St Stephens by Saltash War Memorial
EDGCOMBE/EDGCUMBE, Walter
Walter EDGCOMBE was the son of James & Jane May EDGCOMBE. He was born in
1889 at St. Stephens by Saltash his birth being registered in the
December Q of that year (St. Germans registration district – surname
spelt Edgecombe on GRO register).
1891 Census aged 1 living with parents & siblings at Rose Cottage, Lyner
View Row, St. Stephens, Saltash (family name spelt Edgecombe on this
census).
1901 census aged 11 living with parents & siblings at St. Stephens,
Saltash.
1911 Census, Single aged 21 Private in Duke of Cornwall’s L.I. at
Gravesend Barracks.
1911 Marriage to Nellie NUDDS – marriage registered June Q at
Westminster (V1a page 1132).
WW1 Royal Navy Record
Name: EDGCOMBE Walter
Rank: Stoker 2nd Class
Service number: K/21246
Vessel: HMS Amphion
Date Died: 6th August 1914 – Age 24
How Died: Killed in Action
Memorial: Plymouth Naval Memorial
Additional Information: Son of James and Jane Edgcombe, of St.
Stephen's, Saltash; husband of Nellie Edgcombe, of 17, Alfred Rd., Ford,
Devonport.
On the first day of WW1 HMS Amphion and the 3rd Flotilla had sailed from
Harwich and were carrying out a pre-arranged plan of search when a
trawler informed them that she had seen a suspicious ship 'throwing
things overboard'. The Amphion led the flotilla to investigate. Shortly
afterwards the German minelayer SMS Königin Luise was spotted. She was
chased and sunk, leaving 46 survivors from the crew of 100.
Amphion picked up a number of the survivors then continued on her
pre-arranged search. The destroyers then sighted another ship of the
same shape and colour as the Königin Luise, flying a German flag. The
destroyers began to attack this ship when Amphion recognised her as the
St. Petersburg, which was carrying the German Ambassador back to Germany
from England. Amphion signalled the other destroyers to cease-fire but
they did not respond to that signal and continued to fire upon the St.
Petersburg.
Amphion then maneuvred between the destroyers and the St. Petersburg to
deliberately foul the range, and the St. Petersburg proceeded to safety.
Amphion continued with the search without further incident until 03:30
of 6 August, when she began the return course to Harwich. Unfortunately
her course ran very close to where the Königin Luise had been laying
mines. At 06:30 Amphion struck a mine; she sank within 15 minutes of
hitting that mine.
Around 150 British sailors lost their lives in the sinking, as well as
18 of the crew rescued from the SMS Königin Luise. The war was only 36
hours old, HMS Amphion becoming the first British Naval war loss.
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