William Shipley
- Family History
- Military History
- Extra Information
- Photographs
William was the son of John Thomas (Tom) and Elizabeth Shipley nee Winfield. His father John Tom was born in South Collingham, Nottinghamshire, in 1848 (J/A/S Newark, mother's maiden name Broadberry). However, by 1871 he was lodging at Carlton Lane, Low Prices Row, Sutton-on-Trent, and working as a gardener and servant. His mother Elizabeth was the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Winfield and born in Sutton-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, in about 1849. In 1871 she was living with her parents at First Holme Lane, Sutton-on-Trent. She had a daughter Emma (Emily) Winfield who was two years old (birth registered 1869 J/F/M Southwell). On subsequent census returns Emma's first name was given as 'Emily' and her surname as 'Shipley'. John and Elizabeth were married on 10 June 1871 at All Saints Church, Sutton-on-Trent. They had at least eight children all of whom were born in Sutton-on-Trent: George birth registered 1878 (J/F/M Southwell) bap. 28 January 1872 All Saints, Edwin b. 1873 (O/N/D Southwell) bap. 29 September 1884 All Saints, Samuel Winfield b. 7 November 1874 (O/N/D Southwell) bap. 29 September 1884, Sarah Ann b. 5 February 1878 (J/F/M Southwell) bap. 29 September 1884, John Tom b. 1 March 1881 (A/M/J Southwell) bap. 29 September 1884, Edrick Broadberry b. 28 March 1883 (A/M/J Southwell) bap. 29 September 1884, William b. 1 November 1885 (O/N/D Southwell) bap. 22 November 1885, and Eleanor Kate birth registered 1888 J/F/M Southwell bap. 11 March 1888 All Saints. In 1881 John (32) a gardener's labourer and Elizabeth (31) were living on Carlton Lane, Sutton-on-Trent, with their six children: Emily (12), George (9), Edwin (7), Samuel (6), Sarah (3) and John (under 1 year). By 1891 they were living on First Holme Lane, Sutton-on-Trent. John (42) was still working as a gardener (domestic). Seven of their eight children were at home on the night of the census: Emily (22) of no occupation, Edwin (17) a basket maker's apprentice, Samuel (16) a day boy on a farm, Sarah (13), John (10), Edric (8), William (5) and Eleanor (3). William's father died aged 50 in 1899 (A/M/J Southwell) and was buried in All Saints churchyard on 12 May. The youngest sibling, Eleanor Kate, died in 1901 (J/F/M Southwell) aged 13. In 1901 the widowed Elizabeth (52) was living at Church Walk, Low Street, Sutton-on-Trent. She was working as a rod peeler. Also in the household on the night of the census were three of her children Emily (32) of no occupation, John (20) and Edric (18) who were both basket makers and her grand-daughter Annie Shipley (9, b. Sutton-on-Trent). Two of Elizabeth's children, Edwin and Samuel were married by the time of the 1901 Census, and William (14) was living with his married brother Samuel in Newark and working as a groom. George has not yet been traced after the 1881 Census and Sarah Ann has not yet been traced on the 1901 Census. Elizabeth (62) and her daughter Emily (42) were recorded on the 1911 Census as visitors at Nursery Road, Swallow Nest, Sheffield (Aston cum Aughton), the home of her daughter Sarah (33) who had married John Turgoose in 1902 (O/N/D Southwell). Sarah and John (36) a colliery labourer had three children, Annie Elizabeth (7), Emily (6) and John William (under one year). Elizabeth died in 1923 (O/N/D Southwell) aged 83. William had joined the Royal Navy in 1905 on a 12 year continuous