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William
Stanley – Stoker 1st-class R.N.
Although this website is concerned with the war as experienced by civilian
mariners and reservists, this particular example of the 1914-15 Star was
awarded to a rating in the Royal Navy. This is because I have not, as yet,
managed to buy one for a reservist. Nonetheless, this chap’s service was
interesting.
William Stanley was born in Eastbourne, Sussex in 1895. Prior to
joining he had been a cellarman concerned with beer and wine. In
circumstances unknown, he signed on for twelve years in January 1914, as a
Stoker 2nd-class, in Portsmouth. Training began at Victory II, with
some sea-time on a 2nd-class cruiser, Liverpool. As the political
situation worsened dramatically, he was drafted to a pre-Dreadnought
battleship, Glory, as a supernumerary on August 1st. In home waters at
first, she was re-deployed to the North American and West Indies Station in
October 1914. While onboard he was rated Stoker 1st-class, but managed to get
into trouble, seemingly with seven days in cells. (The relevant entry is really
difficult to read.) The Dardanelles campaign having failed miserably and
troops landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula, Glory was transferred to the
Mediterranean theatre in June 1915. Drafted to Europa I in July, he
may well not have been ashore in Malta, but on the Gallipoli Peninsula, or
somewhere forward in the Aegean theatre. The first ship that he was a member
of the ship’s company proper was a scout-cruiser, Skirmisher, as of
mid-October 1915 though. Previously in home waters, Skirmisher was
transferred to the Med theatre around this time. Stoker Stanley parted
company with her two years later, returning to Victory II. There he
remained, until receiving another sea-draft to Cardiff in February
1917. She was a light-cruiser in building on the Clyde. On commissioning she
was sent to the Grand Fleet and took part in the Second Battle of Heligoland
Bight on 17th November 1917. After the
Armistice, she was in the Baltic briefly in the frustrating operations
theoretically supporting anti-Bolshevik forces (complicated mightily by the Freikorps),
before joining the Med Fleet early in 1919.
Although often receiving ‘Superior’ assessments professionally, he
must have been in trouble not infrequently. Granted a first good conduct
badge in March 1917, he was deprived of it in October 1919. Restored in April
1920, he lost it again in February 1922 and so on. Even so, he never received
second-class for conduct and was also allowed to sign on again to complete
twenty-two years. However, having been sent ashore to Chatham from Carlisle,
another light-cruiser, in early 1927, he was invalided out from the R.N.
Hospital (Pembroke II) that June. The diagnosis was shown as otitis
media.
Unfortunately, nothing has been uncovered on the rest of his life.
This is due to knowing nothing of his family and the many men of this name in
civil records.
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