Jutland

June 6th 1916

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HMS Invincible

HMS Invincible

It transpires that there were only six survivors from HMS Invincible and it is by extraordinary luck that one of them, Commander Dannreuther, was at the side of Charles Fisher when the explosion occurred.

HMS Invincible was involved in a gun battle with the German battleship ‘Derfflinger’:

“We hit the Derfflinger with our first salvo and continued to hit her entirely owing to the perfect rate Charles gave us.

It was all over in a few minutes and death came suddenly and painlessly. Everything was going splendidly at the time, and it was entirely due to Charles’ cool head and excellent judgement that our firing was so effective.

I saw him only a few minutes before the end – a smile on his face and his eyes sparkling. He was by my side and in the highest spirits when there was a great explosion and shock, and when I recovered consciousness I found myself in the water.

Ship and crew had disappeared.”

Commander Dannreuther estimates that this great ship went to the bottom in a matter of only 15 seconds.

June 4th 1916

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Following the news of the sinking of HMS Invincible, our deep concern for the well-being of Lieut. Charles Fisher continues. As always, whilst we fear the worst, we must hope for the best.

We are also aware of others who may well have been involved in this battle off Jutland. Charles’s brother, Captain William Fisher (HMS St. Vincent) is known to be part of Jellicoe’s 1st Battle Squadron.

HMS St Vincent

HMS St Vincent

Mr & Mrs CRL Fletcher have already lost two sons to the war: Regie Fletcher was killed at Ypres on October 31st 1914 (a day that claimed three OPS victims), followed in March 1915 by his brother George Fletcher. Their oldest (and only remaining son) Lieut. Leslie Fletcher is known to be serving on HMS Colossus (also part of the 1st Battle Squadron). Surely fate cannot be so cruel as to take from the Fletcher family their only remaining child.

Attached to the 5th Battle Squadron are HMS Valiant and HMS Malaya. Both have Old Dragons aboard: Commander Geoffrey Freyberg in the former and Midshipman Percy Trevelyan in the latter.

Midshipman Francis Studdy is believed to be on HMS Temeraire in the 4th Battle Squadron, Lieut-Commander John Bywater-Ward is on HMS Ajax and, lastly, we think Lieut. Desmond Stride is on HMS Conqueror.

We await news of all of them.

June 3rd 1916

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“On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 31st, a naval engagement took place off the coast of Jutland…”

Today’s Daily Telegraph  has the news of a major battle at sea and reports the loss of HMS Invincible. This is most distressing and we fear for our old friend Lieut. Charles Fisher. The report states the ship was sunk and we can but wait and hope that Charles might be amongst the survivors – if there are any.

CDF despatch rider

Charles Fisher

When war broke out, Charles was over age, and moreover  found that his varicose veins  disallowed him from active service, according to the medical regulations in force. Inaction, however, was impossible for him, and offering himself for the work which would most quickly bring him to the front, he crossed the Channel in the autumn of 1914 as an orderly in a British Red Cross Motor Convoy.

In 1915 he became Adjutant and was mentioned in despatches. Thereafter he transferred to the RNVR with a lieutenancy. Charles turned his mind from the classics to range-finding, commenting that a ship was a ‘floating laboratory with a foreign language of its own, as difficult as Greek.’ He has become an expert range and rate-finder, and we presume he was directing the fire of HMS Invincible in this battle.

Forty or so Old Dragons are serving in the Royal Navy and it is quite possible a number of them were also involved. I am sure many have been champing at the bit to have their chance to engage the enemy and maybe the stories they have to tell will be of a rather more positive nature than the view given in the newspaper.

We hope that over the next few days we will have news of their safe return to port.