John William KAVANAGH Stoker 1 st Class K/29118, H.M.S. Amazon. Died 27 th October 1916. John William ("Jack") Kavanagh was born in Howden-le-Wear on 5 th January 1890. The record of his birth shows his name spelt with an initial "C", and this discrepancy occurs elsewhere. The 1891 Census shows the family living in Church Street, Howden-le-Wear. Jack's father, Michael, originally from Cumberland, was a miner. The Census of 1901 records the surname with an initial "K", and shows the family now living in Valley Terrace. The next Census, in 1911, shows that Michael had been promoted to deputy overman at Bitchburn Colliery, and Jack, now aged 21, was a boiler minder at the same colliery. There are no details of Jack Kavanagh's date of enlistment or of his initial training as a stoker, but we know from personal testimony that he served in the Battle of Jutland from 31 st May - 1 st June 1916. He was later at the Royal Naval Base at Portsmouth, now training as a stoker for the new oil fired turbine engines. In October 1916 he was serving as a Stoker 1 st Class on the Tribal-class destroyer H.M.S. Amazon. Having spent four weeks carrying our routine patrols, H.M.S. Amazon was involved in what came to be known as the Battle of Dover Strait on 26 th - 27 th October 1916. H.M.S. Amazon was damaged in an attack at 12.50am on the morning of the 27 th October. Jack Kavanagh was off duty, but crew members off duty were tasked with carrying shells up to the deck to the guns during an attack. As Jack was carrying a shell over the deck, a German shell hit H.M.S. Amazon, and he was thrown backwards to a stair well, receiving fatal injuries to the back of his head. Jack's body was returned by train to Howden-le-Wear. Joseph Gibson, the undertaker, took a Union flag from the church and draped it over the coffin before removing it from the station. John William Kanavagh was buried in a Commonwealth War Grave in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin, Howden-le- Wear, on the 2 nd November 1916, aged 26. John William Kavanagh is the only Royal Navy casualty listed on the Howden- le-Wear War Memorial.

Remembering Our Fallen

Howden-le-Wear History Society

This photograph shows Stoker Jack Kavanagh with the name H.M.S. VICTORY on his cap band. This was the name of the barracks at Portsmouth which acted as a holding base for men who were posted into the Portsmouth area, and was also a training base. Image courtesy of Douglas Kavanagh