238786, Able Seaman, Arthur Rayment DRAKE
Aged 28
HM Submarine K17
Died on Active Service on Thursday 31st January 1918
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Born in Newmarket on 5th August 1889 [Newmarket 3b:528] to Frederick and Hephzibah DRAKE (nÉe RAYMENT) of 1 Dore Cottages, Field Terrace Road, Newmarket.
1891 census...Arthur[1] was at 1 Dore Cottages, Field Terrace Road, Newmarket with his father Frederick [28], a cabinet maker born Newmarket; his mother Hephyibah [29] born Bottisham; sisters Ethel Daisy [3] and Alice Emily [3 months] both Newmarket born. 1901 census...Arthur [11] was at 16 St Philips Road, Newmarket with his parents, sisters Alice and Ethel and new brother Cecil F H [4] born Newmarket. 1911 census...Arthur [21] was in the Royal Navy at HMS Vernon which was a group of 4 ships forming a torpedo school at Portsmouth, the Vernon; HMS Vernon I; Acteon and HMS Vernon IV. The family were still at 16 St Philips Road He was the elder brother of Cecil :- see here .Why one brother is on the memorial but not the other is probably due to Cecil dying of illness, overseas, after the end of the war. Arthur's entry in "Our Exning Heroes" reads as follows: Drake, Arthur Rayment. "Born in Field Ter (sic)Road in 1889, educated at St.Mary's and Exning schools, he joined the Navy in 1907, and was on submarine work when war broke out. He then continued the service until the submarine in which he was serving sank in collision in January, 1918. When a boy he was in St.Philip's Sunday School and the choir. Arthur joined the Navy as a boy at HMS Ganges II on 5th August 1907, he was 5' 7" tall, and signed for 12 years service His postings were many, mainly submarine depot ships and schools, as here: 7/9/07 HMS Victorious [Majestic Class pre-Dreadnought Battleship] as Boy, then as Ordinary from 8/9/07 to 23/1/08 HMS Cochrane [ Duke of Edinburgh Class Armoured Cruiser]24/1/08 to 31/3/09 HMS Pembroke I[Shorebase] 1/4/09 to 5/4/09 HMS Thetis [ minelayer] 6/4/09 to 6/12/09 promoted Able Seaman 15/11/09 and to HMS Iphigenia [ Apollo Class Cruiser 7/12/09 to 10/3/11 HMS Vernon [shorebase - Portsmouth] 11/3/11 to 25/8/11........HMS Pembroke I [shorebase -Chatham] 26/8/11 to 23/9/11 HMS St George [shorebase - Gosport]24/9/11 to 18/11/12...... HMS Pembroke I [shorebase - Chatham] 19/11/12 to 13/12/12 HMS Bonaventure [submarine depot ship] 14/12/12/ to 9/4/13 HMS Vulcan [submarine school and depot ship - Gosport] 10/4/13 to 31/12/13 HMS Alecto [submarine depot ship] 1/1/14 to 16/2/14.....Vulcan [submarine school and depot ship - Gosport] 17/2/14 to 30/9/14 HMS Alecto [submarine depot ship] 1/10/14 to 7/11/14........HMS Forth [submarine depot ship - Devonport] 8/11/14 to 30/6/16 HMS Vulcan [submarine school/depot ship - Gosport] 1/7/16 to 18/5/17.....HMS Dolphin [shore base/submarine school 17/5/17 to 25/9/17 HMS Crescent [Edgar Class Cruiser used as depot ship by K-17 26/9/17 TO 31/1/1918 |
| Taking part in exercises off May Island,Firth of Forth, K17 was astern of HMS Courageous when the latter tried to avoid 2 trawlers ahead. K17 turned but K22 and K14 were involved in a collision. HMS Fearless steaming towards the area was oblivious of the accident. Fearless appeared over the horizon and ploughed into K17. Within 8 minutes K17 had disappeared. Most of the crew escaped from the submarine. Unfortunately the 5th Battle Squadron of 3 battleships and their destroyers were unaware of the location of the accident and ploughed through the survivors. Only 9 were picked up out of a crew of 56, and one of these died later. A total of 270 were lost either that night or from their injuries later. |
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