00:03The 31st of May 1916, during the action Commander Jones in HMS Shark, torpedo boat destroyer led a
00:12division of destroyers to attack the enemy battlecruiser squadron. In the course of this
00:17attack a shell hit the shark's bridge. The 31st of May 1916, 250 ships, 151 British and 99 German
00:27met in the North Sea. By the end of the action at 0520 hours the next morning the British fleet
00:33had
00:33lost 14 ships of which eight were destroyers of the type Loftus captained. A few minutes later
00:39Commander Jones was hit by a shell which took off his leg above the knee but he continued to give
00:45orders to his guns crew. The shark was struck by a torpedo and sank. Commander Jones was unfortunately
00:52not amongst the few survivors from the shark who were picked up by a neutral vessel in the night.
00:58So today on this 110th anniversary of that vast battle with all its cost and all its courage
01:06we come to remember a man of this town who sat in this church walked past this corner of the
01:12building
01:13who lived on our streets who displayed such extraordinary courage.
Comments