John Russell Townsend

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Grave/Memorial:  		Townsend, John R

9 April 1896, Chelmsford, Essex

William and Jane (née Peach)

Royal Navy (H.M.S. Black Prince)

J.19000

Signalman

31 May 1916, At Sea, age 20

Body not recovered for Burial;  named on Portsmouth Naval Memorial 		      

Biography:
John Russell Townsend was born, on 9 April 1896, at Chelmsford, Essex. He was the only son of William, a coachman, and Jane Elizabeth (née Peach).
He had one sister.

John was educated at Horsham Grammar School, Horsham, Sussex.

In 1912, John’s father became landlord of the Anchor Hotel, Knaphill, Surrey, having previously kept the Cricketers Inn at Rudgwick. That same year, in
July, John joined the Royal Navy as a Boy sailor . In February 1913, he became a Signaller Boy.

In the 18th-century Royal Navy, rank and position on board ship was defined by a mix of two hierarchies, an official hierarchy of ranks and a conventionally recognized social divide
between gentlemen and non-gentlemen.  Boys would join the navy from the age of 12 and they would serve either as a servant for one of the officers, as a volunteer, or as a seaman.

John transferred to H.M.S. Black Prince in August 1913. On 12 December 1913, John became an Ordinary Signaller.

John signed on, for 12 years’ service, on 9 April 1914. He then stood 5 feet 7 inches tall, had a dark complexion, dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was
promoted to Signaller on 17 December 1914.

 H.M.S. Black Prince was a Duke of Edinburgh-class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the early 1900s. She was stationed in the Mediterranean when the First World War
began and participated in the pursuit of the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and light cruiser SMS Breslau. After the German ships reached Ottoman waters, the ship was sent to the
Red Sea in mid-August to protect troop convoys arriving from India and to search for German merchant ships. After capturing two ships, Black Prince was transferred to the Grand Fleet
in December 1914. She was sunk on 1 June 1916 during the Battle of Jutland with the loss of all hands.


John Russell Townsend is commemorated on Panel 14 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

John Russell Townsend is also commemorated on the memorial tablet within Knaphill Holy Trinity Church.