H.M.S. Lynx
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
John Lowes Jnr. one of 7 children of whom only 5 survived, was the eldest of 5 sons and had an elder sister. His father John and mother Elizabeth Hannah Wall, were both born at Satley, County Durham in 1861 where they married in 1884. Prior to his marriage John Lowes, working as a labourer, was employed by and living with his widowed aunt Dorothy Brownless and 2 cousins who farmed 200 acres at Hedley Hill, Hedley Hope. After his marriage he continued to do so, however, he and his family moved to Cornsay. Their son George was born 1884, he died between 1891 and 1901, Mary Hannah 1885, John Jnr November 14th 1887, Jacob 1891, Ralph Newby 1896 and Willie in 1906. By 1911 John Lowes Snr was a coke-man/labourer, Jacob (20) a putter/miner and Ralph an assistant butcher.
John Lowes Jnr joined the Royal Navy, June 22nd 1909, first serving aboard H.M.S. Nelson as Stoker II Class, promoted to Stoker I Class, May 19th 1910 with Victory II and finally Acting Leading Stoker K/3671, February 13th 1915 aboard H.M.S. Lynx, an Acosta-Class destroyer, during WW1.
Lynx was part of the response to the German bombardment of Scarborough, December 16th 1914. At 05:15 she sighted the German destroyer SMS V155 and summoned her destroyer squadron to investigate. The brief skirmish took place with a force of German destroyers and cruisers, and Lynx was hit several times by German shells, sustaining minor damage to a propeller, and had one man wounded.
August 9th 1915 whilst sailing off the Moray Firth H.M.S. Lynx struck a mine which had been laid by the German raider Meteor and sank with the loss of 70 men, including Commander Cole. Four officers and 22 ratings survived.
Acting Leading Stocker K/3671 John Lowes Royal Navy was lost, his body never recovered. His sacrifice is recorded as one of the 24,661 names inscribed on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire, commemorating personnel of WW1 and WW2 who were lost or buried at sea where no permanent memorial could be raised. He was 28 years of age, single and the recipient of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Elizabeth Hannah not only had to bear the loss of her son in 1915 but that of her husband who had died in 1914. Elizabeth Hannah Lowes nee Wall never remarried, she died in 1924, aged 51 years, registered in the district of Lanchester.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
John Lowes is remembered at Satley on S116.01 and on our List of Ships’ crews
