I never knew my uncle fought in Britain’s largest sea battle
IT’S amazing what research can turn up. Until Ken Kenrick, priest at St Peter’s Church in Stockport town centre, had asked me to do an historical intro for a Jutland centenary service I had no idea that my uncle was at the battle.
Ken’s father, Robert Kenrick, was on board HMS Canada, a battlecruiser, while my great uncle, Alfred Walker, was in HMS Valiant on the day when the largest battle of the Royal Navy was fought in the North Sea with the German High Seas Fleet, on May 31 1916.
My uncle’s faded photo with ‘HMS Valiant’ on his cap band had lain neglected in a shoebox for many years.
So local men who were at the battle of Jutland were again remembered at a special service in St Peter’s to mark the 100th anniversary, with a bugler sounding the last post, ship’s bell rung, a parade of naval association flags, sea cadets and a Naval chaplain flown in specially from Copenhagen.
The battle was a vital part of the strategy for blockading and weakening Germany in WW1. The clash began in hazy conditions with range finding by optical instruments at several miles’ distance.
Over 100,000 British sailors and marines in 151 ships were engaged during the day and through the night.
Several major British battleships blew up and sank after direct hits ignited ammunition – over 6,000 sailors were lost.
Among them were 14 from Stockport – Joseph Atherton, Herbert Baker, Rowland Bissett, Joseph Dearden, William Hague, Herbert Hall, Cyril Hardwick, Tom Houghton, Joseph Littlewood, James Maxwell, Hugh Roberts, Tom Singleton, Geoffrey Steinthal and George Royle.
Many more, like Ken’s father and my uncle, survived, and their battered ships returned to port after the German Navy’s retreat.
Both ships had narrow escapes with shells and torpedoes just missing, or bursting only yards away with damage from shell fragments and shrapnel.
HMS Valiant was noted by the Germans for her very accurate shooting. Never again did the German Fleet challenge the Royal Navy to a full scale battle.
After the war Alfred Walker lived quietly in Reddish, seldom referring to his part in the greatest naval battle of all time.
Ken’s dad was also reticent about his part in the Kaiser’s downfall. Someone recently enquired, on hearing that Robert Kenrick was at the battle: “And did he survive?”
“Do I look 100 years old?” Rev Ken rather tartly demanded. »»More remarkable heritage facts in Stockport and District Heritage £2.80 from newsagents, bookshops, Co-ops, WH Smith, plus back copies, binders, subscriptions and books on stockportheritage magazine.co.uk.