Leading Signalman 225838 George Henry Copson
Killed in action:
1st June 1916 Age: 28
George Henry
Copson was born on the 10th February 1888 in Loughborough, Leicestershire. His
father was George Copson of Husbands Bosworth and a contractors labourer (born
1861) and his mother was Ellen Copson (nee Bateman, born 1867)) also of
Husbands Bosworth. His parents were married in Market Harborough district. His
sister, Agnes was born the year before George in Market Harborough, before the
family moved to Loughborough. George’s younger siblings were Edward, born 1889
and Mary, born 1890. In April 1891 the family home was at 17 Wellington Street,
Loughborough, Leicestershire. In March 1901 the family had moved to 48 Moor
Lane, Loughborough, his father now a night-soil foreman. They later moved to
Oxford Street and George’s father was employed by the Loughborough Corporation.
On 16th April
1903, aged fifteen, George enlisted into the Royal Navy to serve a twelve-year
engagement and his reckonable service was due to commence on the 10th February
1906. He was given the service number 225838 in Chatham, Kent.
His medical examination
recorded that he was 5 feet 3.5 inches tall, his hair was brown and eyes hazel.
His complexion was ‘fresh’. He had two ‘N’s tattooed on his left forearm, two
faces – one a sailor, the other a woman, on his left wrist and crossed flags on
his right wrist. His trade was given as ‘houseboy’. He was re-examined when he
reached the age of eighteen and his height was recorded as 5 feet and 5 inches.
His record of
service began on the 16th April 1903 when he joined HMS Caledonia as A boy, 2nd
Class. He was promoted to Boy, 1st Class (Signaller) on the 17th November 1903.
HMS Caledonia:
18th November 1903 – 31st May 1904.
HMS Pembroke:
1st June 1904 – 5th October 1904.
HMS
Berwick: 6th October 1904 – 9th
February 1906 – promoted to Signalman.
HMS Berwick:
10th February 1906 – 12th March 1906.
HMS Pembroke I:
13th March 1906 – 9th July 1906 – promoted to Ordinary Signalman.
HMS Pembroke I:
10th July 1906 – 7th August 1906.
HMS Pembroke II:
8th August 1906 – 31st May 1907.
HMS Octacon: 1st
June 1907 – 30th September 1907 – promoted to Leading Signalman.
HMS Octacon: 1st
October 1907 – 14th September 1908.
HMS Pembroke I:
15th September 1908 – 30th March 1909.
HMS Dido: 31st
March 1909 – 14th August 1910 – completed term of engagement.
George then worked
as a miner in Whitwick and when he was 24 he married Florence Theresa Gilson,
21, at All Saints Church, Peckham on the 8th September 1912.
George
re-enlisted for the duration of hostilities and joined HMS Victory 1 as a
Leading Signalman.
HMS Victory I:
16th March 1915 - 22nd July 1915 - Leading Signalman.
HMS Hecla: 23rd
July 1915 – 2nd September 1915.
HMS Hecla
(Shark): 3rd September 1915 – 18th March 1916.
HMS Sparrowhawk:
19th March 1916 – 31st May 1916 – killed in action at the Battle of Jutland.
Battle of Jutland
At around 23.40
some of the ships of the 4th destroyer flotilla formed up under Commander
Walter Allen of HMS Broke, who was the half-flotilla leader, with the aim on
continuing the attack against German ships nearby. HMS Broke was caught in
searchlights coming from the German battleship SMS Westfalen. She attempted to
fire torpedoes, but the range was only around 150 yards and the German ship
opened fire first. The effect was devastating so that within a couple of
minutes fifty crew were killed and another thirty injured. The attack disabled
the guns and prevented any activity on deck. The helmsman was killed at the
wheel, and as he died his body turned the wheel, which caused HMS Broke to turn
to port and ram HMS Sparrowhawk. Sub Lieutenant Percy Wood saw HMS Broke coming
towards them at twenty-eight knots and heading directly for HMS Sparrowhawk’s
bridge. He shouted warnings to the crew to get clear and was then knocked over
by the impact. When he regained consciousness he was lying on the deck of HMS
Broke. Two other men from HMS Sparrowhawk were also thrown onto HMS Broke. Sub
Lieutenant Wood reported to Commander Allen who told him to return to his own
ship and make preparations to take the crew of HMS Broke on board. When he returned
to HMS Sparrowhawk, Sub Lieutenant Wood was told by his captain, Lieutenant
Commander Sydney Hopkins, that he had just sent exactly the same message to HMS
Broke. Approximately twenty men from HMS Sparrowhawk evacuated to HMS Broke,
whilst fifteen of HMS Broke’s crew crossed to HMS Sparrowhawk.
A third
destroyer, HMS Contest then crashed into HMS Sparrowhawk, striking six feet
from her stern. HMS Contest was relatively unharmed and able to continue after
the collision. HMS Broke and HMS Sparrowhawk remained wedged together for about
half-an-hour before they could be separated and HMS Broke got underway taking
thirty of HMS Sparrowhawk’s crew with her. HMS Sparrowhawk, although still
having engine power, could only steam ahead in circles near the burning
destroyer HMS Tipperary as her rudder was jammed to one side. At around 02.00 a
German torpedo boat approached and came within one hundred yards of HMS
Sparrowhawk, but then turned away. Only one gun was still working and as the
gun crews had all been killed or injured, the captain and his officers manned
it, but held fire in the hope that the Germans would not initiate an attack.
Shortly afterwards HMS Tipperary sank, putting out the fire that was attracting
attention to the area.
At around 03.30
the crew on board HMS Sparrowhawk were alarmed when they sighted a German
cruiser, the SMS Elbing, which had been torpedoed and then abandoned. Shortly
afterwards the ship listed and then sank, bow first. At 06.10 a raft approached
carrying twenty-three men from HMS Tipperary, three were already dead and five
more died after being taken on board. An hour later, three British destroyers
arrived and HMS Marksman attempted to get two hawsers attached to HMS
Sparrowhawk to tow her to safely. The high seas meant the ropes parted and
there were reports of German submarines nearby. It was decided to abandon HMS
Sparrowhawk and HMS Marksman fired eighteen shells into her to ensure that she
sank.
Leading
Signalman 225838 George Henry Copson left Florence a widow with two children,
living at 19 Parkstone Road, Rye Lane, Peckham.
Leading Signalman 225838 George Henry
Copson is commemorated on:
The Chatham
Naval Memorial, Kent, where he first enlisted
Loughborough
Carillon Tower Memorial
St John the
Baptist Churchyard Memorial, Whitwick
All Saints
Parish Church Memorial, Loughborough
St Peter’s
Church Memorial, Loughborough
Council Office
Memorial, Coalville, Leics
Sources:
Doyle, Michael, Their
Name Liveth for Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and
Rutland (Billingborough, Michael Doyle, 2009)
The National Archives
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