Royal Navy casualties Easter 1916

The 1916 Rebellion Handbook lists a single Royal Navy casualty during the Easter Rising. Robert Glaister was in Dublin from Queenstown when he was shot and killed by a soldier.

The Royal Navy casualties from the German raid in support of the Easter Rising don't generally get associated with the Easter Rising. Some of those killed during the raid :

On Shore :
HOLLIS, William Thomas, Petty Officer. Killed in Lowestoft by German Navy shell along with 3 civilians

Conquest, light cruiser , damaged in action with battlecruisers

 BALDRY, Arthur F, Able Seaman, J 43124 (Ch)

 BALL, Alfred, Petty Officer 1c, 209945 (Ch)

 BARTON, Joseph, Private, RMLI, 16153 (Ch)

 BATHO, Arthur W, Officer's Steward 3c, L 6439 (Ch)

 BATTER, Frederick E, Private, RMLI, 16282 (Ch)

 BLUNDELL, George H, Boy 1c, J 38330 (Ch) (born 18th Nov 1898)

 BRODRICK, Percy J, Stoker 1c, K 17397 (Ch)

 BULL, Charles, Able Seaman, J 43070 (Ch)

 CURTIS, Ernest H, Officer's Cook 1c, L 7908 (Ch)

 GARDNER, William R, Boy Servant, L 5341 (Ch) (born 17th May 1898)

 HENSLEY, Frederick H, Stoker 1c, K 21402

 HUTT, Alfred T, Able Seaman, 212357 (Ch)

 JUSTICE, James E, Officer's Steward 2c, L 7223 (Ch)

 LAWRENCE, James J, Cooper, 340001 (Ch)

 MERRITT, John E M, Able Seaman, 224919 (Ch)

 MICALLEF, Luigi, Officer's Chief Cook, 356069 (Ch)

 NUNN, Arthur, Officer's Steward 1c, L 4637 (Ch)

 PACKHAM, Percy Albert, Boy 1c, J 34876 (born 20th September 1898)

 PENDLETON, Frank R, Engineer Commander

 POTTER, Fred, Officer's Steward 2c, L 7207 (Ch)

 ROSTRON, John H, Private, RMLI, 11490 (Ch)

 SYMONS, Reginald J M, Leading Stoker, 301117 (Ch)

 TURNER, Charles A, Officer's Cook 3c, L 6159 (Ch)

E 22, submarine, on patrol line to intercept German force, torpedoed and sunk by UB.18

 BACON, Harry S, Leading Seaman, 238739 (Ch)

 BEWERS, William J C, Chief Stoker, 280241 (Ch)

 BREWER, James W, Stoker 1c, K 16024 (Dev)

 CARLES, Alan J, Lieutenant

 CARTER, Fred, Act/Engine Room Artificer 4c, M 7328 (Ch)

 COLLIER, Edward Des F, Act/Lieutenant, RNR

 DADFORD, Charles H, Stoker 1c, K 8711 (Po)

 DIMSDALE, Reginald T, Lieutenant

 DUMELOW, William H, Stoker 1c, K 7807 (Po)

 DWYER, James, Stoker 1c, K 22241 (Dev)

 ELLIOTT, Wilfred, Chief Engine Room Artificer 2c, 270779 (Po)

 FLYNN, Patrick, Stoker 1c, K 21302 (Dev)

 FROST, Charles A, Petty Officer, 183901 (Ch)

 HAYWARD, George J, Stoker 1c, K 16817 (Po)

 HAZLETON, Harold, Boy Telegraphist, J 38792 (Dev) (aged 16, born 26th April 1899)

 HINGSTON, Richard H B, Stoker 1c, K 11199 (Dev)

 HOOD, Charles R, Able Seaman, J 406 (Ch)

 HOSKIN, John C, Stoker Petty Officer, 300765 (Dev)

 HUNT, Ernest W, Petty Officer, 193302 (Po)

 JECOCK, George W, Able Seaman, J 6004 (Po)

 JELF, Ernest S, Leading Seaman, 224881 (Po)

 NORTON, Harold F, Able Seaman, 239583 (Po)

 ORGAN, Frederick J, Engine Room Artificer 3c, M 1694 (Ch)

 PUCKHABER, Herbert A V, Petty Officer, 233222 (Ch)

 RAYER, Arthur, Leading Stoker, K 4046 (Ch)

 REGAN, Edward F O, Able Seaman, J 7543 (Po)

 ROOK, William, Leading Stoker, K 7179 (Po)

