On Portsmouth Naval Memorial is the name of Lieutenant Ernest Tudor Donnell, serving on H.M.S. Shark with the Royal Navy who died 31/05/1916.

The son of the Rev. C. E. Donnell, of Stamfordham Vicarage, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Colin Boyd has provided the following:

Ernest was born in Ovingham on March 6th 1894, the son of the vicar Rev. C.E. and Mrs. Pauline C. Donnell.

He joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet in 1907. At the time of the 1911 Census he was serving on board the training ship HMS Cumberland. After graduation as a Midshipman he progressed in rank and when he was lost he was serving as 1st. Lieutenant on the destroyer HMS Shark.

During the Battle of Jutland on May 31st 1916 HMS Shark was crippled by gunfire from the German cruisers but she continued to fight. Her Commanding Officer, Commander Loftus Jones, continued to fire the one surviving gun at the enemy despite having one of his legs blown off. For doing this he was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. HMS Shark finally sank under the concentrated fire of the German cruisers and there were only six survivors from the crew of 92.

Ernest Tudor Donnell was brother to Arthur Patrick Donnell

Ernest Tudor Donnell is remembered at Stamfordham on S51.01 where his name is given as “A. Tudor Donnell and in our List of Ships’ Crews.