its wealth of new information and copiously illustrated, is a fitting tribute to those who sailed that evening on HMS Hampshire and never returned.”

Orkney Heritage Society book, HMS Hampshire: a Century of Myths and Mysteries Unravelled

The book is £25 plus p&p from The Orcadian online bookshop or, if you live in Orkney, visit The Orcadian bookshop in Kirkwall. All proceeds, including authors’ royalties, go to the Orkney Heritage Society’s Kitchener Memorial Refurbishment Project.

So, fingers crossed for the awards dinner on 8 November – which James Irvine and Andrew Hollinrake will attend – but, whatever happens, it is wonderful news that the book is shortlisted for this award.

Walking to Kitchener Memorial on 5 June 2017 to commemorate 101st anniversary of loss of HMS Hampshire – and to do some grass-seeding around the memorial (image: Graham Brown)

You can find more online about the men lost on the HMS Hampshire website, you can also follow news updates on our Twitter and Facebook pages.

For now, I will leave you with some of the stories relating to HMS Hampshire from recent months, please see the links below.

Graham Brown

The story of HMS Hampshire survivor Richard Simpson inspires a schools’ project in north-east England, hear more on this BBC Radio Orkney report (at 12min 10sec) – https://soundcloud.com/radio-orkney/around-orkney-thursday-21st-september-2017

More than £1million awarded to Lyness Museum renovation project (HMS Hampshire propeller is displayed outside) – https://www.orcadian.co.uk/1-million-awarded-lyness-museum-renovation-project/

Church windows honouring Ashby’s war dead go on public display (includes one of HMS Hampshire’s men) – http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/news/church-windows-honouring-ashbys-war-396095

Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology (ORCA) announces a collaborative maritime archaeology project surveying shipwrecks of the German High Seas Fleet and the war graves HMS Hampshire, HMS Vanguard and HMS Royal Oak – http://www.heritagedaily.com/2017/07/maritime-archaeology-project-underway-orkney/116134

 

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Laurel Crown crew to be remembered on HMS Hampshire memorial

It’s been a notable week for naval history here in Orkney.

On Monday the UK Government announced plans for the centenary commemoration of the Battle of Jutland, the largest naval battle of the First World War, in which 6,000 British and 2,500 German personnel died.

Orkney will play a central role in the events on 31 May 2016 with a service at St Magnus Cathedral, Kirkwall and a ceremony at the Royal Naval Cemetery, Lyness, Hoy.

Also this week, on Wednesday, it was the 76th anniversary of the HMS Royal Oak disaster, which is always marked with poignant commemorations here in Orkney. She was torpedoed by a U-boat while in Scapa Flow with the loss of 834 lives in the early days of the Second World War.

Meanwhile our work on the Kitchener & HMS Hampshire project continues – we are restoring Orkney’s Kitchener Memorial and creating a memorial wall engraved with the names of all 737 men lost with HMS Hampshire in time for the centenary on 5 June 2016.

George Petrie, lost with HM Drifter Laurel Crown (believed to be a family photograph published in The Orcadian when his death was announced)

Today we make a significant announcement. We are going to include on the wall the names of nine men who died when HM Drifter Laurel Crown sank in the same minefield as Hampshire on 22 June 1916. They include George Petrie, who came from Burray, Orkney.

Below is the press release we issued to the media this week. You may have heard about our plans to remember the Laurel Crown on BBC Radio Orkney this morning, or read about them in today’s The Orcadian (page 5) and in the Press & Journal.

Graham Brown

Kitchener & HMS Hampshire Memorial project press release

Laurel Crown crew to be remembered on Hampshire memorial

Volunteers creating a memorial wall for 737 men lost with HMS Hampshire in the First World War will also commemorate nine more men – including an Orcadian – lost in the same minefield later the same month.

HMS Hampshire sank near Orkney’s Atlantic coast on 5 June 1916 after hitting a German mine while sailing to Russia. The dead included Britain’s Secretary of State for War, Earl Kitchener.

On 22 June HM Drifter Laurel Crown was one of eight vessels on their way to sweep for mines near the site of the disaster when she too struck a mine and was lost, with all hands.

The names of the nine Laurel Crown men who died will be engraved on the HMS Hampshire commemorative wall being created next to the Kitchener Memorial at Marwick Head. They include George Petrie, aged 32, a married man with one son from Burray.

Military historian Brian Budge has researched his background: “George Petrie was born at Wart, Burray on 8th August 1883, the oldest son of Crofter George Petrie and Betsy Petrie (née Brown). George’s parents had both died and he was working as a fisherman when he married Flora Taylor on 10th September 1914. They made their home at Wart and had a son, also called George.

“George enrolled into the Royal Naval Reserve at Kirkwall on 15th May 1916. He reported to HMS Zaria, an Auxiliary Patrol depot ship based at Longhope in Scapa Flow and soon joined the crew of HM Drifter Laurel Crown as a deck hand.”

After the sinking Engineman Thomas Baker’s body was recovered, identified and buried in Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery, Hoy. George Petrie and four more of the crew are commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, on Southsea Common, Hampshire. George is also remembered on a family gravestone in Burray Cemetery.

The loss of the Laurel Crown was brought to the attention of Orkney Heritage Society’s Kitchener & HMS Hampshire Memorial project by marine historian Kevin Heath, of SULA Diving, after he heard about the group’s plans at a public meeting.

Neil Kermode, project chair, said: “We started this project wanting to ‘better remember’ the men who died alongside Earl Kitchener in 1916. It seems entirely fitting that we should also commemorate those lost shortly afterwards on the Laurel Crown in the same minefield.”

The project’s volunteers are restoring the Kitchener Memorial and creating the commemorative wall in time for events on 5 June 2016 marking the centenary of the warship’s loss. Many donations of money, time and goods have been received but the volunteers estimate they need a further £15,000 to ensure work is finished before the centenary.

Anyone who wishes to donate towards the project can do so online at justgiving.com/orkneyheritagesociety/ or send a cheque payable to Orkney Heritage Society.

The project committee would also like to hear from anyone who may have artefacts linked to HMS Hampshire for a planned exhibition around the time of the centenary. Please email kitchener.memorial@gmail.com or write to Orkney Heritage Society, PO Box 6220, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 9AD, UK.

Follow the progress of the project on Facebook (@Kitchener.Memorial), Twitter (@kitchenerorkney) and via a blog at kitchenerhampshire.wordpress.com/.

End of press release

Links

BBC News on Battle of Jutland centenary – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34506679

Battle of Jutland centenary press release on Commonwealth War Graves Commission website –

http://www.cwgc.org/news-events/news/2015/10/uk-government-announces-plans-for-battle-of-jutland-centenary.aspx

The Orcadian reports on the Royal Oak 76th anniversary –

http://www.orcadian.co.uk/2015/10/memorial-service-marks-76th-anniversary-of-royal-oak-disaster/

BBC Radio Orkney reports on our Laurel Crown announcement. One of our committee members, Andrew Hollinrake, is interviewed, together with Brian Budge, towards the end of the programme –

https://soundcloud.com/radio-orkney/around-orkney-thursday-15th-october-2015