On the Chatham Naval Memorial is the name of Tyneside Z/4043 Able Seaman John Wren serving on H.M.S. Black Prince with the Royal Navy who died 31/05/1916.

The son of Mr. and Mrs. Wren, of 20, Copeland Row, Evenwood, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham.

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:

John William Wren was born on 6th February 1893 at Longhirst, Northumberland, the only child of John and Elizabeth Ann (nee Moore) Wren.  By 1901, 33 year old John who was born at Craghead worked as a coal miner and he and Elizabeth, born at West Auckland, lived at Copeland Row, Evenwood with their young son. By 1911, the family lived at Irene Terrace, West Auckland with both father and son working as coal miners.

Kevin Richardson has provided the following service information:

John Wren enlisted with the Royal Navy on 27th March 1915 in Newcastle upon Tyne and was given the service number Tyneside Z/4043, and after initial training joined H.M.S. Black Prince at the end of June 1915 as an Able Bodied Seaman.

John Wren had a letter to the vicar of St. Paul’s, Evenwood published in the Parish Magazine in August 1915.  “All my sailor pals are in good heart” he says “and we are all ready to chance our lives for our country.  We get plenty of sport here, football, boxing, jumping, roller skating and dancing every Saturday night.  The Chaplain has lantern lectures for us and they are very good and we also have concerts.  We have a band on board and everything possible is done to keep us in good health and spirits.  I cannot tell you where we are or what we are doing but we are all wanting a bat at the German Fleet.”

The Battle of Jutland 31st May – 1st June 1916
At the end of May 1916 over 250 British and German warships were steaming to a rendezvous unanticipated by the Germans, off the Jutland coast of Denmark.  Admiral Sir John Jellicoe was Commander of the British Grand Fleet which consisted of 28 Dreadnoughts, 9 battle cruisers, 8 armoured cruisers, 26 light cruisers, 78 destroyers, a seaplane and a minesweeper.  Admiral Reinhard Scheer commanded the German High Seas Fleet, consisting of 16 Dreadnoughts, 6 pre-Dreadnoughts, 5 battle cruisers, 11 light cruisers and 61 destroyers.

Part of the 1st Cruiser Squadron along with HMS Defence, HMS Warrior and HMS Duke of Edinburgh, HMS Black Prince took part in the night battle of the 31st May/1st June.  The Germans proved to be better equipped for night fighting with better co-ordination, star shells and searchlights The British destroyers were painted black, a bad colour for night fighting.  Whilst they attacked bravely their tactics were poor, usually approaching too close and launching their torpedoes at the wrong angles, enabling the Germans to fire first and avoid the torpedoes.

The 4th Destroyer Flotilla encountered the German van, including the 1st Battle Squadron.    In terms of material losses, the British lost 3 battle cruisers, 3 armoured cruisers and 8 destroyers with loses of 6,097 British sailors.   The Germans lost 1 battle cruiser, 1 armoured cruiser, 4 light cruisers and 5 destroyers losing 2,551 German men.

The first official British statement about the Battle of Jutland was issued 2nd June 1916 when it was confirmed that the battle cruisers Queen Mary, Indefatigable and Invincible and the cruisers Defence and Black Prince were sunk.  The Warrior was disabled and after being towed for some time had to be abandoned by her crew.  It is also known that the destroyers Tipperary, Turbulent, Fortune, Sparrowhawk and Ardent were lot and six others are not yet accounted for.

Sir John Jellicoe’s official report submitted 24th June 1916 includes the following statement:  Officers and men were cool and determined with a cheeriness that would have carried them through anything.  The heroism of the wounded was the admiration of all.  I cannot express the pride with which the spirit of the Fleet filled me.

The Kaiser claimed victory, known to the Germans as the Victory of the Skagerrak.  Jutland was undoubtedly a material victory for the German High Seas Fleet, they had inflicted heavier losses on the Grand Fleet but had failed to break the British blockade or control of the North Sea.   A German journalist described the action as an assault on the gaoler, followed by a return to gaol.

H.M.S. Black Prince
HMS Black Prince had been separated from the rest of the 1st Cruiser Squadron as the Grand Fleet was deploying at 18.20, and since then had been trying to rejoin the fleet.  Then she repeated the mistake of her sister ships Defence and Warrior as, in all ignorance, she wandered into the path of the High Seas Fleet. The Thuringen, Ostfriiesland, Friedrich der Grosse and Nassau all joined in firing at this most helpless of targets.

The ship was hit by at least twelve heavy shells and several smaller ones, sinking within 15 minutes with the loss of all 857 crew members.

The Auckland Chronicle 15/06/1916 reported under the headline The Fallen Brave:  In the North Sea naval battle Evenwood lost three of its lads.  They were Wm. Carrick, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Carrick, South View; Andrew Lynas, son of James Lynas Chapel St. and John W. Wren, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wren Copeland Row.

Evenwood Parish Magazine for July 1916 reported: John William Wren was also a lovable lad.  He was on the cruiser “Black Prince” which put up an historic fight against great odds at the beginning of the battle.  She also went down at last with, I believe, all her gallant crew.  We always saw John William in church when he got a few days leave.  A real fine lad he was.  He wrote us a letter once you will perhaps remember which duly appeared in this page.  They were all fine lads, clean and wholesome in their lives and good to look at and we shall be ever so much poorer without them although happy in their memory.

John William Wren is remembered at Evenwood on E69.01, E69.02 and E69.04 and on our List of Ships’ Crews.