Ernest Jennings (1914-1919)

Post date: Apr 29, 2015 3:21:31 PM

Ernest Henry Jennings is consistently listed in the parish magazine by the vicar as a Wateringbury man serving in the navy- the Hood Battalion of the Royal Naval Division and the details the vicar gives are consistent with Jennings naval record. No Jennings are listed in Wateringbury at the time of the 1911 census so possibly the family moved to Wateringbury after 1911 and Ernest is listed as the son of the family, rather than a resident himself. His navy record shows his next of kin as his wife, Adelina, living in South Bermondsey. The dates shown in the title are the period of Ernest's military service.

His Naval service record (National Archives reference ADM/339/1) shows that he joined the Hood Battalion of the Royal Naval Division (RND) in September 1914. The following is an edited extract from Wikipedia about the RND

On 16 August, Winston Churchill, First Lord of the Admiralty, embodied two more Naval brigades with surplus Naval Reservists, to join with the Marine Brigade to produce the Royal Naval Division. A few Petty officers and ratings were transferred from the Navy to provide a cadre and some officers were provided by the Army but most of the recruits were reservists or men who had volunteered on the outbreak of war. The eight battalions were named after naval commanders, Drake, Benbow, Hawke, Collingwood, Nelson, Howe, Hood and Anson, later being numbered from 1st–8th. The division was not provided with medical, artillery or engineer units, consisting solely of lightly-equipped infantry. Many of the trained men were then reclaimed for fleet service and recruits were taken over at the request of the War Office, from oversubscribed north country regiments.

Ernest was wounded on 6th May 1915 at Gallipoli (bullet in left shoulder), admitted to the Cairo Military Hospital. He seems to have suffered from rheumatism and later that year was invalided to England and there is a reference in his record to pulmonary T.B.. Despite poor health he was evidently quite successful winning both awards and promotion: he was mentioned in despatches, awarded the Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) in October 1915 and the Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM) in May 1916. In 1917 he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer.

He was demobbed in January 1919 in Wimbledon.