 SKINNER, William H, Act/Leading Stoker, K 3851 (Dev)

 SKOYLES, Henry T, Able Seaman, 239694 (Ch)

 TREBBLE, John, Able Seaman, SS 3243 (Po)

 WOODLAND, William R, Engine Room Artificer 2c, M 321 (Po)

Moss, hired drifter, patrol boat, damaged during bombardment of Lowestoft

 BARBER, Henry, Deck Hand, RNR, DA 1076

 BIRD, Francis A, Deck Hand, RNR, DA 9024 (listed as aged 16)

 COOKE, Charles, Deck Hand, RNR, DA 1075

 GAY, William J, Engineman, RNR, ES 528

 PAYNE, Walter T, Deck Hand, RNR, DA 10726

 SHREEVE, Percy S, Ty/Skipper, RNR

The Aud

The Facebook page of Stair na hEireann carries the following text re the Aud and her attempt to land arms in Co Kerry just prior to the Easter Rising :

Today in Irish History: 9 April 1916 - The merchant ship Aud leaves Germany for Ireland with arms for the Irish Republican Brotherhood.

On 20 April 1916 the Aud, a Norwegian merchant ship, arrived in Tralee Bay off the west coast of Ireland. At dawn the next morning a pilot ship approached the Aud, flying the British flag of war. She was seized and towed towards Queenstown harbour (now Cobh). On route, the crew set off explosions to scuttle the ship and abandoned the sinking vessel, surrendering to the British.

In reality she was not a Norwegian merchant ship, only disguised as one. She was the German ship SMS Libau (previously the British vessel SS Castro captured by the Germans in 1914). And she wasn’t transporting just timber. She had on board an estimated 20,000 rifles, 1,000,000 rounds of ammunition, 10 machine guns, and explosives that were sent by the Germans in aid of Irish rebels planning the 1916 Easter Rising. Due to mis-communication, the cargo would never reach its destination.

The Aud left the Baltic port of Lübeck on this date in 1916. She was captained by Karl Spindler and carried 22 crew, all volunteers. They avoided British patrols as they headed into the North Atlantic before heading south towards the west coast of Ireland. The plan was to rendezvous with Roger Casement, who was instrumental in obtaining the weapons from Germany and was travelling on a U-boat to the rendezvous point. Once Casement was on the Aud the weapons would be transferred to a party of Irish Volunteers on the shore.

When the Aud arrived in Tralee Bay and sent out a signal, it was never answered. Casement didn’t arrive in Ireland until the 21 April and the Aud was already in British custody. Casement was later arrested, charged with treason, and executed on 3 August 1916. The car load of Volunteers who were tasked with collecting the landed weapons crashed on the way and never arrived. Once the Aud was seized Spindler knew he could do nothing but scuttle the ship.

Spindler and his crew were held by the British for the remainder of WWI. The wreck of the Aud was depth-charged and wire swept several times, not only to be sure that the weapons could not be recovered but also to keep the wreck from being used as cover by enemy U-boats. Several exploratory dives have been conducted of the wreck, the most recent one in June 2012 which led to the recovery of two anchors from the wreckage. Some of the rifles carried on the Aud were recovered before she was scuttled. Those rifles are on display in several museums including the Cork Public Museum, the National Museum of Ireland in Dublin, and the Imperial War Museum in London.


While elements are correct, there are a number of errors.

1. She was intercept by HMS Bluebell. Definitely not a pilot ship; HMS Bluebell was a Queenstown based sloop involved in anti submarine work amongst other activities.
2. Would like to know more about the "Flag of War" being flown.
3. The Aud was intercepted by HMS Bluebell and instructed to head to Queenstown. She was not towed and there was no opportunity to recover any rifles before her sinking. The Aud had been boarded previously but her disguise had worked and the cargo of arms and munitions were not discovered.
4. Rifles were recovered from the sunken Aud by Queenstown based diver John Dempsey. A number of these were presented as evidence at the trial of Sir Roger Casement.
5. Sir Roger Casement was charged with High Treason (an offence punishable by death) rather than Treason (an offence punishable by imprisonment). The British legal system had to use an ancient law written before the creation of the British Empire and before Ireland was annexed by Britain's Act of Union. Quite a bit of time was taken up in Sir Roger's appeal interpreting the original statute written in Latin and Norman French.
6. The car load of volunteers travelling to Co Kerry were tasked with radio communications and trying to obtain a wireless set from a Wireless College in Cahirciveen - the Aud had no radio but SM U-19 carrying Sir Roger Casement, Robert Monteith and Daniel Bailey did have a radio. Austin Stack and the Volunteers in Co Kerry were to take charge of the arms and munitions from the Aud and take care of their distribution. One car drove off the Ballykissane Pier on the 21st April 1916 and three Volunteers were drowned - Con Keating, Donal Sheehan and Charlie Monaghan. Denis Daly was in another car with Colm O'Lochlainn. Was the Aud already "in custody" when the 3 Volunteers drowned?


