HMS Natal

Accompanying the newspaper stories that I am going to post hopefully every day, any story that grabs my eye, I will write a blog on any more research carried out.

Today, January 8th, I posted an article from the Harald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder, dated 8th January 1916, page 8, an article stating the the news recieved of the death of A.B. Arthur Thomas, of Manselton, crew member of HMS Natal.

HMS Natal, was a warrior class armoured cruiser, construction was started in 1904 by the ship builders Vickers, Sons & Maxim, Burrow-in-Furness and finished 1907, at the cost of £1,218,244. Christened by Louisa Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire.

Before the outbreak of the First World War, HMS Natal saw service as an escort to the ocean liner RMS Medina, which was the royal yacht of the new king, George V, on a trip to India. After that, the HMS Natal during December 1912, carried the body of the US Ambassdor, Whitelaw Reid, back to New York for burial.

At the outbreak of war, HMS Natal was part of the Grand Fleet, refitted at Cromarty, Firth. Much of 1915, she was patrol the North Sea.

30th December 1915, whilst at Cromarty, the captain, Eric Back hosted a party and invited 7 wives and 3 children of all the officers, one civilian friend, his family and all the nurses from nearby hospital ship Diana.

Shortly after 3.25, there were without warning a series of violent explosions, which tore through the rear of the ship. Within minutes the HMS Natal had capsized. It was thought that the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat, however divers were sent down to to the wreckage, where they found explosions were caused by the internal ammunition, caused possible by faulty cordite. Those that were lost on the ship which are listed on the Commonwealth War grave Commission website number to 405. They were commemorated on the Portsmouth or Chatham Naval Memorials. The children and women were not counted as dead.

One of those killed was Arthur Thomas, he was 21 years old. Son of David and Margaret Thomas, lived at 20 Manselton Road, Manselton. The 1911 census list the family, Arthur Thomas occupation, then 16 was in the Tin Works.

Below is the page from the 1911 Census, with kind permission from Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA), 1911