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Age-23

3F, Dean Street, Fetter Lane

HMS Narbrough was an M-class destroyer which, on 12th January, 1918, along with another destroyer, HMS Opal, ran aground on the cliffs at Hesta Rock, just to the north of Windwick Bay on South Ronaldsay in the Orkney Islands. They were both attached to the 12th Destroyer Flotilla based at Scapa Flow and along with the light cruiser HMS Boadicea were on patrol looking for enemy ships that might be laying mines along the Scottish coast. The weather was extremely bad and fearing that the smaller ships might be overwhelmed and swamped by the savage waves, HMS Boadicea ordered them both back to Scapa Flow while she continued the patrol. It was while returning to their base and with visibility nearly zero that the two destroyers hit the rocks. There was only one survivor, a member of the crew of HMS Narbrough. The other 370 sailors all drowned. One of these was Frederick Woodhouse of HMS Narbrough