The disused East Budleigh station as it appears today
Robert
Larcombe’s name appears on both Ilfracombe and Otterton’s war memorials. Born
in Plymouth on 22 December 1880, he was one of seven children of John and
Mathilda Larcombe who at one stage were living at 97 High Street in
Ilfracombe.
His father
was working for the Great Western Railway, and by 1901 had progressed from
being a railway guard to becoming station master for East Budleigh Station on
the outskirts of the village of Otterton. By 1911 he had retired, but he and
his wife continued to live in Otterton, which explains why their son is listed
on the village war memorial.
After leaving
school in Ilfracombe Robert worked as a general labourer in Devonport and then joined the Royal Navy as a stoker just
before Christmas in 1905. Within two years he had qualified as a
telegraphist. He was serving on the
battleship HMS Russell, pictured above, when he
married Minnie Murgatroyd in Wakefield Cathedral on 28 March 1910. Both were 29
years old.
By 1911 he
had gained the rank of Petty Officer Telegraphist, and decided to work in
submarines. He spent three years from mid-1912 at HMS Dolphin, a submarine
school in Gosport, Hampshire, before moving to HMS Titania, a submarine depot
ship based at Blyth in Northumberland. He also spent time on HMS Vernon, a
shore establishment used for torpedo training.
On 7 April 1916 he was serving as a wireless operator on submarine E30, based at Blyth. The vessel, seen in the above photo, had been built by Armstrong Whitworth at Newcastle on Tyne and was commissioned in November 1915.
An explosion, apparently caused by a faulty battery, resulted in the death of Robert and three other men. He was buried at Blyth Cemetery, following a funeral attended by over 500 officers and men.
The submarine did not survive WW1: all 30 crew of E30 were lost when it was mined off Orfordness, Suffolk on 22 December 1916.
An explosion, apparently caused by a faulty battery, resulted in the death of Robert and three other men. He was buried at Blyth Cemetery, following a funeral attended by over 500 officers and men.
The submarine did not survive WW1: all 30 crew of E30 were lost when it was mined off Orfordness, Suffolk on 22 December 1916.
‘The Great War at Fairlynch’ 2015 exhibition at Budleigh Salterton’s very special museum!
Reviews included: 'Wonderful display on WW1, informative, bright and relevant. Well done!!'
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ReplyDeleteHi Sue
A pleasure to hear from you. Yes, the internet is amazing. Thank you for writing.
Best wishes
Michael
william lennox
Attachments23:35 (9 hours ago)
to me
Hello Michael:
I just came across your article!
My grandfather, Edward Albert Howard, was one of those killed in that accident and is buried in Blythe cemetery. We were always told it was a torpedo, that the sub was above water but those men were sleeping belowdecks.
How exciting to hear more of the story! Bless the internet.
Edwards's wife and children eventually emigrated to the colonies and settled in Cincinnati. I live in Arizona.
Thanks so much,
Sue Lennox
Scottsdale, Az.