Miscellaneous

Memorial Plaque (George Edward Bracey Stroud) mounted for display on a wooden base with plaque inscribed ‘George Edward Bracey Stroud who was lost at sea from H.M.S. Albemarle somewhere in the North Sea November 7th 1915’, nearly extremely fine £60-£80 --- Provenance: Dix Noonan Webb, November 2015 (when sold alongside his campaign medals). George Edward Bracey Stroud was born in St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex on 21 February 1887 and joined the Royal Navy as a Boy Second Class on 22 September 1902. Advanced Able Seaman in December 1905, he served in the pre-dreadnought battleship H.M.S. Albemarle from December 1913 on into the Great War. In August 1914 the ship formed part of the 6th Battle Squadron, stationed at Portland. As part of the Channel Fleet they provided cover for the B.E.F. as it crossed over to France. In January the 6th Battle Squadron was based at the Nore before being dispersed later in the year. In October 1915 Albemarle underwent a refit at Chatham Dockyard and in November 1915 the Albemarle was ordered to move to the Mediterranean with a division of the 3rd Battle Squadron. The ships left Rosyth on 6 November but encountered extremely heavy weather that night in the Pentland Firth. Albemarle, heavily loaded with spare ammunition, suffered severe damage - her forebridge and the personnel on it were washed overboard and her conning tower and superstructure were badly damaged and she was forced to return home for repairs. Stroud is recorded as having been ‘washed overboard and drowned during storm’ on 7 November 1915, and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.