My Family and the Great War

[jp1885]

Hi,

Combining my current obsession with researching my family tree with the centenary of the Great War, I have started a new blog - http://myfamilyww1.blogspot.co.uk
I hope you like it!

[moiterei_1984]

That's a pretty interesting approach to the topic. I'd be happy though if you'd activate Google Friend Connect on your Blog as I'd love to follow your progress on the matter.

[jp1885]

Thanks! I'll get that sorted ASAP

[jp1885]

They don't make it easy do they? I -think- I've added Google+ now.

[wrgmr1]

Very cool, please keep us posted.

[grant]

Very cool!

I have a picture of my great-grandfather; he was a medic in the Russian army in the Great War, pre-revolution.

[jp1885]

Thanks guys!
Hold on to that photo Grant - I don't have any of my grandad in uniform. I bet yours has a few tales to tell!

[The Dozing Dragon]

Very interesting. I posted a postcard sent home by my grandfather from 1915 on my own blog. He didn't see active service as far as I am aware and unfortunately he passed away long before I thought of asking him questions.

[jp1885]

That's a cracking photo!
I found a bit about Grove Park depot on the Great War forum - http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=154925

[The Dozing Dragon]

Thanks for that.

[grant]

Great thread. That postcard is quite cool!

My great-grandfather, far right, seated:

[FramFramson]

Great thread. That postcard is quite cool!

My great-grandfather, far right, seated:

Russian? Or Ukrainian as might be more likely considering this is Canada (especially given you're out west)?

[grant]

I'm historically Mennonite; we believe in non-resistance so no war. When we went to the Crimea, Catherine the Great gave us an exemption on military duty. Forestry (forstei) service was the option. In the Great War, some of us decided to be medics. It was very controversial. Even worse, when the revolution happened, the Russian Reds attacked the villages, and after 500 years of not fighting, the Mennonites formed self defence (selbstschutzen) units and fought back! Very interesting history.

My people settled in Southern Ontario in the 1920s, leaving the Soviet Union following Stalin's Harvest of Sorrow, which devastated the Ukraine, and killed over 6 million people. Many Mennonites did settle in Southern Manitoba though.

[Cubs]

Great laid-back hat action from your Great Grandfather there. I had one killed in action (GGF, not hat) and one died in 1919 from wounds. My late Grandfather served in the Intelligence Corps during WW2 and refused to speak about what he did (perhaps he was a stripper?) but he did write his memoirs, so I must find the most recent copy and read them some time.

[dm]

It is superb to see others searching for information on family members who were involved in the Great War.

In 2009 i was given my Grandfathers naval documents after my Dad passed away by my Aunt who thought i might like them but at the time i didnt realise i would stumble across a family secret that had been kept hidden for decades.

My Grandfather passed away when i was four and i cannot remember him but i was told he had served on a ship that had been sunk by torpedo and had managed to survive even though he couldnt swim at the time. Thats all i knew and when i asked for more details my Dad would quickly change the subject and i could never get anything further from him.

On looking at the small list of ships my Grandfather had served on and looking into the history of the vessels i came across HMS Glatton and the ship he was on that had been sunk by torpedo but not by the Germans as i had always imagined or been led to think...but by the Royal Navy!

He was just 18 at the time and the Great War was coming to an end and he had sailed on HMS Glatton from Hull down the coast to Dover. HMS Glatton was a refit and had perhaps been refitted in haste and the crew found her performance very, very poor and the vessel had limped to Dover hugging the coastline being unable to go out into the se . During the journey it is thought a slow fire broke out but remained undetected until a serious explosion in one of her gun magazines occurred at Dover.

Naval command in Dover it would appear were dumbstruck by the explosion and terrified that more explosions may occur and the order was quickly given to scuttle the ship in case a very heavily laden munitions ship nearby was caught in any further explosion/s. The whole of the port was also thought to be at risk if this was to happen and the main reason the order to scuttle HMS Glatton was given.

I was totally stunned when i read the offical history of the ship and the fate of some of her crew. I asked my Aunt if she knew any more of what had happened and she agreed to tell me what her father (my Grandfather) had told her. According to her most of the survivors after the event were told to keep quiet as it was considered very bad for morale and many were confined and kept in barracks until they could be put on other ships and sent well away fom the area.

The explosion had perhaps killed and injured up to a third of the crew but my Grandfather and others according to my Aunt had attempted to rescue some of the injured and crew who were trapped below decks but the chain of events made this next to impossible. He and others were still on the ship attempting rescues when the order was given to scuttle her and a series of torpedeos were fired at the already stricken ship with the intent of sinking her without any further explosion. My Grandfather and some other survivors were knocked into the water when one of the torpedeo's struck and he manged to hang onto floatsom until he was eventually plucked from the water a few hours later.

Reading the inquiry report which i found online no real mention was made of any of the survivors from the explosion attempting to rescue the injured and trapped when the order was given to scuttle the ship.

My Grandfather was confined to barracks after the event like a lot of the survivors and i can see that from his documents and then he was put on shipping that was sent to the Arctic Circle and Canada and did not return to the UK till 1919 and the Great war was over. By that time no one wanted to know. No real salvage attempts were made on HMS Glatton till the mid 1920's when she was considered a danger to shipping. The remains of the ship now lie under landfill that was used to extend Dover Harbour. Her bell was salvaged and some of the remains of the crew who had perished. My Aunt said my Grandfather never fully trusted anyone in authority for the rest of his life.