Boy 1st Class Mornington George Giles (J/37410)

Mornington George Giles, was the eldest son of Mr and Mrs Albert Henry Giles, Radnor Cottage, 8, College Gardens, lost his life on HMS Queen Mary ^[1] during the Battle of Jutland ^[2]. He was a Boy 1st Class and was killed only a month after joining the navy. Before joining up in April 1916 he was employed at No 9 House, The College. He was an old boy of the Wyche.

HMS Queen Mary was the second Battle Cruiser to be lost during the Battle of Jutland at 4.15 p.m., two hours after the first contact was made. She took a plunging salvo on the upper deck, which caused a huge explosion in one of her magazines. She sank with her stern high in the air, and left a towering pillar of smoke.

William Cave who watched the destruction of the huge ship from the battle cruiser HMS Dublin, wrote: “In every detail we could see officers and signalmen with others [on] the ship… [She was] already doing twenty knots with the fore section blown forward, causing a higher bow wave than before only listing slightly to port, then skidding round to starboard towards Dublin. We actually ported our helm to avoid her hitting us but it proved unnecessary; with increasing list she dived, her fore turret guns at full elevation hot with firing, giving off a loud hissing as they met the water. It was terrible to hear those poor souls so near yet so far and being unable to help.”

Ernest Crouch ^[3] from Malvern was also lost aboard HMS Queen Mary.