Orders, Decorations, Medals and Militaria, to include the Brian Ritchie Collection (Part II)

A group of three to Able Seaman C. F. J. Aburrow, Royal Navy, who died aboard H.M. Submarine “K.5”, one of the ill-fated “K” Class vessels
1914-15 Star (J.4284 A.B., R.N.); British War and Victory Medals (J.4284 A.B., R.N.) slight contact marks to second, very fine (3) £250-300

Able Seaman Cecil Frederick John Aburrow, Royal Navy, died, aged 29 years, whilst serving aboard H.M. Submarine K.5, on 20 January 1921. Being lost at sea, his name is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Hampshire. He was the husband of Rose Evelyn Aburrow of Barrow-in-Furness.

Cecil Frederick John Aburrow was born in Redhill Surrey on 4 April 1892, the son of Albert and Annie Aburrow. An agricultural labourer by occupation, he enlisted into the Royal Navy on 31 March 1909, volunteering for 12 years service. Entering as a Boy 2nd Class, he gained the rank of Ordinary Seaman in April 1910 and Able Seaman in June 1911. At the outbreak of war he was serving aboard the dreadnought battleship St. Vincent and was on board the ship at the battle of Jutland. On 30 June 1916 he transferred to the submarine service, being based on the submarine depot ship Dolphin at Harwich. Between 5 May (?) 1917 and 27 May 1918 he served aboard the fleet submarine K.8 as part of the 12th submarine flotilla, with the cruiser Fearless as flotilla leader, attached to the Grand Fleet. He was fortunate that neither he nor his ship was present at the infamous ‘Battle of May Island’ (see below). On 28 May 1918 he returned to H.M.S. Dolphin at Harwich and in June/July 1918 served aboard the submarine L.12. From 11 July 1918 to 20 February 1920 he served on submarines based on the depot ship Lucia on the Tees. In October 1919 Aburrow was paid £29 War Gratuity. Returning briefly to Dolphin in 1920, he was transferred to the fleet submarine K.5 with the light cruiser Inconstant as flotilla leader.

The “K” Class vessels were classified as ‘Fleet Submarines’ . Designed to operate in conjunction with the surface fleet, they were driven, whilst on the surface, by steam geared turbines in order to give them the necessary speed. Fitted with bulbous bows to prevent them going under when travelling at high speed in a seaway, they were particularly difficult to handle underwater.

“Unlucky’ from the onset, the K.13 founded on 29 January 1917 whilst on trials at Gareloch and the K.1 was damaged in a collision and had to be sunk on 17 November 1917. Worse still were the tragic events in what came to be known as the “Battle of May Island”. On the night of 31 January 1918 nine “K” class boats sailed from Rosyth in conjunction with the battlecruiser squadrons. In the vicinity of May Island, with U-boats believed to be in the area, all the ships increased speed in order to minimise the risk of an attack. Two small patrol boats wandered into the path of the “K” class ships of the 13th flotilla and in trying to avoid them the rudder of K.14 jammed and she was rammed by the K.22 (the salvaged and re-numbered ex-K.13). Dead in the water, the K.22 was struck by the battlecruiser Inflexible and was lucky to survive. The light cruiser Ithuriel and three other “K” class ships of the flotilla turned back to help; unfortunately the cruiser Fearless with her 12th flotilla of “K” class ships were unaware of this and ran into them. Fearless rammed K.17 which sank. Most of the crew made it out only to be killed by destroyers passing through the accident scene, oblivious to the men in the water. Then the K.6 hit K.4, nearly cutting her in half; the doomed K.4 was then rammed by K.7 and sank with all hands. In all, over 100 men were lost in the ‘battle’.

On 19 January 1921 the Atlantic Fleet departed harbour for a Spring cruise to the Mediterranean. On the way south the fleet held an exercise in which the “K” class submarines K.5, K.8, K.9, K.15 and K.22, led by the cruiser Inconstant would manoeuvre against the remainder of the fleet. By midmorning of 20 January, 120 miles S.W. of the Isles of Scilly, the exercise began. The Inconstant sighting the ‘opposing’ fleet ordered her submarines to prepare for an attack and dive whilst she swung about and made off in the opposite direction. The K.5 commanded by Lieutenant-Commander J. A. Gaimes, D.S.O. was seen to be the first to make the dive. The K.9 had great difficulty in diving at all; the K.22 on the other hand could not pull out of her dive and only gained the surface by reversing its engines. On the K.5 some difficulty had occurred as it was seen on the surface again some 15 minutes after it had first dived. Satisfied that the problem had been overcome, the submarine dived again. However, in making another attempt, the submarine and its crew of 57, including Aburrow, were never seen again.

As other instances had proved, the “K” Class submarines were difficult to handle when they dived. If a large ‘bow down’ angle developed, it was difficult to rectify. With a diving depth of only 183 feet and a hull length of some 330 feet, the bow could be below crush depth in seconds if the dive was a steep one. It is likely that the K.5 failed to pull out of its dive and imploded.

Sold also with recipient’s Certificate of Service. Sold also with original telegram from the Admiralty to Rose Aburrow reading, ‘Deeply regret to inform you that submarine K.5 was lost 20th January with all hands including Cecil Frederick John Aburrow Able Seaman’. Also with Admiralty letter to Rose Aburrow dated 22 January, confirming the loss; another dated 1 February passing on the sympathy of Queen Alexandra; two other letters of sympathy, a letter concerning assets of the deceased and a Certificate of Identity named to Rose Aburrow. In addition to these are a number of paper clippings relating to the loss of the submarine.