E is for Edgar Class Cruiser



E is for Edgar class cruiser

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print - no known copyright restrictions - discovered on Trove, the National Library of Australia

My great-grandfather Edwin Conner served on the HMS Edgar from 18 January 1910 to 11 March 1910.  

At that time the Captain of the ship was Algernon D.E.H. Boyle who went on to become a Vice-Admiral and a Fourth Sea Lord.  A Fourth Sea Lord is in charge of supply e.g. food, transport and medical supplies. He was also Aide-de-Camp to King George V from 1918-1919.

HMS Edgar was built in Devonport in 1891 and was a first class protected cruiser meaning she had an armoured deck to protect the machinery below from exploding shells.

HMS Edgar was involved in the Gallipoli Campaign.  Look at this marvelous photo I found of her crew on Flickr.


crew of HMS Edgar circa 1915
courtesy of Lombardo on Flickr - Creative Commons Licence here.


Isn't it amazing what you learn?  


Comments

Dianne said…
Another great post. I am thoroughly enjoying them.
Yes, it is amazing what you learn! I enjoyed reading this snippet from your great-grandfather's life.

My great-grandpa, William Perry Fowler (born 27 May 1892 and the father of my paternal grandmother) enlisted in the US Navy on 26 June 1918. He was a Seaman 2nd Class. He was discharged 30 September 1921. He served aboard the USS Cincinnati (C-7), the second ship named after the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The USS Cincinnati was the flagship of the American Patrol Detachment, Atlantic Fleet fro February 1918 until March 1919. My great-grandpa's brother Robert was also serving in the US Navy at this time. Uncle Robert fell victim to the flu pandemic and passed away. I have not learned yet the name of the ship on which he served.

Since I learned of this, I thought that it was super cool that my great-grandpa and the ship that he served on were born the same year, 1892. :) They left service the same year, too.

I love reading about the Navy, be it ours or yours. I especially enjoy reading about the military history of our families. It makes the world a much smaller place learning how much we have in common and that some of our ancestors fought for a common goal.
diane b said…
You seem to have quite a few family members involved in the navy.
Alex Daw said…
Dear Dianne, Suzanne and Diane b - thank you for your comments. I am so pleased you are enjoying them Dianne - I am having fun creating them too. Suzanne your naval ancestry sounds fascinating. Diane - I am fortunate to have at least three and I suspect more!
Wendy said…
What a fantastic photo of the crew. You can just about see everyone so clearly.
That's a great shot! Do you think your grandfather was there at the time? Given the mortality in British ships in the Dardanelles, I wonder how many of the men survived.

Pauleen
Alex Daw said…
I know Webdy..it's a stunner isn't it?
Alex Daw said…
Dear Pauleen ..no my great-grandfather would have been in the PNG area at the time.

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