DCM Citation from London Gazette:

13306 Corporal (Acting Serjeant) P. Annis, 54th Field Co., R.E. (LG 11 Mar. 1916).
For consistent good work throughout the war. He has always set an excellent example to his section in billets and under fire. He did very good work in charge of his section.

Skipper, H.M. Smack "Nelson", Royal Naval Reserve. Died 15th August 1917. Aged 41. Born 28th April 1876 in Lowestoft. At the beginning of the First World War he joined the Royal Naval Reserve and was skipper on armed fishing smacks in the North Sea. On 15 August 1917 off Jim Howe Bank, in the North Sea, Skipper Crisp of HM Armed Smack Nelson was below packing fish when a German submarine opened fire. The skipper cleared Nelson for action just as a shell hit her below the water-line and another shell passed through the ship, mortally wounding the skipper, who, however, went on directing operations. He gave the order to abandon ship but he himself was too badly injured to be moved and went down with Nelson, he was later awarded the posthumous Victoria Cross. Father of T. W. Crisp, of 41, Stanford St., Lowestoft, Suffolk. The tenor bell at St. Margaret's Church, Lowestoft, is named the "VC Bell" and dedicated to him. No known grave. Commemorated on CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL, Kent. Panel 25.

An extract from the London Gazette, No. 30363, dated 2nd November 1917, records the posthumous award of V.C. "For service in action with enemy submarines."

This replica Victoria Cross with its blue Naval ribbon and Distinguished Service Cross were presented in 2004 to the Lowestoft War Memorial Museum by the grand daughter of thomas Crisp, VC, DSC.

The actual medal are kept by Waveney District Council and may be viewed upon request of the Chief Executive.

See also Lowestoft St John's, Lowestoft St Andrews and Lowestoft

Note: No. 97 Squadron, RFC, was formed at Waddington, Lincolnshire, on 1st December 1917, and in the following summer went to France equipped with Handley Page 0/400s to undertake night-bombing operations with the Independent Force. It made its first raid on 19/20th August and by the end of the war had flown 91 bombing sorties (the majority into Germany), dropped 64 tons of bombs-including three 1,650-pounders.

Note: H.M. Drifter Launch Out built 1909, 67 tons. Hired 1915. Sunk by gunfire from German destroyers in the Dover Strait 27th October 1916. She was part of the large fleet that maintained the net barrage across the Dover Strait to prevent German submarines passing westward into the Channel. They were also equipped to attack U Boats as well as maintain the barrage.

Launch Out was in company with the drifters Young Crow, EBC, Ajax II, Mishe Nahama and IFS in the vicinity of 9a buoy along the barrage when they were attacked by the destroyers. Ajax II and Launch Out were sunk, EBC was damaged. Buoy 9a was at the southern end of the Sandettie Bank.

Note: H.M.S. Almanzora. 16,034 gross tons, length 590ft x beam 69.3ft, one funnel, two masts, twin screw, speed 15 knots, accommodation for 400-1st, 230-2nd and 760-3rd class passengers. Built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Co, she was launched on 19th November 1914, but was completed as an Armed Merchant Cruiser for the 10th Cruiser Squadron. Reconditioned to 15,551 tons at Belfast in 1919, she started commercial services from Southampton to the River Plate on 9th January 1920. In World War II she was used mostly for trooping duties and in 1945 became a government emigration ship. 1947 laid up at Cowes, Isle of Wight and 1948 scrapped at Blyth.

Note: H.M.S. Ghurka was a Tribal Class Torpedo Boat Destroyer, laid down 29th April 1907, 880-tons, 255ft x 25ft, steam turbine engines, part of the 6th Flotilla and Dover Patrols. Mined and sunk on 8th February 1917, only five crew members survived.

Note: HMS Pathfinder was a Pathfinder Class Scout Cruiser. She was torpedoed by German submarine U-21 near St Abbs Head. A single torpedo hit the forward magazine causing it to explode, Pathfinder sank in 4 minutes. She was the first British warship sunk by a submarine in World War 1.

