David Edward Smith

Portsmouth Naval Memorial Panel 34 Column 1

HMS Royal Oak

HMS Royal Oak was one of five Revenge-class battleships built for the Royal Navy during the First World War. Completed in 1916, the ship first saw combat at the Battle of Jutland as part of the Grand Fleet. In peacetime, she served in the Atlantic, Home and Mediterranean fleets, more than once coming under accidental attack. Attempts to modernise Royal Oak throughout her 25-year career could not fix her fundamental lack of speed and, by the start of the Second World War, she was no longer suitable for front-line duty.

On 14 October 1939, Royal Oak was anchored at Scapa Flow in Orkney, Scotland, when she was torpedoed by the German submarine U-47. Of Royal Oak's complement of 1,234 men and boys, 835 were killed that night or died later of their wounds. Amongst those lost were Boys 1st Class William Hall from Kegworth and Ronald Miles from North Muskham, Stokers 2nd Class Roy Radford from Mansfield and William Richards from Mansfield Woodhouse, Signal Boy Norman Billyard from East Retford, Signalman John Hudson from Lenton, Nottingham, Assistant Cook George Mather from Mansfield and Ordinary Seaman David Smith from Nottingham.

The loss of the outdated ship had a considerable effect on wartime morale. The raid made an immediate celebrity and war hero out of the U-boat commander, Günther Prien, who became the first German submarine officer to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. Before the sinking of Royal Oak, the Royal Navy had considered the naval base at Scapa Flow impregnable to submarine attack, but U-47's raid demonstrated that the German navy was capable of bringing the war to British home waters. The shock resulted in rapid changes to dockland security and the construction of the Churchill Barriers around Scapa Flow.

The wreck of Royal Oak, a designated war grave, lies almost upside down in 100 feet (30 m) of water with her hull 16 feet beneath the surface. In an annual ceremony marking the loss of the ship, Royal Navy divers place a White Ensign underwater at her stern. Unauthorised divers are prohibited from approaching the wreck under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. (Wikipedia)

He joined the navy in September 1938. He trained on HMS Victory and the Royal Oak was the first ship he was posted to. Before joining the navy he lived with his family at 31, St Ann's Hill Road.