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Historical records matching John "Jack" Travers Cornwell, VC
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About John "Jack" Travers Cornwell, VC
World War I Victoria Cross Recipient. Born in Leyton, England, he served as a Seaman 1st Class in the British Royal Navy. During the Battle of Jutland, Denmark, on May 31, 1916, 1st Class Cornwell was serving as a lookout on the H.M.S. Chester which was stationed ahead of the fleet in the North Sea. When the first shots were being fired, lookouts reported to the Captain who ordered battle stations. Then as the H.M.S. Chester encountered four German cruisers, 1st Class Cornwell took orders via headphones from his officer on the bridge. He was fully responsible for setting his ship's gun sights and speed, to whether they were to hit or miss their target. The German cruisers opened fire, 1st Class Cornwell was one of the first to be hit and he suffered a serious wound to his chest. He nevertheless remained standing alone at an exposed post, quietly awaiting orders till the end of the action, with the gun's crew dead and wounded all round him. He was taken to hospital in Grimsby, England and died two days later. For most prestigious gallantry, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross presented to his mother by King George V on November 16, 1916. At age 16 he was the youngest naval recipient ever to be vested with the Victoria Cross. (bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith)
Cause of death: Intestinal perforation due to wounds received in action Inscription: In Memoriam First Class Boy JOHN TRAVERS CORNWELL V.C. Born 8th January 1900 Died of wounds received at the Battle of Jutland 2nd June 1916.
This stone was erected by scholars and ex-scholars of schools in East Ham.
"It is not wealth or ancestry but honourable conduct and a noble disposition that make men great." Ovid
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John "Jack" Travers Cornwell, VC's Timeline
| 1900 |
January 8, 1900
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Leyton, London, Middlesex, England UK
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| 1916 |
June 2, 1916
Age 16
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Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England UK
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| ???? |
Manor Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Forest Gate, London, Greater London, England, United Kingdom
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