On Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire is the name of M2616 Engine Room Artificer Fourth Class Walter Craig Gunn serving on H.M.S. Queen Mary with the Royal Navy who died 31/05/1916.

Pauline Priano has submitted the following;

Walter Craig Dunn was the eldest of 5 children offspring of Walter Craig Gunn Snr and Grace Ann Miles.

Walter Craig Gunn Snr was born, June 2nd 1871, at Aldershot, Hampshire, He was the son of John Ross Gunn a native of Scotland and Harriet Ann Craig born at Lowick, Northumberland, in circa 1834. 

Walter Snr’s father was an Army Schoolmaster of Her Majesty’s (Queen Victoria) 50th Regiment stationed at Colchester Camp where he died, May 17th 1873 and was buried within Colchester Cemetery, Mersey Road and Pentecostal Church Burial Ground. By 1881 Harriet was living with her children at 16, Harold Street, in the town of Sunderland, historically in County Durham.

Harriet survived thanks to her Army widow’s pension and the help of her eldest son, marine engineer, John Gunn. William (13) and Walter Craig Gunn (9) were scholars but by the age of 19 Walter was the only one of his siblings still living at home and worked as a grocer’s assistant. He was married in 1894 at South Shields, County Durham, to Grace Ann Miles, a local girl born in 1878. She was the daughter of mariner William Miles and his wife Grace.

Their son Walter Craig Gunn Jnr was born at Tyne Dock, South Shields, May 5th 1895, Ronald William Craig Gunn at Pelaw in 1897 as was Stanley, December 25th 1898. Their only daughter Alisa Craig Gunn was born at Sunderland, historically in County Durham, September 19th 1900 as was Frederick Craig Gunn, November 21st 1901. 

Soon after the birth of Frederick, grocery manager Walter Craig Gunn Snr died and was buried, December 29th 1901 at Bishopwearmouth. The family at the time were living at 14, Rosebury Street, Sunderland.

Grace Ann Gunn remarried at Loughborough, Leicestershire in 1907 to Walter Elliot born at East Leake, Nottinghamshire, in 1883, who was 6 years her junior and with whom she had a further 3 children. Arthur Elliot was born at Wymwold, Leicestershire, in 1909, William Miles Elliot in 1910 at Woodborough, Nottinghamshire, as was Kathleen Elliott in 1911, but Walter and Grace Ann were living in 4 rooms at 94, Burder Street, Loughborough in 1911 with their reciprocal children. Staley (12), Ailsa (10) and Frederick Gunn (9) were scholars, as was  Ronald William Craig Gunn (14), he  had entered the School House, Durham School, in 1910.

In 1911 Walter Craig Gunn, aged 15 years, was not living at home but training as an artificer in response to concerns that the Imperial German Navy represented a threat to the interests of the Royal Navy, which might be in danger of being overtaken in seagoing technical expertise. A programme was initiated to train engineers and artificers for service in the Royal Navy and at the Portsmouth base they established in a number of Victorian hulks training centres.

Boy Artificer Walter Craig Gunn was described as 5 feet 6 and a half inches tall, light hair, grey eyes and a ruddy complexion. His first service date with the Royal Navy was December 31st 1910 at H.M.S. Fishguard (shore base) at Plymouth,

On the outbreak of war, fully qualified he was an Engine Room Artificer 4th Class and was assigned as M/2616 Royal Navy remaining at Plymouth until January 4th 1915. 

He was transferred to Victory II, January 5th 1915, a shore base training establishment for stocker and engine artificers based in Portsmouth and after 16 days, January 22nd 1915 he joined the crew of H.M.S. Queen Mary.

HMS Queen Mary was laid down in 1911 she was built at Palmer Shipbuilding and Iron Company, Jarrow, on the River Tyne. Launched in 1912 and commissioned for service September 4th 1913. After sea trials and pre-war voyages to Russia she prepared for combat August 28th 1914 supporting in early fighting. Refitted with a new fire control system in 1915 she missed participating in the Battle of Dogger Bank returning to duty in February 1916.

