[1893-1966]
BACKGROUND
Unlike the other diaries in this series, those of Stephen King-Hall are principally concerned with one period of his life, namely his service in HMS Southampton during the First World War.
Some of Stephen King-Hall's personal papers are available at the Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge
Although the diaries and letters given below cover the period from 1906 to 1917, the greater part of them (85%) describe events while Stephen was serving, between February 1914 and April 1917, as a junior watchkeeping officer in the light Cruiser HMS Southampton. For all but the first six months of this period his country was at war with Germany.
Southampton formed part of the Grand Fleet, operating in the North Sea and was based on Scapa Flow and later Rosyth. It was extremely fortunate for posterity, although Stephen may not have appreciated it at the time, that he was serving in this particular ship. The 1st Light Cruiser Squadron to which Southampton belonged saw more action than almost any other group of ships in the Grand Fleet. It played an active part in every major engagement that took place in the North Sea, namely:
August 1914: Heligoland Bight Action.[PAGE7410]
December 1914: German Bombardment of Scarborough. [PAGE7420]
January 1915: Battle of Dogger Bank [PAGE7510]
May 1916: Battle of Jutland. [PAGE7600]
HIS EARLY YEARS
A brief account of Stephen's early life is given in [PAGE7010]
1906-10 A CADET UNDER TRAINING [PAGE7100]
Letters to his parents while at RNCs Osborne and Dartmouth. Starts his Diaries which cover two cruises in the Training Cruiser.
1911-14 SERVICE AS A MIDSHIPMAN AND ACTING SUB-LT [PAGE7200]
His dairies in this section mainly cover his time in the battleship Neptune. They describe a work up cruise in the Mediterranean. They also describe the Coronation procession of George V and the Naval Review at Spithead that took place a few days later. In early 1912 Stephen was appointed to Hermes at the Cape of Good Hope. He spent 18 months on this station before returning to England to take his exams for Sub-Lieutenant. For part of his time in South Africa his uncle Sir Herbert King-Hall was his Commander-in-Chief. The section includes some comments he has made about his nephew. The original diaries covering the South African period have recently become available and may be included on this website in the future.
1914 HMS SOUTHAMPTON - Peacetime [PAGE7300]
This section gives a very interesting account of the Fleet visit to Kiel in July 1914. How close this event was to the outbreak of war is brought home to one, when one reads an entry saying that a Ball had been cancelled on account of the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
HMS SOUTHAMPTON - At War - 1914 [PAGE7400]
This section gives an interesting account of the opening stages of the war in the North Sea, some of it in the form of letters to his parents. It also gives an account of the Heligoland Bight Action and the events that occurred after the German bombardment of Scarborough and Hartlepool. On 8th October Stephen tried to rescue a young seaman who had fallen overboard. His account of this incident is worth reading [PAGE7430].
HMS SOUTHAMPTON - Jan 1915 to Jun 1916 [PAGE7500]
The section opens with a description of the Battle of the Dogger Bank. The remainder of the year and the first two months of 1916 are largely covered by letters to his parents, which cover many aspects of his life. At the end of April the ship went to Newcastle upon Tyne for a minor refit. While most of the ship's company went on leave Stephen was left in charge as acting Commanding Officer. His comments on on this visit, in particular his complimentary analysis on the charms of the ladies of the city are of particular interest. [PAGE7520]
BATTLE OF JUTLAND [PAGE7600]
This section is a very interesting description of the battle as seen by one officer. Southampton was particularly involved in two stages. The battle cruiser action in the opening phase when Admiral Beatty lost two of his Battle Cruisers and the night action during which Southampton was in action with five German cruisers and suffered shell damage and casualties of over 30 killed.
HMS SOUTHAMPTON - Aug 1916 to Apr 1917 [PAGE7700]
The last nine months of Stephen's time in Southampton continues the story of the war in the North Sea and the changes that took place after the Battle of Jutland. No major operational incidents took place. In January 1917, the 1st Lieutenant, Lt Ralph Ireland was lost overboard. The diaries contain a most moving obituary of this fine officer. On a happier note they also contain a lively description of Stephen's farewell party.
HMS RAMILLIES [PAGE7780]
Stephen took part in the commissioning of Ramillies in April 1917. Damaged at her launching the diaries describe the rather undignified voyage that the ship made to Birkenhead, where there was a dry dock large enough to accommodate her.