service engagement but obtained his discharge by purchase in November 1910. He married Mary Davies (b. 19 May 1887) in 1910 (J/F/M Pembroke, Wales) and they had two children, Francis William Colwyne b. 13 July 1911 (J/A/S Clutton Somerset) bap. 5 November 1911 Manorbier parish church, and Edna Mary b. 18 March 1913 (A/M/J Narberth Pembrokeshire). In 1911 William, now a coal miner, and Mary (24) were living at 25 Redfield Road, Midsomer Norton, Somerset, as boarders in the household of Henry Reddy, a china dealer, and his wife Sarah Ann. The CWGC record gives his widow's address as 67 High Street, Midsomer Norton, Bath, Somerset. However, in 1939 at the time of the England & Wales Register, Mary was living at 43 North Road, Norton Radstock, Somerset, with her two children, Francis who was working as a 'jobbing book work compositor printing', and Edna, a solicitor's clerk, and two others who were probably boarders. Mary Shipley died in 1960 (A/M/J Norton Radstock) aged 73. Francis married Eunice M Rodgers in 1930 (A/M/J Bridgend Glamorganshire) and died in 1954 (O/N/D Bristol) aged 43. Edna married Leonard G Clarke in 1940 A/M/J Norton Radstock) and died in 1986 (J/F/M Bath). Of William's surviving siblings: Emily died in 1943 (J/F/M Newark) George has not been traced after the 1881 Census. Edwin married Rose Antcliffe on 3 September 1900 at All Saints church, Sutton-on-Trent. He died in 1926 (J/F/M Southwell) aged 52. Samuel Winfield married Esther Ann Smalley (b. Besthorpe) in 1900 (J/A/S Southwell). In 1901 they were living at Lilly's Row, Northgate, Newark. Sam (21) was working as a malster. He and Esther (21) had one child Eleanor Kate (5 months, b. 1900 O/N/D Southwell) and his brother William (14), a groom, was living with them. Samuel and Esther had returned to Sutton-on-Trent by 1911 and were living at Clays Yard, Far Holme Lane. He was working as a bricklayer's labourer. They now had seven children: Eleanor (10), Elizabeth (8), Ivy (6), Alice (4), Sam Winfield (2) and Mary Ellen (7 months) and had two more sons: Clarence b. 10 July 1917 (J/A/S Southwell) and Edric B. birth registered 1920 (J/F/M Southwell). Esther probably died in 1931 (O/N/D Southwell). In 1939 at the time of the England & Wales Register the widowed Samuel, a permanent way lengthman for LNER, was living at 5 Far Holme Lane, Sutton-on-Trent, with his son Clarence, a joiner. Samuel died in 1965 (J/F/M Southwell) aged 90. Sarah Ann, who had married John Turgoose in 1902 and moved to Yorkshire, had been widowed and was living at 21 Nursery Road, Snest, Rotherham by 1939. Her occupation was given as unpaid domestic duties and 'small sweet business'. Also in the household was Charles Mirfin (b. 18 June 1876) a widower who had formerly worked as a boat repairer. Sarah died in1957 (A/M/J Rotherham) aged 79. John Tom married Ada Plumb (b. 10 April 1882) in 1901 (O/N/D Southwell). In 1939 they were living at 32 High Street, Sutton-on-Trent; Tom was working as a basket maker. He died in 1960 (J/A/S Southwell) aged 79. Edrick Broadberry (33) married Lois Maud Riley (29, b. 7 April 1887), the daughter of Henry Riley, a clogger, at All Saints, Aston cum Aughton, Yorkshire, on 12 June 1916. Edrick was serving with the Royal Scots and residing in Widford, Essex. In 1939 they were living at 24 High Street, Sutton-on-Trent with their son, Albert E. (b. 20 September 1926, O/N/D Southwell); Edrick was working as a basket maker. He died in 1943 (J/F/M Southwell) aged 59.
