TEIGNMOUTH & SHALDON

Private William Henry Mutters. William was born in Dawlish, Devon on the 1 March 1869 and baptised on 20 March, the son of James and Mary Ann Mutters.

Royal Marines Light Infantry Cap Badge

William enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry on the 1 April 1889 and completed 12 years’ service, his service number was PLY 4780.

He re-enlisted on the 31 August 1914, service number Ply/16964 (Dev), and joined HMS Queen Mary a 26,770-ton Battlecruiser on that day. He had a very good naval record.

Newspaper accounts show Private Mutters was working in Budleigh Salterton when he enlisted and later reports on the Battle of Jutland say he worked for Mr J. C. Palmer and lived with a family named Smith in Knowle.

His parents, who were also known to have lived at The Strand in Teignmouth, had died before him and a niece, Olive Mutters, was advised of his death, although his body was not found.

Remembered on Plymouth Naval Memorial; Dawlish War Memorial and Budleigh Salterton War Memorial.

HMS Queen Mary

The HMS Queen Mary was lost on the 31 May 1916 at the Battle of Jutland, when she was hit in the magazines by shell-fire from the German Battlecruiser Definer.

20 men were rescued from a crew of 1,266.

British Battle Cruiser HMS Queen Mary. © IWM (Q 21661A)

The wreck of the Queen Mary was discovered in 1991, at the bottom of the North Sea.

As the grave of 1,266 men, the wreck has been designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act of 1986.

HMS Queen Mary blowing up. The fighting at Jutland; the personal experiences of forty-five officers and men of the British Fleet by Fawcett, Harold William; Hooper, Geoffrey William Winsmore 1921

Report of Midshipman J.L. Storey, Senior Uninjured Survivor of the Queen Mary. (as forwarded to the Commander-in-Chief):

SIR,

I deeply regret to report that H.M.S. Queen Mary, commanded by Captain C. I. Prowse, R.N., was completely destroyed when in action with the German Fleet at 5.25 P.M. on Wednesday, May 31. The total number of officers and men saved was eighteen.

 

The circumstances of the loss of the ship are, as far as I know, as follows: At 4.20 P.M. the Queen Mary was third ship in the line of the 1st B.C.S., and action was sounded, and at 4.45 the order was given "load all guns." At 4.53 fire was opened on the third ship of the enemy's line, the range being about 17,000 yards.

 

The fire was maintained with great rapidity till 5.20, and during this time we were only slightly damaged by the enemy's fire. At 5.20 a big shell hit "Q" turret and put the right gun out of action, but the left gun continued firing. At 5.24 a terrific explosion took place which smashed up "Q" turret and started a big fire in working chamber, and the gun house was filled with smoke and gas.

 

The officer on the turret, Lieutenant-Commander Street, gave the order to evacuate the turret. All the unwounded in the gun house got clear and, as they did so, another terrific explosion took place and all were thrown into the water. On coming to the surface nothing was visible except wreckage, but thirty persons appeared to be floating in the water.

 

At 5.55 H.M.S. Laurel saw the survivors in the water and lowered a whaler and rescued seventeen. When this number had been picked up, H.M.S. Laurel received orders to proceed at full speed, being in grave danger of the enemy's ships. All officers and men were treated with the greatest kindness by the officers and men of H.M.S. Laurel, and were landed at Rosyth at about 8 P.M., June 1.2.

 

I have the honour to be, Sir,
Your obedient servant, J. L.
STOREY, Midshipman, R.N.