Petty Officer Stoker 299252 John Nicholl Halsey

Killed in Action on Sunday, 1st November 1914, age 31.
Commemorated on Panel 3 of Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire, United Kingdom.

Royal Navy, H.M.S. "Good Hope." (RFR/PO/IC/295).

Husband of Mrs Mabel M. Halsey, of 42 Lower Church Lane, Tipton, Staffs (per National Probate Calendar).
Born: Wandsworth, Enlisted: Unknown, Resident: Unknown.

First served in 1914.
Medal entitlement: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal.
Navy Papers transcribed.

Not commemorated on any Tipton memorial.
Commemorated here as Tipton address given on Probate.

Link to Commonwealth War Graves Site: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2871257/

Genealogical Data

According to Naval records, John Halsey was born on 24th December 1882 (Editor: actually born 24th December 1881).

1901 Census
'William Shepherd of Fleetwood' sailing vessel at Charleston Docks, Fowey, Cornwall.
Thomas Davies (36, Master, born Anglesey), and crew of 4 men including: John Halsey (18, Ordinary Seaman, born Wandsworth).

Marriage of John Nicholl Halsey and Mabel Mary Turner took place on 5th January 1908, at St. Mary's Church, Putney. John's address was 20 Lifford Street, Putney, and Mabel's address was 20 Burstock Road, Putney.

1911 Census
194 Wright Road, Saltley, Birmingham.
John Halsey (27 (Editor: really 29), Stoker at Railway Works, born Fulham), his wife Mabel Mary (31, born East Tuddenham, Norfolk), and their 1 surviving son of 2: Horace John William (5 months, born Saltley on 2nd October 1910).
A further 2 children were born: Doris Mary Ellen born on 2nd June 1912 with birth registered in Aston in September quarter 1912, and John Samuel born 24th December 1913 with birth registered in Aston in March quarter 1914.

Personal Data

John Halsey was born in Wandsworth, London. The 1901 Census shows him as a Ordinary Seaman on a sailing vessel in Fowey, and 10 years later living in Birmingham; for much of the intervening decade he served in the Royal Navy. His connection with Tipton is slight, and possibly non-existant. The only link is that his entry on the National Probate Calendar gives an address of 42 Lower Church Lane, Tipton. It is possible that he and his family moved there some time after the 1911 Census, or that his wife moved to Tipton after he returned to sea.

On 29th November 1901 John enlisted for 12 years with the Royal Navy. Whether intentionally or by mistake he gave his date of birth as 24th December 1882, whereas his birth was registered in December quarter 1881. John was employed as a shoe maker, he was 5 feet 1½ inches tall, had dark brown hair, grey eyes and a dark complexion. He had a butterfly tattoo on this right forearm.

For the next 7 years William served as a stoker on a number of ships, including the Duke of Wellington, Majestic, Caesar, Enchantress, Fisgard, Jupiter, Exmouth and Victory II. On 30th August 1909, John was invalided out of the Navy suffering from otitis media (an inflamatory disease of the middle ear). He had been made a Leading Stoker in 1907 and Stoker Petty Officer in 1909. On 13th July 1914, John joined the Royal Fleet Reserve, as number B3747 with a base at Portsmouth, and apart from 5 days in July on Victory II, served on HMS Good Hope.

Mabel was paid a Widow’s Pension of £1/4/0d (1 pounds and 4 shillings) per week for herself and her 3 children; this was effective from 6th May 1915.

Probate of John's estate was granted to his widow Mabel Mary Halsey. The Probate Register shows his address as 42 Lower Church Lane, Tipton and the value of his estate as £108/0/6d (108 pounds and 6 pence). By the time of the 1921 Census, Mabel and 2 of her children had returned to her home place, living at 29 Norwich Road, East Tuddenham, Norfolk. The eldest child, Horace, was resident at "The House for Little Boys”, Hextable, Kent, this seems to have been an orphanage but with a naval connection.

Action resulting in his death

HMS Good Hope was the flagship of the 4th Cruiser Squadron under Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Craddock, patrolling the west coast of South America in search of a German Squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral Graf Maximilliam von Spee. Von Spee became aware that HMS Glasgow was isolated from the Squadron and determined to intercept it. His radio messages were intercepted and Craddock moved his entire Squadron to a location about 40 miles south-west of Coronel in Chile. Neither side were aware that the other side was present in full number.

Craddock thought he was searching for just the German ship 'Leipzig', but saw the full German fleet and turned south and tried to outrun the enemy. The Germans had the advantage of speed, so Craddock decided to turn and fight, but the Germans also had the advantage of a greater range of fire. Good Hope was hit but attempted to close and bring her shorter-range guns in action, but at 6,000 yards was hit by accurate and devastating German fire.

At sunset on 1st November 1914 - 7pm - with the moon clearly silhouetting Cradock's fleet, the Scharnhorst's third salvo crippled the flagship Good Hope which sank shortly afterwards. There were no survivors, Admiral Cradock himself going down with the Good Hope. HMS Monmouth was also sunk with no survivors. This was the first British naval defeat for 100 years (Battle of Grand Port, 1810).

The Royal Navy avenged this defeat on December 8th 1914 when von Spee attempted to raid Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. His fleet was ambushed by the Royal Navy under Vice-Admiral Sturdee, and the German ships Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, Nurnberg and Leipzig were sunk, and von Spee lost his life.

John Halsey lost his life on HMS Good Hope, and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Newspaper Cuttings

De Ruvigny's Roll of Honour.
HALSEY JOHN, Stoker, Petty Officer (R.F.R., B.3747), 299252, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action of Coronel, on the cost of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914.