Name
Victor James Bowden-Smith
1 May 1887
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
22/08/1918
31
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Lieut-Commander
Royal Navy
H.M.M.L. 'No 403'
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL
28
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Bengeo School Memorial – Location TBC., Men Of Brockenhurst Roll Of Honour, Brockenhurst Hampshire, Brockenhurst Memorial Obelisk Brockenhurst Hampshire, Royal United Services Institute Roll of Honour
Pre War
Victor James Bowden-Smith was born in 1888 in Weston Partrick, Hants, to parents Frederick Hermann and Harriet Charlotte (nee Hurdis).
In 1891 he was living at The Rectory, Vernham Row, Highclere, Hants, along with two brothers and two sisters, his father was the Rector at Highclere. In 1901 he was a pupil at a school in Hordle, Hants, and the Head was a tutor for HMS “Britannia” (Naval College).
On 15th September 1902 he enrolled in the navy and on 29th February 1904 he was a Midshipman, serving aboard HMS Queen (Battleship). The 1911 census shows him serving as Lieutenant, he had been promoted on 13/1/1909, on HMS Duke of Edinburgh (Cruiser).
Wartime Service
On the outbreak of war, Victor was in command of Torpedo Boat No. 10, but on 30/10/1914 he was transferred to HMS Vernon, the shore based Torpedo Training School. From there he was lent to the cruiser HMS Euryalus which sailed for the Mediterranean to take part in the Gallipoli landings.
On 21/04/1915 three companies of the 1st Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers boarded the ship and they made for the beaches by ship’s boats. They were landed at 0400 on 25/04/1915 under heavy fire from Turkish artillery and machine guns, 60 members of the ship’s crew were killed or wounded while rowing the troops ashore.
HMS Euryalus remained in the area and took part in the evacuation in January 1916. The ship remained in the Eastern Mediterranean supporting the Arab revolt in 1917 as flagship for the fleet. He may have been on board all that period.
In 1918, Víctor, now promoted to Lieutenant-Commander was aboard HMS Lucia, a Submarine Depot ship as a Torpedo Officer, based on the Tees. On 21/08/1918 a German U-Boat fired a torpedo at the SS Griselda in Runswick Bay, north of Whitby, it missed its target and hit some rocks but did not explode. It was decided to salvage the torpedo and defuse it.
HMML 403, with Victor aboard as a Torpedo Expert was sent to Runswick Bay to salve the torpedo. On the following day, watched by crowds on the shore, the torpedo was taken on board, but as the warhead was being removed there was an explosion causing the depth charges on board to also explode along with the fuel, blowing the ship to pieces. Windows were smashed in houses in Runswick and roofs collapsed. The stern of the ship was blown 100 metres onto the beach. Of the 12 men on board 11 were killed including Victor.
He is commemorated on Naval Memorial, Portsmouth
Additional Information
Probate records states he was living at Careys, Brockenhurst, Hants and he left £668 5s 1d to his father.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper
Ann Hacke, Terry & Glenis Collins
