William Weller (1878-19??)

Post date: Feb 25, 2016 12:22:42 PM

William Thomas Weller was born in Wateringbury on 20th July 1878 to William and Sarah Weller. His father was a brewer's labourer living at the time of the 1891 census in Station Road; William was one of 4 children. He is not related to Thomas Weller who was killed in 1916. He also named his own son William with whom he should not be confused.

He joined the navy at Chatham on his 18th birthday in 1896 on a standard 12 year engagement until 1908. He was 5ft. 6 inches, with light brown hair, hazel eyes and a ruddy complexion. He wore a ring on his left hand. His service number was 187560.

Although he appears to have left the navy after his initial contract he was re-engaged from April 1910.

From the outbreak of war in August 1914 he served on H.M.S. Bacchante, a 12,000 tonne armoured cruiser completed in 1902 with a crew of 725-760, until February 1916. At the outbreak of the war, Bacchante became the flagship of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, tasked with patrolling the North Sea in support of a force of destroyers and submarines based at Harwich which protected the east end of the English Channel from German warships attempting to attack the supply route between England and France. During the Battle of Heligoland Bight on 28 August, the ship was flagship of Rear Admiral Henry Campbell commanding Cruiser Force 'C', in reserve off the Dutch coast, and saw no action. After the sinking of Bacchante's three sister ships while patrolling the Broad Fourteens of the North Sea on 22 September, she was transferred to the 12th Cruiser Squadron to escort ships between England and Gibraltar.

Bacchante was transferred to Egypt in late January 1915 to reinforce the defenses of the Suez Canal although the Turkish raid on the Suez Canal had already been repulsed by the time that they arrived in February. By this time the preliminary bombardments of the Turkish defenses of the Dardanelles had already occurred and she was transferred north in March as the Turks east of the Canal proved to be reasonably quiet.

During the landing at Anzac Cove during the Battle of Gallipoli on 25 April, Bacchante suppressed Turkish artillery positions at Gaba Tepe after touching his bow the beach for a better position from which to engage the guns. She provided fire support for forces near Anzac Cove for the next several months, particularly during the Third attack on Anzac Cove on 19 May when, together with three battleships, she effectively suppressed the Turkish artillery assigned to support the attack. On 28 May Bacchante and the destroyer Kennet destroyed enemy shipping in Budrum harbour. Three months later the cruiser bombarded Turkish troops during the Battle of Lone Pine on 6 August and Battle of Chunuk Bair 7–9 August. She was not present when the Allies began to evacuate Gallipoli in December.

She remained in the Mediterranean until late 1916 when she returned home. (source for Bacchante's service- Wikipedia).

Then after a period on shore he was on H.M.S. Crescent from April 1916 until after the end of the war.Crescent was a smaller and older cruiser which became a depot ship at time William joined, first at Rosyth, later at Oban and Scapa Flow and back at Rosyth in 1918.