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1 Nov 1914 Battle of Coronel
100 years ago on Nov 1, the RCN suffered its first casualties of the Great War at the Battle of Coronel.
The naval Battle of Coronel took place on 1 November 1914 off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. German Kaiserliche Marine forces led by Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee met and defeated a Royal Navy squadron commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock. Two RN Cruisers were sunk with no survivors, Craddock's Flagship HMS Good Hope & HMS Monmouth. 1570 British sailors went down with their ships on that evening, among them 4 RCN Midshipman who had previously joined HMS Good Hope when she called in at Halifax earlier in the fall. These 4 Midshipmen were part of the first class of RNCC(Royal Naval College of Canada) that graduated just before the war. They were all very young, the oldest being 19 yrs of age. This post is in memory of those 4 Midshipman & the sailors who gave their lives that evening: J.V. Hathaway M.McCann W.A. Palmer A.W. Silver {The Midshipman tunic I have attached a photo of is what the 4 Midshipman would have been wearing that day, this example is of the same period.} RCN Bryan Last edited by RCN; 31-10-14 at 05:32 PM. |
#2
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They were certainly avenged by Frederick Sturdee the following month, although, he did expend a huge amount of munitions in the process!
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#3
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I attended a very nice memorial service at Royal Roads University to mark the event. For those who may not know, the former naval and military college is also home to the Coronel Memorial Library.
It is interesting to note that Cradock's decision to confront a very superior force may have been formed in the knowledge that Rear-Admiral Ernest Troubridge was about to go to court martial for failing to do so in the Goeben affair. |
#4
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I should also point out that in the fifth image they show the insignia for cadet captain beside Arthur Silver. When I attended VENTURE in the mid 80s, this was still being worn by class leaders on the lower left sleeve of the green service jacket above the rank braid. I believe it was eliminated shortly after that. Does anyone know if it is still used at Britannia Royal Naval College?
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#5
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Quote:
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...electedIndex=5 |
#6
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The 4 RCN Midshipmen are also commemorated on the Halifax Naval Memorial,
Bryan |
#7
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A very well known image and one that is based on fact.
Quote:
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#8
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This book I acquired in 2012 & gives a very good account of the events of late 1914 as seen thru "RCN eyes".
Good descriptions of the early years (1910-1914) of the RCN, including the RNCC, & Naval Cadet training, Halifax, HMCS Niobe, & both battles of Coronel & Falkland Is. The photos include a few from the site Mike Jackson has recommended in a previous post, If you have interest in early 1WW RCN this book is for you! Actually I just read it again last evening. Bryan |
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