Cyril A. Walton

This name is on Holy Trinity WW1 Memorial, London SW4

Chaplain, Royal Navy, H.M.S. Chester

Died on 31 May 1916, aged 39

CWGC: "Son of Thomas Isaak and Barbara Walton, of Ickleford Rectory, Herts; husband of May Walton, of The School House, Old Town, Clapham, London. M.A."

Remembered at Chatham Naval Memorial, in the South Transept of Chester Cathedral and at Holy Trinity, Clapham Common

H.M.S. Chester

Wikipedia: The ship was laid down on 7 October 1914, launched on 8 December 1915 and entered service in May 1916, three weeks before the Battle of Jutland. On 31 May 1916, Chester was scouting ahead of the 3rd Battlecruiser Squadron at the Battle of Jutland when the ship turned to investigate gunfire in the distance. At 17:30 hours, the Chester soon came under intense fire from four Kaiserliche Marine cruisers each her own size which had suddenly emerged out of the haze and increasing funnel smoke of the battlefield.

The shielded 5.5-inch gun mounting where Cornwell was serving as a sight-setter was affected by at least four nearby hits. She was hit by at least 17 150mm shells and suffered casualties of 29 men killed and 49 wounded; many of the wounded lost legs because the open backed gun-shields did not reach the deck and give adequate protection. The Chester's gun mountings were open backed shields and did not reach the deck. Splinters were thus able to pass under them or enter the open back when shells exploded nearby or behind.

All the gun's crew were killed except 16 year old John Cornwell who received the Victoria Cross for his dedication to duty though mortally injured. He managed to stand back up, and despite the entire gun crew around him dead or wounded, he remained standing at his post for more than 15 minutes until Chester retired from the action with only one main gun still working.

The Chester's partial hull armour meant the interior of the ship suffered little serious damage and the ship was never in peril. The situation on deck, however, was dire. Many of the gun crews had lost lower limbs due to splinters passing under the gun shields. British ships report passing the Chester to cheers from limbless wounded gun crew laid out on her deck and smoking cigarettes, only to hear that the same crewmen had died a few hours later from blood loss and shock.

Information from the 1911 census

In 1911 Cyril Ambrose Walton, born in Ickleford, Hitchen in Hertfordshire, was 34, single and living at 28 Lydon Road, Clapham. He shared his eight-roomed house with a housekeeper, Agnes Kitchingham, 42, a single woman from Rainham, Kent.