Royal Navy – HMS Vivid
Ernest William Simons was born in Tewkesbury on 15 August 1898, the son of Ann Simons, a daughter of William and Priscilla Simons. Ann was born in Tewkesbury and was a domestic servant in 1901 and subsequently married Thomas Fletcher in 1907. Royal Navy records indicate that his mother was Annie Fletcher of Post Office Alley, High Street, Tewkesbury.
The 1901 and 1911 Census shows Ernest living with his father (Charles) and grandparents at Walton Cardiff, near Tewkesbury. Ernest was a pupil of Holy Trinity and the Council [Chance Street] Schools.
Ernest volunteered and joined the Royal Navy as a boy sailor. He was 5 feet 1 inch tall when he joined the Training Ship HMS Ganges, a floating establishment moored off Falmouth, in November 1913, aged 15. On 3 October 1914 he was posted to the ‘dreadnought’ battle cruiser HMS Tiger and was appointed Signal Boy on 5 September 1915. He served until 24 November of that year.
It appears likely that he went sick from 25 November 1915 as he was posted to HMS Vivid, which was a ‘general list’ for payroll purposes. (The Cheltenham Chronicle of 5 February 1916 states that he contracted a chill when at home at Christmas 1915.) He died of measles, bronchitis and pneumonia at Devonport Royal Naval Hospital on 1 February 1916; he was 17 years old. He was buried in Tewkesbury Cemetery on 4 February (ref 5701), where a standard CWGC headstone now marks his grave. His family was paid a War Gratuity.
The Tewkesbury Record reported on 5 February 1916 that he had been wounded during the Dardanelles campaign when the Navy was used to bombard gun emplacements on land; he returned home and caught a ‘chill in the wound’ followed by pneumonia. The Record might be mistaken as HMS Tiger did not serve in the Dardanelles Campaign in 1915 but took part in the Battle of Dogger Bank on 23 January 1915.
Researched by Graham Adams 26 September 1913
(Acknowledgement to Derek Benson of Tewkesbury Family History Society and Malcolm Waldron)