This picture appeared in the edition of the Eastern Daily Press dated Thursday, January 17, 1916. The associated caption reads:-
STOKER HERBERT EDWARD BALDWIN,
Who lost his life on H.M.S. Natal December 30th. Son of Mr. and Mrs. George Baldwin, of Sunny Side, Woodton.
WW1 Naval Casualties has a Stoker 1st Class Herbert Edward Baldwin, born 25th July 1895 at Norwich, who died on the 30th December 1915 and is buried in the Gaelic Church-Yard, Cromarty, Ross & Cromarty, Scotland. He was killed or died by means other than disease, accident or enemy action. The relative notified of his death was his mother Alice, of Sunny Side, Woodton, Near Bungay, Norfolk.
He was serving aboard HMS Natal.
BALDWIN, H E
Rank:……………………………………Stoker 1st Class
Service No:………………………….SS/114541(CH)
Date of Death:……………………..30/12/1915
Service:………………………………. Royal Navy, H.M.S. "Natal."
Grave Reference:…………………L. North-East. 11.
Cemetery:……………………………CROMARTY CEMETERY
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/667757/BALDWIN,%20H%20E
(The Grave Registration Report on the same site records he was aged 20)
The Naval records of SS114541 Herbert Edward Baldwin, born 25th July 1895, Norwich, enlisted 1913, are held at the National Archive under reference ADM 188/1120/114541
discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D7080151
These show that he enlisted on the 31st July 1913 on a ‘5 + 7’ engagement – I assume that was 5 years in uniform and 7 in the reserve. He was recorded as 5 feet 6 and 3/5ths tall, with light brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion. Prior to enlisting he was a Bricklayers Labourer. His first posting was at Pembroke II, a shore training establishment, as a Stoker Class II. On the 13th December 1916 he was posted to HMS Natal, being promoted on the 28th August 1914 to Stoker Class 1. He was initially recorded missing on the 30th December 1915 and then recorded with a Date of Death of the same day. “Lost when ‘Natal’ was sunk”.
A War Gratuity was subsequently paid out.
The Naval Service Medal Roll shows he was entitled to the 14/15 Star, the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. From the abbreviation on the Roll I believe these were issued to his Father.
No obvious Civil Probate for this man.
His mother, Alice, of Woodton, Bungay, Suffolk, subsequently made a claim for dependants pension.
No match on Picture Norfolk
25th July 1895 – birth……………………..
(Source: Naval Service Record and WW1 Naval Casualties).
The birth of a Herbert Edward Baldwin, mothers’ maiden name Rouse, was registered with the civil authorities in the Loddon District of Norfolk in the July to September quarter, (Q3), of 1895. Loddon Civil Registration District included the civil parish of Woodton.
Census of England & Wales
The 1911 census has a 15 year old Herbert, born Woodton and working as a Bricklayers Labourer, recorded at a dwelling at Woodton, Norfolk. This was the household of his parents, George, (aged 42 and a Bricklayer from Woodton) and Alice, (aged 40 and from Heckingham, Norfolk). The couple have been married 21 years and have had 10 children, of which 8 were then still alive. As well as Herbert, also still at home are:-
Bertie……..aged 17……born Woodton……..Bricklayers Labourer
Cicely….…aged 13…….born Woodton
Mercy…….aged 11……born Woodton
Ada……….aged 6……..born Woodton
Clara……..aged 4…..…born Woodton
Russell….aged 1 month…born Woodton
On the 1901 census the family were recorded at a dwelling “West of the Chapel”, Woodton. (The next entries on the same page are all down as “Near Kings Head”). As well as Hebert, (5), also recorded are Bertie, (7), Cicely (3), Mercy (1), plus there is also an older child, Audrey, (aged 9 and born Woodton).
1911 – 1915 Norfolk Register of Electors…..
Herberts’ father George appears to be recorded on the 1911 edition of the Register as entitled to vote in Parliamentary, County Council and Civil Parish elections as he was a (male) householder of a dwelling house ‘Near chapel’, Woodton.
The same information would appear for each year up to and including 1915. Electoral Registers for 1916 & 1917 were not produced anywhere in the UK.
1911 edition: www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2CML-XS5
1912 edition: www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2CM8-LG4
1913 edition: www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2CMX-YQK
1914 edition: www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2CMN-WJW
1915 edition: www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2H1W-788
On the day…………………..
HMS Natal was a Warrior-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the first decade of the 20th century. She escorted the royal yacht in 1911–1912 for the newly crowned King George V's trip to India to attend the Delhi Durbar. During World War I the ship was assigned to the 2nd Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet, but did not participate in any battles. Natal was sunk by an internal explosion near Cromarty on 30 December 1915 with the loss of at least 390 crewmen and civilians.
At the outbreak of war, she joined the Grand Fleet and in January 1915 was refitted at Cromarty.]Natal spent much of 1915 uneventfully patrolling the North Sea until she began a brief refit at the Birkenhead shipyard of Cammell Laird on 22 November. On 5 December the ship rejoined the 2nd Cruiser Squadron at Scapa Flow. Twelve days later the squadron sailed to Cromarty Firth.
On 30 December 1915, Natal was lying in the Cromarty Firth with her squadron, under the command of Captain Eric Back. The captain was hosting a film party aboard and had invited the wives and children of his officers, one civilian friend and his family, and nurses from the nearby hospital ship Drina to attend. A total of seven women, one civilian male, and three children were in attendance that afternoon.
Shortly after 15:25, and without warning, a series of violent explosions tore through the rear part of the ship. She capsized five minutes later. Some thought that she'd been torpedoed by a German U-boat or detonated a submarine-laid mine, but examination of the wreckage revealed that the explosions were internal. The divers sent to investigate the ship reported that the explosions began in either the rear 9.2-inch shellroom or the 3-pounder and small arms magazine. The Admiralty court-martial in the causes of her loss concluded that it was caused by an internal ammunition explosion, possibly due to faulty cordite. The Admiralty issued a revised list of the dead and missing that totaled 390 in January 1916, but did not list the women and children on board that day. Losses are listed from 390 to 421.
With her hull still visible at low water, it was Royal Navy practice on entering and leaving Cromarty right up to World War II for every warship to sound “Still”, and for officers and men to come to attention as they passed the wreck.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Natal_(1905)
(Mildly photoshopped to reduce impact of damage present on the original image).