Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.120 | |
| 2. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 5D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
There are anomolies in this legend. In the 1921 book, The Masonic Roll of Honour an Edward Thomas Davies is listed against Prince Alfred Lodge No. 233. He is recorded against HMS Aeolus in 1912 as a Leading Signalman in the Royal Navy. The masonic record states he "Died 1.1.15", which means the only person fitting the evidence is an "EDMUND" Thomas Davies, who was aboard HMS Aeolus in 1912, and aboard HMS Formidable upon death on the 1st January, 1915. Unfortunately, on the naval record Date of Birth is 4th January, 1886, whereas the masonic record, him being 36 puts DoB at 1876. If this is the same person he was initiated aged 26, an error of 10 years and also a name inconsistency Edward vs Edmund.Having reviewed the evidence it seems credible that Edward and Edmund are actually the same person, and therefore this record revolves around Edmund Thomas Davies, who died 1.1.1915 aboard HMS Formidable as a Yeoman of Signals.
Wife. Edith. Lydia. 9, Crowland Rd, Thornton Heath, Surrey.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| 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 :
DAVIES, Edmund T, Yeoman of Signals, 214594 (Ch), Formidable, 1 January 1915.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Prince Alfred No. 233 E.C. | Bermuda |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
12th February 1912 | 13th March 1912 | 20th March 1912 |
The masonic record shows that Edward was a 36 year old Leading Signalman aboard HMS ??olus in 1912 when he was initiated into Prince Alfred's Lodge No. 233 in Bermuda. The record shows no war service but does have the annotation "Died 1.1.15."
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley