Albert E Smith

Albert Edward Smith was born in 1892, the son of Albert Edward & Anne Ellen Smith, The Cottage, Smeeton Westerby.

He was a Telegraphist in the Royal Navy, and served aboard H.M.S. Hawke, service number J/1624.

He was aged 22 when he was killed on 15th October 1914.

Albert Smith is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial.

H.M.S. Hawke was an old armoured cruiser operating as part of the 10th Cruiser Squadron assigned to the Northern Patrol. She had originally been launched at Chatham in 1891 and was one of the oldest ships still in service. H.M.S. Hawke was being used as a training ship and had many young cadets on board. She had been recommissioned in February 1913 with a nucleus crew and had come up to her full complement on the outbreak of war in August 1914.

On 15th October 1914, together with H.M.S. Theseus, she was operating in the northern waters of the North Sea, 60 miles off Aberdeen, when they were attacked by U9, a German U-boat. The U9 fired a torpedo at H.M.S. Theseus but missed, hitting H.M.S. Hawke near the magazine. Following a terrific explosion the ship sank within 5 minutes, killing 525 crew. Only 49 men survived.

H.M.S. Hawke