Description
1914-15 Star Trio, Stoker 1st Class William George Cottrell, HMS Good Hope, Killed in action on 1st November 1914, Battle of Coronel, Coast of Chile.
Trio officially impressed: “303575. W.G. Cottrell. Sto. 1. R.N.”
His Photograph was published in the Northampton Mercury on 20th November 1914:
“LEADING STOKER WILLIAM GEORGE COTTRELL, Lost in HMS Good Hope. He was a Brother of Mrs William Townsend, East Street, Long Buckby”.
Tragically also, the Portsmouth Evening News would report on 10th February 1915 the Birth of his son:
“BIRTHS, COTTRELL – On the 8th of February, at 10 Greenville Road, the Wife of William George Cottrell, late of HMS Good Hope, of a Son.”
William George Cottrell, was an experienced Stoker in the Royal Navy, at the outbreak of the war, he had been invalided 2 years earlier out of the service, but was remobilised on 13th July 1914 and assigned to HMS Good Hope.
On 1st November 1914 he was according to his records: “Discharged Dead on 1st November 1914, Lost when HMS Good Hope was sunk in action off the Chilean Coast.”
You can click here to read about the Sinking of the Good Hope at the Battle of the Coronel.
At the time of the Battle, HMS Good Hope was the Flagship of Rear Admiral Christopher Cradock.
Cradock got his wish in locating the nearby German Squadron off the coast of Chile, but he was outnumbered and the German Ships were individually also more powerful, they sank Cradock’s 2 Armoured Cruisers in the Battle.
The Good Hope was sank, leaving no survivors, she went down with 926 Officers and Ratings.
4 of her Crew aboard the ship became the first casualties of the recently formed Royal Canadian Navy.
“Spee ordered his armoured cruisers to concentrade their fire on the British Flagship Good Hope and she soon drifted to a halt with her topsides all aflame.
At 19:50 her forward magazine exploded, severing the bow from the rest of the ship, and she later sank in the darkness.
Spee estimated that his flagship had made 35 hits on Good Hope, suffering only 2 hits in return that no significant damage and failed to wound even 1 crewman.”
William was born on 27th February 1885 in Birmingham, being a Carpenters Apprentice when he first joined the Royal Navy on 9th March 1903.
He saw much ships service, rising through the Stoker ranks all the way to Leading Stoker, befor ehe was discharged from HMS Incincible on 8th February 1912, being invalided out of the service with Anaemia.
He was amongst those members of the Royal Fleet Reserve who were immediately remobilised for World War 1, joining up as part of the crew of HMS Good Hope.
