William Thomas Webb was born on 17th June 1897 at Epsom, Surrey. He volunteered for Boy service in the Royal Navy on 23rd May 1913 at the age of 16 promising to serve for 12 years. He had previously been an errand boy living at 12 Mill Road, Epsom Common, Surrey. His late father had been a railway station porter at the local London, Brighton & South Coast Railway station at Epsom.
He was a fresh faced Church of England lad of 5ft 2" with fair hair and blue eyes who had attended St Michael's Sunday School in Epsom.
During his three years of service he had served in various important capital ships and was lost during the Battle of Jutland in the totally brutal circumstances of the sinking of the destroyer HMS SHARK during the famous posthumous V.C. action of Commander Loftus W. Jones R.N. He lost his life just 17 days before his 19th birthday. A well known and well liked local lad, he had been home on leave just a few weeks earlier.
The full and horrendous circumstances of the sinking of HMS Shark and of the fate of many lost crew members are well known from the first hand accounts of the small number of survivors. A good number of men who had been badly burned or wounded escaped from the sinking ship in lifeboats or on floating wreckage only to later perish from exposure and hypothermia in the cold sea and it would appear that William Webb was one of these poor souls.
Commander L.W. Jones V.C. who had been catastrophically and mortally wounded by a shell which had removed his left leg above the knee had been put in a life belt, propped up and lashed to a piece of wreckage before being floated off from the sinking ship.
ALL THE RARE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS ARE VISIBLE IN THE SLIDE SHOW BELOW.
Several bodies from HMS Shark, including the body of Commander Loftus W. Jones V.C. and that of Ordinary Seaman William Webb were recovered from the Swedish seas. William was found on the 19th June 1916 almost three weeks after the battle. He and five others were buried on the 24th June. William's initial resting place with these five other men lost in the battle was at Stora Risholmen, near Gullholmen Sweden. He was initially buried as 'unidentified" with two other men, one from the Shark, but owing to papers found on his body and returned to the UK by the Swedish authorities his identity was subsequently confirmed by the admiralty. Included in this assembly are the three original letters and a photograph sent by the admiralty to his mother in Epsom in relation to the recovery, final identification and burial of her late son's body,
[LIST OF DOCUMENTS & ITEMS ]
(a) Seaman's record of service, 1913-1916 (The original velum)
(b) Admiralty letter to mother ref finding of son's body. 21st March 1917
(c) Admiralty letter to mother ref burial and picture of grave in Sweden.
(d) The original picture of the grave in Sweden.
(e) Admiralty letter to mother confirming means of identification.
(f) Inspector of wills letter confirming mother as recipient of monies.
(g) Memorial service & obituary card.
(h) Newspaper cutting dealing with Epsom losses in the battle. (1916)
(i) Memorial announcement card from an HMS Shark officer's family.
(j) Medal trio issue letter. 1st January 1923.
(k) R.N. type Memorial Scroll: "William Thomas Webb, HMS Shark"
(l) Commemorative Plaque with card cover & Royal letter.
(m) 1914-15 Trio with mint original ribbons.
An historically important, miraculously surviving and compete medallic and documentary time capsule which preserves a unique record of the life and tragic circumstances of one ordinary young sailor who lost his life in what was perhaps the most famous and individually brutal sinking of the Battle of Jutland.
The Medals and plaque are practically mint with original mint ribbons.
A Superb & Unique Assembly fit for inclusion in the finest naval collection.
£1450 (SOLD)
