Posted 7 years ago
Phatbuddha
(220 items)
Another letter from rear Admiral sir robert Arbuthnot Collection.
It's from A Captain E hyed parker To lady arbuthnot, "I saw defence blow up".
I've not been able to read it but it sounds like Captain Parker is telling lady Arbuthnot what he saw when the defence blow up.
Hopefully you can read it from these photos.
There is a few letters from different ships that was there on the day the defence blow up and saw it happen and described what they saw,I will be posting more of these letter soon
Thanks for looking.
Thanks for posting, I transcribed:
Dear Lady Arbuthnot,
I have hesitated to write before feeling it might only pain you but Mrs Napier tells me you are so splendidly brave and full of courage that I have decided to do so just to offer you my very deep and true sympathy in the loss of one who was always to me a fine example for whom I have had a great respect from the time I was a midshipman. He died as he had lived full of vigour, and in the thick of things, shewing us all, us ever, the very finest possible example. I don't know whether you or the service or the country has lost the most. All three in different ways of course, but to all three great and sad loss. You have your compensations in so far as you can feel them, that no man can die better or nobler than he for the King, Country and the best of causes, and all that sort of thing; the service has its compensations in so much as his work is left behind him for us to profit from and his neat example will never die in this generation; but it seems to me the Country has nothing but sheer absolute loss that it can never recover. I wonder if the Country half realises! I saw "Defence" blow up and if the assurance of all eyewhitness that he could have suffered nothing is of any comfort I can give it you. The whole thing was so instantaneous and immense that I am quite sure the huge schock meant an instant painless end to eveyone. He was probably quite enjoying the fight in his usual fearless way one moment, and gone the next. Peace to his sould! I was very fond of Sir Robert and had a real admiration for him. Accept please all my sympathy and may time heal and sooth. Please don't trouble reply. Yours sincerely E. Hyde Parkers.
http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Edmond_Hyde_Parker
Nice transcription olofz.
Letter of condolence on a battle death. The HMS Defence, a UK armored cruiser, sank in late MAY 1916 at the Battle of Jutland.
scott
Thank you OlofZ for transcripting this letter, you done a great job.
Extremely interesting letter. The HMS Defence was a British Armoured Cruiser, as stated above, that was sunk at Jutland. The Magazines exploded, causing a huge explosion, killing every one on board, including Sir Robert Arbuthnot. There were no survivors, unfortunately. Between 893 and 903 men were killed in the explosion. Incredibly sad, this is a fantastic piece of Jutland history.