As the 1st Squadron Battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary put to sea in support of the 5th Battle Squadron and was in action during one of the largest fleet actions of WW1 at the Battle of Jutland.

Engaging at 3:48 p.m. on May 31 1916 the German fire proved accurate from the outset. At 3:50 p.m. Queen Mary opened fire on SMS Seydlitz with its forward turrets. As Beatty closed the range, Queen Mary scored two hits on its opponent and disabled one of Seydlitz’s aft turrets. Around 4:15 p.m. HMS Lion came under intense fire from Hipper’s ships. The smoke from this obscured HMS Princess Royal forcing SMS Derfflinger to shift its fire to Queen Mary. As this new enemy engaged, the British ship continued to trade hits with Seydlitz.

At 4:26 p.m. a shell from Derfflinger struck Queen Mary detonating one or both of its forward magazines. The resulting explosion broke the battlecruiser in half near its foremast. A second shell from Derfflinger may have hit further aft. As the after part of the ship began to roll, it was rocked by a large explosion before sinking.

Her wreck was discovered in 1991 and rests in pieces, some of which are upside down, on the floor of the North Sea. HMS Queen Mary is designated as a protected place under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 as it is the grave of 1,266 officers and men, only 20 of her crew were rescued.

Engine Room Artificer 4th Class M.2616 Walter Craig Gunn went down with the ship, May 31st 1916. He was 21 years of age and single. His sacrifice is recorded as one of 24,652 names inscribed on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. In the form of an oblique it commemorates members of the Royal Navy who have no known grave and those who died at sea where no permanent memorial could be raised. He was the recipient of the 1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

As his nominated next-of-kin, his aunt Jessie, resident at 24, Side Cliffe Road, Sunderland, was informed of his demise, however it was his mother who received a dependants pension.

Walter’s brother Ronald William Craig Gunn served with the Army and was killed in action in 1917.

Ailsa Craig Gunn, resident with her aunts Jessie Elizabeth and Harriet Augusta Gunn at 24, Side Cliffe Road, died, July 3rd 1918, she was 17 years old and laid to rest, July 6th 1918, within Sunderland Cemetery.

Stanley Gunn was married at Loughborough in 1922 to Doris Thelma Freeman, they had a daughter Eileen, August 25th 1923. Doris died at Dartford, Kent in 1957, Stanley Gunn in 1962.

Frederick Craig Gunn served the church. Reverend Gunn died, September 18th 1985 at Corbridge, Northumberland.

Grace Ann Elliot-Gunn nee Miles outlived her younger second husband Walter Elliot, who died at Leicester in 1920, by 33 years. Grace Ann died at Loughborough, Leicestershire, in 1953.

In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.

Colin Boyd has provided the following :

Walter was born on 8th May 1895 in Tyne Dock, South Shields to Walter Craig Gunn, a grocery manager and his wife Grace.  In 1901 he was living with his parents, two brothers and a sister at 14, Roseberry Street, Monkwearmouth, Sunderland. The family obviously moved around quite a bit as each of the siblings was born in a different area.

Walter enlisted in the Royal Navy on 31st December 1910 as a Boy Artisan and signed on for 12 years man’s service on his eighteenth birthday, 8th May 1913 when he was described as being 5ft 9in tall with light brown hair, grey eyes and a ruddy complexion.

Walter spent most of his service ashore until he was posted to HMS Queen Mary.

Walter was killed in action on 31st May 1916 when HMS Queen Mary exploded and sank during the early stages of the Battle of Jutland with the loss of 1266 officers and ratings.

The person to be contacted in case of his death was his Aunty Jessie living at 24, Side Cliff Road, Sunderland. His father had predeceased him and his mother was now Mrs. Grace Elliott living in Loughborough.

Walter Craig Gunn is remembered at Heworth on H92.03, at Hendon on H123.02, at Sunderland in S140.048 part 8 page 157 and in our List of Ships’ Crews.