Name
Oliver James Burr
19/09/1889
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
20/01/1918
28
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Stoker 2nd Class
K/45375
Royal Navy
H.M.S. "Raglan."
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
CHATHAM NAVAL MEMORIAL
29
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
He has no Headstone. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, Chatham, Kent, to the missing at sea.
UK & Other Memorials
Hunsdon War Memorial, Memorial Plaque St Dunstan’s Church Hunsdon, Not on the Cheshunt Memorials
Pre War
Oliver James Burr was born in Hunsdon, Hertfordshire on 19th September 1889, son of John Burr a, Farmer/Hay Dealer and Kate Burr (nee Thompson). His mother Kate was the second wife of John Burr. John had a total of 21 children between the two marriages, twelve by his first marriage to Alice Bradford (1843-1887) and nine by his second marriage to Kate Thompson.
Oliver was Baptised on 27th October 1889 in the Parish of Hunsdon, Herts.
1891 Census records Oliver aged 1, living with his grand-parents, Arthur and Betsy Thompson, at, The Wellington Arms, Allington Lane, Willian, Herts.
1901 Census records Oliver aged 11, living with his parents, two step-siblings, three brothers and two sisters, in, Hunsdon Street, Hunsdon, Herts.
1911 Census has Oliver working as a Hay and Straw Dealer, working for his father John, living with his parents and seven siblings at, Down House, Hunsdon, Herts.
Oliver married Frances Mary Coney of Cheshunt, the daughter of John and Sarah Coney, in 1912. They went on to have two children, Victoria born 1915 and Florence born 1916.
Wartime Service
Oliver joined the Navy and was posted to MSHMS HMS Raglans, an Abercrombie Class monitor, basically a floating gun platform, equipped with 2 x 14inch guns.
His ship took part in the Allied landings at Gallipoli at Suvla bay on 6-7 August 1915 supporting the troops with gunfire. As the ship had a poor shooting record she was withdrawn and sailed to the island of Imros off the Turkish coast where she stayed until January 1916 when she returned to action supporting troops. After the evacuation from Gallipoli she stayed in the area bombarding the Turkish coast in February and March before being sent to the Salonika front where she was used to bombard Bulgarian forces on shore. In May she sailed to Malta for a refit and took on board a new commanding officer, Viscount Broome, nephew of Lord Kitchener. She then went back to Imros where she stayed for the rest of 1916 and part of 1917, before going to Salonika and Palestine again where she was used to bombard enemy positions on shore. After December 1917 she was again at Imros with monitor M28 keeping watch for German/Turkish ships coming from the Black Sea.
On the morning of 20 January 1918, the German battle cruiser Goeben and the cruiser Breslau entered the straits and headed towards Imros. At 0730 they were spotted by HMS Raglan. In the ensuing battle HMS Raglan was hit a number of times by gunfire from the Goeben, her commander was wounded and the Gunnery officer killed, the order was given to abandon ship but before this could be completed another hit from the Goeben hit the magazine for the 12 pounder guns and she sank bow first. 127 men went down with the ship including Oliver Burr.
Additional Information
The 1921 Census records Florence and her two daughters as boarders at, Baytree Farm, Cheshunt Common, Herts. His younger brother Private 26766 Harry Augustus Burr of the Northamptonshire Regiment (formerly of the RFA) died on 30th December 1917, at No 1. General Hospital, in Cambridge, of wounds received in action.
Acknowledgments
Stuart Osborne
Terry & Glenis Collins
