Gunner RMA/10206 Frederick Stubley

BMD details:
Marriage: 3rd tr 1910 Frederick Stubley to Minnie E Simmons at Bethnal Green, London. Vol 1c - Page 391.

Census details:
1891 - 5 years old Fred, father Joseph H (34), mother Mary Elizabeth (30) and siblings: Gerutude (8), Walter (7), Minnie (3) staying at Eccleston Mill, St Helens with grandparents Joseph Stubley (62), Charlotte Stubley (62) and aunt Charllotte Stubley (24). 1901 - 16 year old 'Bakers Carter' Fred is living at 53 Harris Street, St Helens with parents Joseph H (46), Elizabeth (32) and three siblings: William (17), Minnie (12), Charles H (1). The 1911 census shows Fred living at 246 Crystal Palace Road, East Dulwich, London. He was married to Minnie aged 21 and they had a daughter Alice who was an infant. His employment was confirmed as a Police Constable. At the time of Fred's death the family were residing at 5 Kingswood Road, Upper Norwood, London SE.

Notes:
Pc 833'P' Fred Stubley joined the Metropolitan Police on 2 January 1911. He served at Gipsy Hill and Camberwell. He is remembered on the Catford Police Station memorial. Enlisted into the Navy in 1902 aged 17, Went into the reserves in 1911 and joined the Police Force London. Recaled to the Navy on 03.08.1914. and sent to the Cruiser HMS Good Hope, Married with 4 Children, son of J.H. Stubley of 1 Horrace Street. (St.Helens Newspaper & Advertiser 01.12.1914)

HMS Good Hope [pic]imgs/S1PWHYAOTV/hmsgoodhopeatsea.jpg[/pic] The Armoured Cruiser, HMS Good Hope, flagship of the South Atlantic squadron under Rear Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock. Built in 1901 as one of a "Class" of four known as the "Drake" Class, they were obsolete at the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914. On paper they look like powerful ships, carrying a broadside battery of sixteen 6 inch guns (eight on each side), twelve 12 pounders (six a side in casemates) and two 9.2 inch guns in two single turrets. The great weakness in this design is the arrangement of the batteries. The lower "Battery Deck" is so close to the waterline that in any sort of seaway, the ship is liable to rolling the lower battery of guns under and rendering them unusable in a battle. This is what happened to Good Hope and her consort Monmouth when Cradock attempted to engage the more powerful ships of Graf von Spee's East Asiatic Squadron off the Coronel Coast of South America on 1st November 1914 in a rising gale and heavy seas. The well balanced and better designed pair of heavy armoured cruisers, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau swiftly overwhelmed Good Hope and Monmouth, both lost with all hands, German records state: Engaged by Scharnhorst - 8-8.2in guns versus 2-9.2in, third salvo put forward 9.2in out of action followed by serious hits to the forepart, upper bridge and foretop, repeatedly hit amidships setting her on fire, after turret hit twice, large explosion between mainmast and after funnel at 1950, flames reaching 200ft, ship left silent and dead in the water. Von Spee lost contact around 2000 and ordered his light cruisers to search for the two large British ship that were presumably damaged and finish them with torpedoes, Good Hope was not found but went down around this time, her end not seen in the darkness and the driving rain; 926 lives lost - 52 officers, 871 ratings and 3 canteen staff, no survivors. The unfavourable weather conditions allowed the light cruiser Glasgow and the Armed Merchant Cruiser Otranto to escape. They joined up with the pre-Dreadnought battleship Canopus - Cradock had been ordered to wait for her to join him before he engaged the German squadron (and her twelve inch guns would have made at least some difference), but decided to act rather than be accused of failing to engage the enemy. Even the Admiralty had difficulty understanding Cradock's decision, particularly as it was known that the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were superior ships and they had with them three light cruisers, Dresden, Nurnburg and Leipzig At the Falklands a few months later when von Spee attempted to attack the capital, Port Stanley, and was in his turn surprised by the emergence of the battlecruisers Invincible and Inflexible. In an almost one sided fight, the two battlecruisers destroyed Scharnhorst and Gneisnau; Kent (burning her Wardroom furniture to supplement a shortage of coal!) caught and sank the Nurnburg; Cornwall and Glasgow caught and sank the Leipzig. There were no survivors from the Scharnhorst and only 90 of a crew of 400 from the Gneisenau. The 14,400 ton HMS Good Hope was sunk with the loss of her entire complement of 900 hands, including Craddock in the Battle of Coronel, on 1 November 1914, off the Chilean coast. Even if Gunner Stubley had survived the battle then it was highly unlikely that he would have survived for very long in the freezing waters of the South Atlantic. His body was never recovered. 90% of the crew of HMS Good Hope where in fact Reservists. The Ship left Portsmouth on the 2nd of August 1914 and there would have been little time for training. (Researched by Jeff Keenan). [center][pic2]imgs/S1PWHYAOTV/10206_Frederick_Stubley.jpg[/pic2][/center][caption]The panel on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial bearing the inscription for Gunner Frederick Stubley[/caption] [pic]imgs/S1PWHYAOTV/Stubley_CPS_Police_Memorial.jpg[/pic][caption]Catford Police Station Memorial[/caption] SEE ALSO Gunner RMA/10131 [cas=275]John McCormack[/cas] who served on the same ship.