Commemorated:

1. Memorial:Chatham Naval Memorial13 Kent
2. Book:The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918Pg.136
3. Memorial:The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour38D GQS
    

Awards & Titles:

 

Family :

Husband of G. M. Sutton, of 3, Tennyson Rd., Gillingham, Kent.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

Unit / Ship / Est.: HMS Formidable 

Class and type: Formidable class Type: Predreadnought battleship Displacement: 14,685 tons load 15,805 tons deep Length: 411 ft (126 m) waterline 431 ft 9 in (131 m) overall Beam: 75 ft (23 m) Draught: 26 ft 9 in (8.2 m) Propulsion: Water tube boilers, 2 ? vertical triple expansion engines, 2 shafts, 15,500 ihp (11.6 MW) Speed: 18.0 knots (33 km/h) Range: 5,500 nautical miles (approx) at 10 knots (18 km/h) Complement: 780 (810 as flagship) Armament: 4 ? BL 12-inch (304.8 mm) Mk IX guns 12 ? BL 6-inch (152.4 mm) Mk VII guns 16 ? 12-pounder (5.4 kg) quick-firing guns 6 ? 3-pounder (1.4 kg) quick-firing guns 2 ? machine guns 4 ? 18 inch (450 mm) submerged torpedo tubes Armour: Belt 9 inches (229 mm) Bulkheads 9?12 inches (229?305 mm) Barbettes: 12 inches (305 mm) Gunhouses: 8?10 inches (203?254 mm) Casemates: 6 inches (152 mm) Conning tower: 14 inches (356 mm) Deck: 1?3 inches (25.4?76.2 mm) Notes: Cost ?1,097,245

Action : HMS Formidable, sinking of 

Sunk about 25 miles off Portland by the German submarine U-24 whose captain was Kapitanleutnant Rudolph Schneider. He fired two torpedoes, the first hit the starboard side and the second, fired about 50 minutes later, hit the port side. Formidable was part of the 5th Battle Squadron, which consisted of eight battleships and two cruisers, which had been steaming along the south coast of England in the English Channel from the east. 547 men lost their lives, 233 survived.

HMS Formidable was steaming at 10 knots (19 km/h) at the rear of the squadron off Portland Bill just 20 nautical miles (37 km) from Start Point, when at 02:20 on 1 January 1915 a torpedo from the German U-boat U-24 struck the number one boiler port side. It was thought that she might be saved by reaching the coast, but by about 02:40 she had taken a list of 20 degrees to starboard and her commanding officer, Captain Noel Loxley gave the order to abandon ship. Darkness and worsening weather made it difficult to get the men and boats over the side; some small boats being thrown into the water upside down. At about 03:05, Formidable was struck by a second torpedo on the starboard side. Amidst a 30-foot swell the pinnaces and launch along with other boats (one of which capsized soon after) were launched, and the two light cruisers came alongside and managed to pick up 80 men in the deteriorating weather. By 04:45, she seemed in imminent danger of capsizing, and a few minutes later she rolled over onto many of the men in the water and sank quickly. Captain Loxley remained on the bridge along with his Fox terrier Bruce, calmly overseeing the evacuation of the ship. SEE LOXLEY De Vere- His brother The total loss of life of HMS Formidable was 35 officers (including Captain Loxley) and 512 men out of a total complement of 780.

Detail :

SUTTON, Albert Mark, Sergeant, HMS Formidable

Masonic :

TypeLodge Name and No.Province/District :
Mother : Lord Charles Beresford No. 2404 E.C.East Kent

Initiated
Passed
Raised
28th December 1907
28th January 1908
25th February 1908
 

Source :

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Additional Source:

Last Updated: 2020-03-20 16:24:29