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Ag-18

38, Westville Road, Shepherd's Bush

HMS Formidable was a 15,250 tons, pre-Dreadnought Battleship, launched in 1898 and in the early hours of 1st January 1915, she was sunk by two torpedoes from the German submarine U24, 20 miles off Start Point on the Devonshire coast near Dartmouth. The 5th Battle Squadron, of which she was part, had been sent into the English Channel for firing practice, but unbeknown to them they had been trailed all the way by U24, waiting its chance to strike The first torpedo hit her on the starboard side, then, three quarters of an hour later she was hit on the port side. The sea was rough, it was almost pitch black and within two hours the ship had rolled over and sunk. The crew numbered 750 men but less than 200 were saved. There were more than 130 men from London who died that night one of whom was Ernest Cooper.