William joined the Royal Navy as a Stoker 2nd Class on 30 October 1905 on a 12 year Continuous Service Engagement. He served in the following ships and shore establishments: HMS Nelson, 30 October 1905-28 February 1906 (Stoker 2nd Class); Victory: 1 March 1906-27 April 1906; HMS Goliath, 28 April 1906-13 March 1907 (Stoker 1st Class 9 August 1906); Victory II, 15 March 1907-6 April 1907; HMS Glory, 7 April 1907-8 April 1907; Sapphire II, 9 April 1907-30 April 1907; HMS Blenheim, 1 May 1907-28 January 1908; Victory II, 29 January 1908-3 April 1908; HMS Blenheim, 4 April 1908-30 May 1910; Victory II, 31 May 1910-20 June 1910; HMS Hecla, 21 June 1910-24 November 1910; Victory II, 25 November 1910-26 November 1910. William obtained his discharge on 26 November 1910 by purchase. Service record annotated: 'NP 3270/18.11.10 Approves discharge shore by purchase subject to his enrolment in RFR. £12 paid for discharge NP811/7.2.11 though £18 was correct amount for discharge by purchase £12 may be accepted, but attention of CO of Hecla is to be drawn to irregularity.’ He joined the Royal Fleet Reserve (Portsmouth B3899) on 27 November 1910. William was mobilised in 1914 and drafted to HMS Good Hope and served 13 July 1914-24 July 1914 (Stoker 1st Class); Victory II, 25 July 1914-30 July 1914 and then HMS Good Hope, 31 July 1914-1 November 1914. His RN Service record was annotated: ‘NP 2788/14. DD [Discharged Dead] 1 Nov. 1914. Lost when HMS Good Hope was sunk in action off Chilian coast.’ William was killed on his 29th birthday. William's body was not recovered for burial and he is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. HMS Good Hope was a Drake Class armoured cruiser built in 1901. By 1914 she was Rear Admiral Sir Christopher George Cradock’s flag ship which, along with HMS Monmouth and other British vessels of 4th Cruiser Squadron, encountered Vice Admiral von Spee’s Scharnhorst and Gneisenau forty five miles off the Chilean port of Coronel. The German ships were faster and more heavily armed than Cradock’s fleet. The sun set at 18:50 on November 1st 1914, which silhouetted the British ships against the light sky while the German ships became indistinguishable from the shoreline behind them. Spee immediately turned to close and signalled his ships to open fire at 19:04 when the range closed to 12,300 yards. Spee's flagship, Scharnhorst, engaged Good Hope while Gneisenau fired at Monmouth. Cradock's flagship was hit on the Scharnhorst's third salvo, when shells knocked out her forward 9.2-inch turret and set her forecastle on fire. Cradock, knowing his only chance was to close the range, continued to do so despite the battering that Spee's ships inflicted. By 19:23 the range was almost half of that when the battle began and the British ships bore onwards. Spee tried to open the range, fearing a torpedo attack, but the British were only 5,500 yards away at 19:35. Seven minutes later, Good Hope charged directly at the German ships, although they dodged out of her way. Spee ordered his armoured cruisers to concentrate their fire on the British flagship which had drifted to a halt with her topsides ablaze. At 19:50 her forward magazine exploded, severing the bow from the rest of the ship, and she later sank in the darkness. Von Spee estimated that his flagship had made 35 hits on Good Hope, suffering only two hits in return that did no significant damage and failed even to wound one crewman. Good Hope was sunk with all hands, a total of 919 officers and men. Note: Good Hope and Monmouth’s ship’s companies mainly comprised reservists whereas von Spee’s crews were well trained and experienced. There were just two other British ships the light cruiser HMS Glasgow and the armed merchant cruiser Otranto neither of which were a threat to von Spee’s modern ships which had a greater fire-power than those of the British Squadron. The captain of Cradock’s flagship, HMS Good Hope, was Captain Philip Francklin, who was a career officer and came from Gonalston Nottinghamshire (he is on the Gonalston memorial). A postscript is that von Spee’s squadron was destroyed, and he and his two sons killed, when the Royal Navy under Admiral Sturdee exacted retribution six weeks later at the Battle of the Falkland Islands 8/12/1914.’
William is also commemorated on the parish war memorials at Manorbier, Pembrokeshire, and Begelly, Tenby, Pembrokeshire.
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