Page 28 - History of War - Issue 29-16

f t
h
f t
s o
s o
i
i
e V
h
e V
e
e
r
o
r
e
e
o
H H
Heroes of the Victoria Cross
r
r
a C
i
a C
o
s
s
s
o
s
c
c
t
r
t
o
o
r
i
FRANCIS HARVEY
The Battle of Jutland was perhaps the greatest naval battle in history.
During the 36-hour clash, around 100,000 sailors in 250 ships fought for
control of the North Sea. 25 ships were sunk and over 8,500 sailors lost
their lives, including one man who sacri ced himself to save his crew
WORDS ALICE ROBERTS-PRATT
t just after 4pm, on 31 May 1916, at sea for just one year before he was back HMS Royal Sovereign, HMS Duke of Edinburgh,
HMS Lion was hit with a lethal on shore again attending gunnery courses at HMS St George and the new battle cruiser, HMS
barrage of German shells. The HMS Excellent and qualifying in 1896 as an In exible. Throughout, he taught gunnery to the
colossal naval battle off the coast instructor rst class in naval gunnery. heavy units of the Channel Fleet and became
A of Jutland had been raging for only Instructor of Gunnery at Chatham Dockyard in
just over an hour, with German and British ships The Instructor of Gunnery 1910. He was subsequently promoted to major,
pounding one another with devastating repower In 1898, Harvey was serving aboard the newly with one report on the gunnery school claiming:
that would eventually obliterate some 25 commissioned cruiser HMS Phaeton, to which “[The] degree of ef ciency in [the] Gunnery
vessels. Crippled, the HMS Lion and its 1,000 he was appointed the previous year. The same Establishment at Chatham is very high both as
crew were now seemingly doomed to meet a year, he returned home and assumed the role regards general training and attention to detail.
similar end, as re threatened to ignite one of its of Assistant Instructor for Gunnery at Plymouth Great credit is due [to] all concerned particularly
turret’s ammunition stores. The quick actions of Division, serving aboard HMS Edgar and HMS to Major FJW Harvey, the I of G.”
one Marine, however, would change everything. Diadem, attached to the Channel Fleet. It was This report with its high praise earned Harvey
Francis Harvey was born on 29 April 1873 during this time that the young Harvey would a promotion to senior marine of cer on HMS
in Upper Sydenham, Kent. He was descended practice his gunnery skills. Lion, the agship of the British battle cruiser
from a military family, being the son of On 28 January 1900, Harvey was promoted to eet. This was to be Harvey’s last and most
Commander John William Francis Harvey and captain and embarked on a string of postings to signi cant posting.
the grandson of Captain John Harvey of the 9th
Regiment of Foot, great-grandson of Admiral HMS Lion, Princess and Queen
Sir Edward Harvey and great-great-grandson of Mary at the Battle of Jutland
John Harvey who was killed in the Glorious First
of June in 1794.
In 1884, Harvey and his family moved to
Southsea, Hampshire, where he attended
Portsmouth Grammar School. He ourished in
language and debating and achieved excellent
academic results. When he left school he
decided to follow in the footsteps of his family,
choosing a military career and elected to attend
the Royal Naval College Greenwich as a Royal
Marines Of cer cadet, turning down a place at
the Royal Military College, Sandhurst.
Graduating in 1892, he was made a full
lieutenant, the following year joining HMS
Wild re as his rst commission at sea. He was
28
028-032_HOW029_VC_Hero.indd 28 04/05/2016 16:14