Mortimer O'Leary gives some information about the sighting of the Aud in the bay and of the proposed piloting of the ship into Fenit in his Witness Statement.

J J Cullen

In a 1919 article, Captain J J Cullen of the barque Bellas in Fremantle described himself as the navigating officer on the sloop Laburnum during WW1. The article states he was born in South Australia.

14th July 1919 - J J Cullen

The Navy List for October 1916 lists a John Joseph Cullen, temporary Sub Lieutenant, assigned to the Laburnum.

The Navy List for 1916 also gives :

Laburnum
Lt Comm William W Wainwright 18th July 1915
Lt RNR (N) John J Cullen (act) 11th August 1915
Lt RNR Harold  J McBride (act) 22nd March 1915
Sub Lt James G Pyke-Knott (act) 21st August 1915
Surg Prob James C Sleigh 29th January 1916
Artif Eng Herbert Stroud 17th April 1915


The London Gazette of 29th June 1915 mentions the temporary commission to Sub Lieutenant of John Joseph Cullen

London Gazette 29th June 1915

James Sleigh appears to have studied medicine at Aberdeen University

James Charles Sleigh

He appears to have served in the RAMC and reached the rank of Lt Colonel according to this notice re his appointment in St Albans

St Albans appointment

James Grenville Pyke-Nott stayed in the Royal Navy until 1949. Later Lt Governor of a region of Nigeria and knighted.

Herbert Stroud served with the Royal Navy until 1939.

Harold Joseph McBride appears to have come from Birkenhead. The son of Thomas McBRride, a tug boat mate from Ireland.

So far, no further information re J J Cullen.

The Shelling of Galway, April 1916

A number of witness statements on the Bureau of Military History site mention the shelling of parts of County Galway by the Royal Navy :


Martin O'Regan of Loughrea
no ship mention unfortunately

Thomas Courtney of Galway
no name but mentions that the guns were 4 inch guns and not big guns following conversation with sailors in Galway. Minesweepers fired shells at Castlegar from the bay. Mentions Leslie Edmonds/Edmunds of the Congested District Board.

Frank Hardiman of Galway
mentions the shelling of Castlegar by the Laburnum. Transferred to HMS Gloucester but no mention of the Gloucester firing her guns. Arrested on the Easter Tuesday and put on the Guillimot. Laburnum seen steaming in on the Wednesday. Guns fired after he had been put on board on the Wednesday. Gloucester and a troop ship steamed in after 2 days on the Laburnum. Transferred to HMS Albion.

Michael O'Droighneain of Furlough, County Galway
mentions a fleet of warships in Galway Bay on Easter Sunday. Taken with Frank Hardiman and put on board Guillemot. Seems to suggest that the shelling was by Guillemot. Suggests 3 days on board before transfer to the Laburnum which is at odds with the statement by Frank Hardiman. No mention of HMS Gloucester but does mention being transferred to HMS Albion and HMS Adventure. Mentions Leslie Edmonds/Edmunds of the Congested District Board.

Patrick Dunlevy of Ballyglunin, County Galway
Arrested and put on HMS Gloucester. Later transferred to HMS Snowdrop and then HMS Albion and finally HMS Adventurer (Adventure?).



Brian Molloy, Castlegar, County Galway
no mention of shelling by the Royal Navy but describes some of the actions of the Volunteers and the encounter with soldiers and RIC.

Michael Newell, Castlegar, County Galway
as per Brian Molloy, no mention of shelling by the Royal Navy but mentions some of the actions of the Volunteers and the encounter with soldiers and RIC.

Thomas Sweeney Newell of Castlegar, County Galway
as per Brian Molloy, no mention of shelling by the Royal Navy but mentions some of the actions of the Volunteers and the encounter with soldiers and RIC.


25th July 1922
Mr Leslie Edmonds of the Congested District Board was shot and killed in the Irish Civil War. The car he was being driven in stumbled upon an ambush of National Army troops by irregulars of the IRA. Mr Edmonds and his chauffeur were killed.

