James Henry RUSSELL (1895-1915)

Name:	James Henry RUSSELL1,2,3,4,5,6
Sex:	Male
Father:	Alfred RUSSELL (1862-1942)
Mother:	Mary Ann JOHNSON (1866- )

Individual Events and Attributes

Birth	1 Nov 1895	Chelsea, Middlesex, England4,7,8
Baptism	5 Jan 1896 (age 0)	Kensal Green, Middlesex, England9
Occupation		Van Guard, G & C Railway
Residence	1901 (age 5-6)	Paddington, Middlesex, England10
	Relation to Head of House: Son
Death	1 Jan 1915 (age 19)	HMS Formidable, At Sea1,2,4,11
	Address: HMS Formidable
Burial		Body Not Recovered For Burial1,2,4,12

Individual Note (shared)

After covering the safe transportation of the British Expeditionary Forces in August 1914, HMS Formidable took part in the transportation of the Portsmouth Marine Battalion to Ostend on 25 August. She was sunk on 1 January 1915 while on Channel patrol off Portland Bill by torpedoes of German U-boat U-24. The ship sank quickly during bad weather resulting in the loss of 547 men from her complement of 780, and became the second battleship serving with the British Royal Navy to be sunk during World War I. The sinking of Formidable The squadron was participating in gunnery exercises off Portland, supported by the cruisers HMS Topaze and HMS Diamond. On the night of 31 December after the exercises, the fleet remained at sea even though submarine activity had been reported in the area. With the wind increasing and rough sea conditions, submarine attacks would have been difficult to carry out effectively and so were not thought to be a significant threat. The next day, HMS Formidable was steaming at 10 knots (19 km/h) at the rear of the squadron just 20 miles (32 km) from Start Point, when at 02:20 she was struck by a torpedo on the starboard side giving her a list of 20 degrees. Forty-five minutes later she was struck by a second torpedo. The pinnace and launch along with two other boats (one of which capsized soon after) were launched, and the two light cruisers managed to pick up 80 men. HMS Formidable remained afloat until 04:45, and then went down quickly with Captain Noel Loxley still on the bridge along with his Fox terrier Bruce.[2] In rough seas near Berry Head, a Brixham trawler, the Provident under the command of Captain W. Piller, picked up the men from the launch before it sank, saving 71 members of the crew. The second pinnace took off another 70 men. This boat was spotted from the shore the following night and a further 48 men were brought ashore alive 22 hours after the sinking.[1][2][3] The total loss of life of HMS Formidable was 35 Officers and 512 men.[1] The wreck site is designated and controlled under the Protection of Military Remains Act.

Sources

1	Ancestry.com, "UK and Ireland, Find A Grave Index, 1300s-Current" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;).
	Ancestry.com.

2	Ancestry.com, "Web: International, Find A Grave Index" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2013;).
	Ancestry.com.

3	Ancestry.com, "London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;). London Metropolitan Archives, Kensal Green St John the Evangelist,
	Ancestry.com.

4	Ancestry.com, "UK, Royal Navy and Royal Marine War Graves Roll, 1914-1919" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;). TNA Series: ADM 242/10; Scan Number: 0222.
	Ancestry.com.

5	Ancestry.com, "1901 England Census" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2005;). Class: RG13; Piece: 17; Folio: 18; Page: 27.
	Ancestry.com.

6	Ancestry.com, "UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;). Peter Singlehurst; Memorials to the Naval Ranks and Ratings of the.
	Ancestry.com.

7	Ancestry.com, "1901 England Census" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2005;). Class: RG13; Piece: 17; Folio: 18; Page: 27.
	Ancestry.com.

8	Ancestry.com, "UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;). Peter Singlehurst; Memorials to the Naval Ranks and Ratings of the.
	Ancestry.com.

9	Ancestry.com, "London, England, Births and Baptisms, 1813-1906" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;). London Metropolitan Archives, Kensal Green St John the Evangelist,
	Ancestry.com.

10	Ancestry.com, "1901 England Census" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2005;). Class: RG13; Piece: 17; Folio: 18; Page: 27.
	Ancestry.com.

11	Ancestry.com, "UK, Commonwealth War Graves, 1914-1921 and 1939-1947" (Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2012;). Peter Singlehurst; Memorials to the Naval Ranks and Ratings of the.
	Ancestry.com.

12	Ibid. Peter Singlehurst; Memorials to the Naval Ranks and Ratings of the.