Special Note: H.M.S. Formidable was torpedoed by German submarine U-24 off Portland Bill 1st January 1915 and sank quickly, in the bad weather at the time, with the loss of 547 men from the compliment of 780. She was a battleship of the Formidable Class. HMS Formidable served in the Mediterranean Fleet up to April 1908 when she was transferred to the Channel Fleet. She went to Chatham dockyard for refit from August 1909 to April 1909 joining the Home Fleet after refit and then the Atlantic Fleet until May 1912. Reduced to Nucleus crew with the 2nd Fleet at the Nore. Served between 1912-14 with the 5th Battle Squadron and was serving with this squadron at the outbreak of World War I.

H.M.S. Formidable now lies south of Lyme Regis in 60 to 65 metres of water and although she has a large torpedo hole in one side is largely intact.

Note: HMS CLAN McNAUGHTON, was an armed merchant cruiser, lost 3rd February 1915, in the Atlantic. She was a pre-war merchant ship, which was requisitioned in November 1914 when she returned to her home port of Tilbury. She was then hastily converted into something she was never intended to be - a warship, which would have included mounting guns up on deck - well above her normal centre of gravity. A ad-hoc crew were then cobbled together for her: Career RN officers, although her engineer officers had all been Merchant Navy, some career RN Ratings, but many of the rest of her crew were reservists including some men from Newfoundland, one or two RN pensioners, plus no less than 50 boys straight out of the training shore base at Shotley, H.M.S. Ganges. All in all, an odd-ball crew who would have been completely unfamiliar with the ship and how she sailed.

She sailed for patrol duties in the North Atlantic a few days before Christmas 1914, but had to put into Liverpool on the way, for some problem to be sorted. She returned to Liverpool certainly once, perhaps twice before her loss in February 1915. She was in radio contact at about 6 a.m. on the morning of 3rd February 1915 and reported terrible weather conditions. Nothing further was ever heard of her. Some floating wreckage was found about fortnight later in the approximate area of her last known position but it could not be identified as having come from her. The truth is that no one knows for certain what did happen to her.

Extract from a newspaper cutting (thanks to Audrey McFarthing) - lost at sea when the troopship 'The Royal Edward' was sunk - torpedoed - on 13th August 1915:

Prvt. H.C.Poppy was the younger son of Mr. and Mrs. H.H. Poppy, of 127, High Street, Lowestoft. Previous to the war he was an assistant at Messrs. J Deverauux and Sons, Kirkley Stores, but towards the end of 1914 he felt his country's call and began to take an interest in the St John's Ambulance Brigade and attended classes at the Lowestoft YMCA. In February, 1915, having obtained his 'First-Aid' certificate, he joined the East Anglian Casualty Clearing Station. Previous to going abroad Prvt Poppy obtained his nursing certificate and also had much valuable hospital training at the 1st Eastern General Hospital. In social life he was a member of the Lowestoft Y.M.C.A. and was a member of the Swimming Club.

The memorial card reads.......

In loving memory of Private G.R.Reynolds
Dearly loved son of F. and H. Reynolds
Who was killed in action on September 13th 1917
Aged 30 years
"Somewhere in France"

He bravely answered his country's call,
He has given his life for one and all,
An unknown grave is the bitterest blow
None but aching hearts can know.

But he has gone beyond the sunset,
Far from the cruel war and strife,
Where no bugle call can reach him,
I a land of pure delight.

"ROYAL Ernest Alfred of 1 Horn Hill, South Lowestoft. Seaman RNR deckhand HMS Attentive III. Drifter Devon County died 19 Aug 1917 at Dover, Kent. Administration Ipswich 8 Feb 1918 to Henry James ROYAL stevedore and Harriet Ethel FRANCIS widow. Effects £62 18s 6d."

See also Lowestoft

Private 14462, 7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. Killed in action at the Battle for Ovillers 3 July 1916 in France & Flanders. Aged 27. Born Lowestoft, enlisted Lowestoft. Son of Thomas Edward Sharman and Sarah Jane Sharman (neé Solomon), of 84, Park Road, Lowestoft; husband of Florence Jane Sharman (neé Storey)(1888-1927), of 3, Park Holme Terrace, High Street, Lowestoft. Father of Edward Harry (1911 - 1971), Dora Ella (1913 - 2000) and Margaret Eleanor (1914 - 2003). No known grave. Commemorated on THIEPVAL MEMORIAL, Somme, France. Pier and Face 1 C and 2 A. See also Lowestoft

Photographs copyright © Jane Woodcock 2009