Queenstown sloop commanders

In Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly's book "Pull Together!" he lists some of the sloops active in Queenstown, together with their commanding officers :

Zinnia - Commander G F W Wilson
Bluebell - Commander M A F Hood
Laburnum - Commander W W Hall-Wright
Poppy - Commander Cosmo Hastings
Snowdrop - Commander G P Sherston
Rosemary - Commander R Mayne
Genista - Commander J White
Sunflower - Commander J C Cole-Hamilton
Jessamine - Commander Salisbury Simpson and later S A Geary-Hill
Myosotis - Commander W C Cochrane
Camelia - Commander R Richardson


The Zinnia and Bluebell were involved in the capture of the Aud in the run up to the Easter Rising.

Laburnum was involved in the shelling of Galway during the Easter Rising. The commander William Wybrow Hallwright DSO (1883-1917) was killed in action on HMS Heather (aka HMS Q16) on the 21st April 1917.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission entry to W W Hallwright

Submarine E22

Harwich based submarine E22 was sunk by German U-Boat UB18 on the morning of 25th April 1916 off the Suffolk coast.

31 crew appeared to have died as a result of the torpedo fired by UB18. 2 crew were picked up by UB18 (Frederick Buckingham and William Harrod) and taken to Zeebrugge as Prisoners of War.

What makes E22 unusual is that it was a submarine fitted with 2 Sopwith Schneider aircraft for use intercepting Zeppelins. E22 had been in a group of 4 submarines travelling on the surface when attacked by UB18.


The following day, UB18 captured and scuttled the Alfred off the coast of Lowestoft. No casualties were inflicted.

UB18 was herself sunk in December 1917.

HMY Goissa - HMS Invincible

After the German Navy withdrew after the bombardment of Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth, ships of the Royal Navy headed home.

HMY Goissa collided with HMS Invincible on the way back to port.

Goissa appears to have suffered 4 dead (William Grimble, Donald McLeod, James Stewart and William Warne) while Invincible suffered 1 death (John Todd)

HMT King Stephen - Q Ship

The ship HMT King Stephen was captured and sunk by the German Navy torpedo boat SMS G41 on the 24th April 1916. She was working as a Q Ship (hidden armament) to lure U-Boats into action but had the misfortune to steam in the German High Seas Fleet involved in the bombardment of Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth.

Lt Phillips RNR and the rest of the crew were taken prisoner and the boat sunk.

The Germans were interested in the crew of this ship as it had left the crew of the Zeppelin L19 to drown (it had been damaged on an air raid and crashed into the sea and 19 crew were counted as being alive). Phillips had to prove that he and the crew were not the men who abandoned the L19 men to die. Phillips and his men had only recently joined the King Stephen after it had been requisitioned by the Admiralty.

Books re Naval activity in Ireland during WW1

I managed to pick up a copy of Secret Victory by Liam Nolan and John Nolan on a visit to Dublin last year. While I had a vague awareness of the role of the Helga and other ships in the Easter Rising, the sinking of the Lusitania and RMS Leinster and a passing awareness of anti submarine operations by air ships I didn't have a good grasp of naval activity in Ireland, either British or American.

The following books have now been acquired and read :

Pull Together by Admiral Lewis Bayly
Danger Zone by Edward Chatterton
My Mystery Ships by ADmiral Campbell
Liffey Ships and Shipbuilding by Pat Sweeney (the Helga claimed to have sunk a U boat off the Isle of Man on 4th April 1918)
The Sea Hound by Daire Brunicardi
RAF and US Naval Air Service in Ireland 1913-1923 by Karl Hayes

All good reads offering different insights into naval issues in Ireland during WW1 (and beyond in the case of The Sea Hound and Liffey Ships and Shipbuilding).

HMS Laburnum/Singapore

HMS Laburnum was an Acacia class sloop launched in 1915. It  was the ship that fired on suspected Irish Volunteers near Galway during the Easter Rising (a number of books and articles erroneously state that HMS Gloucester fired on the Volunteers).

It appears to have transferred to New Zealand after the Great War and then to Singapore. When the Japanese conquered Singapore in 1942 it appears to have been scuttled

In 1915, Singapore had itself been the scene of a rebellion, with a number of Indian troops starting a mutiny and killing a number of British soldiers and civilians. German Prisoners of War from the Emden were released by the mutineers and invited to take part in the rebellion but most appear to have declined.

With order restored by the British (aided by French, Russian and Japanese ships), a number of the Indian rebels were shot en masse by firing squad.