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David Elder Jamieson came from
the townland of Knocksoughey - where his family relatives still live. He
joined the Royal Navy and worked his way through the ranks to become First
Class Petty Officer and was assigned to HMS Defence under the
Command of Admiral Arbuthnot. HMS Defence was a 1st class armoured cruiser
of the Minotaur class and displaced some 14,600 tons, her armaments included
four 9.2inch primary guns, ten 7.5inch secondary guns, sixteen 12 pounders
and five 18inch submerged torpedo tubes. She was built at the Pembroke
Dockyard and commissioned into the Home Fleet 1909. In 1912 she served on
the China Station, in 1913 she was transferred to the Mediterranean
Station where she remained until 1914 when she finally joined the 1st cruiser
squadron and became the flagship of Admiral Sir R. Artbuthnot. At the
Battle of Jutland
she was leading her squadron ahead of the main battle fleet, the cruiser
engaged with light scouting forces of the German High Seas Fleet, in these
engagements
she damaged and brought to a stop the crippled German cruiser the
Wiesbaden. As she closed in to sink the Wiesbaden she came in range of the
German Battle Fleet and was smothered by fire from the Derfflinger and
four battle cruiser leading the main German Fleet - at 6.20am on May 31st she
was seen to explode and sink with the loss of 903 men, there were no
survivors.
Photograph by kind permission
of David & Stanley Jamieson |
