Alderton, Frederick William

''Paula Bird - 21st April 2016 "I have recently discovered in my late father’s effects an album of photos of the Battle of Jutland in progress.  These seem to be taken from the deck of one of the battle ships.  I also have a typed ‘Summary of the notes made immediately after the action on the 31st May 1916’ which is 8 pages of foolscap paper documenting the battle minute by minute. This all belonged to my grandfather Frederick Alderton who I think was in the merchant navy on HMS Malaya."

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Summary of notes made immediately after the action of the 31st May, 1916.

The following is not meant as an account of the Battle, but merely a rough summary of my impressions, written in the hope that it will pass the Censor and perhaps interest some of my Friends who were not so fortunate as I.

On the 31st May I had the afternoon watch, which promised to be very dull and uneventful. Contrary to usual practice during these sweeps of the North Sea there were no rumours of any sort as to our own movements or those of the enemy. I do not believe that at Noon even the most optimistic of us had any hopes of meeting the enemy. We were steaming East by South approximately and as usual zigzagging to avoid a possible Fritz. The 5th B.S., in the order of "Barham", "Valiant" , "Warspite" and "Malaya" , were about 5 minutes to North of Sir David Beatty and his six Battle Cruisers. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Light Cruiser Squadrons were spread ahead with the 13th T.B.D. Flotilla.

2.30 p.m. Saw an intercepted signal from "Galatea" to "Lion" stating that a large amount of smoke had been sighted. Apparently a Fleet under way. Shortly afterwards we heard that our Light Cruisers and T.B.Ds. were in touch with the enemy's Light Cruisers and T.B.Ds. As this was our first intimation that any Germans were on the ocean at all our surprise and excitement may well be imagined. Faces at once brightened and glasses scanned the horizon for a sign of the enemy. The pessimists still held out and declared that in all probability it was some wretched Hun Light Cruisers which would easily escape us.

3.0 p.m. Sounded off action. About 3.15.p.m. passed the "Engadine" with a seaplane in the water alongside. Officers and men doubled to their stations, most of them never even guessing that a German had actually been sighted, thinking that it was merely the same old game, i.e.'Be ready'. When I arrived in my Turret B I knew that the Light Cruisers had been in action and that there was no time to spare. I had a hurried look round to see that all was well and told the men what I could viz. that we might expect to meet anything from a German Light Cruiser to the High Sea Fleet, and that B Turret had got to get in the maximum number of rounds allowed by the Control. We had up to date been favoured by good luck but we must now be ready for anything and still not miss a salvo. The men were greatly cheered by the news, assured me that no chance would be missed to ease off a round at the Huns and at once began to make little extra preparations, taking off superfluous clothing etc. They made all sorts of weird and wonderful jokes as to what would happen to a German ship that should be so fortunate as to come within range of us.

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3.50 p.m. Our Battle Cruisers were heard firing, so I thought it was time to get to my perch in the Silent Cabinet. I saw nothing until about 4 p.m. when I sighted a German Light Cruiser at which our leading ships were firing. Now things were beginning to look busy. Surely we would sight something bigger soon. About 4.10 p.m. we turned to approximately S.S.E. I then sighted the German Battle Cruisers steaming on a parallel course to us. There were five of them and I thought their order was as follows:- 3 Derflinger class leading the line, followed by the 'Moltke', and lastly the 'Seydlitze' and not the 'Moltke' for I carefully compared the two and saw that the rear ship had a raised forecastle, which is about the only way of distinguishing the 'Seydlitze' from the 'Moltke'.

4.15 p.m. We opened fire of the 'Seydlitze'. We were the last ship to commence as we were the last in the line. The range was 1,900 yards and the enemy bearing about two points before the beam. The visibility was then good for ranging but I thought it bad for spotting, as the background was misty and of exactly the same shade as a splash, thus making them difficult to distinguish. Remembering my experience on the Belgian coast I started with the intention of keeping as full notes as possible throughout the action. They would at least have been interesting for me, even if they should not prove to be of use as evidence. This I managed to do, with the exception of the occasions when I had to go into the Turret to attempt to rectify a defect. By a misfortune, which I shall never cease to regret, these notes became detached from the signal pad and were thrown away by an enthusiastic boy as waste paper. I made notes of what I thought was the fate of every salvo that I saw, the target and anything of interest. Practically the only definite thing that I remember about the fall of our shot is the fact that we hit with our fourth salvo. All the rest is jumbled up in my head and I cannot pick out the times at which various incidents happened.

When the 'Seydlitze' was hit she at once turned about 5 points away, but shortly afterwards resumed her course. Very soon after this I remember thinking that the enemy must be zigzagging, at any rate on several occasions we found our shots going wrong for deflection. During this time the enemy were firing quickly, but it seemed to me wildly. We fired quickly for the first few salvos but as the light gradually became worse our firing became more deliberate and the range closed. I did not have much time for observing how the shooting of the other ships faired. All I remember is that the enemy's ships all seemed to be having a severetime, and that they appeared to be obliterated by the splashes of shell. I distinctly remember make a note that the 'Seydlitze' was badly on fire soon after we hit her, and that the third ship was also on fire.

The Battle continued in this manner until 4.50 p.m. The visibility was rapidly becoming worse and at times we could only see the flare of the enemy's guns. Notwithstanding this, however, the enemy must have been able to distinguish us very plainly for the horizon on our starboard side was very definite.

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The German Battle Cruisers were zigzagging rapidly, which, together with the light, probably accounts for the fact that they were not hit more often, and for the erraticness of their own shooting. I saw the Battle Cruisers turning 16 points together. I then looked to the southward of them to see if I could discover the reason for this manoeuvre. I saw just distinguishable in the mist a warship of sorts coming from the S.E. I pointed this out the the Commander, who was in my Turret for the purpose of conning the ship should any-thing happen to the main position, and because it is a good central position for keeping in touch with outside depart-ments. We were not long kept in suspense as to the nature of this new ship for very shortly after sighting her I saw following her a long line of others, which we soon recognised as German Dreadnought Battleships of the 'Koenig' and 'Kaiser' Classes. I could not see in what formation they were but they appeared to be in three divisions in line ahead, disposed quarterly.

Up to this time the shooting had for us been very like a peace battle practice. I felt that according to all rules of the game the German Battle Cruisers ought not to remain much longer afloat if the light would only hold. I had not up to date thought much about the danger of being hit by a projectile, except, perhaps, just before the action began, when my mind certainly did wander on the gruesome possibility of a Naval action. Now, however, matters took quite a different complexion. We were closing the High Sea Fleet at a rate of about 40 knots, and there was every prospect of becoming engaged with them in a very short space of time. My feelings at that time are rather hard to analyse, for as things were then happening quite quickly I had not much time for thinking whether I was frightened or not. I do not think I was really frightened, but I dare say that if I had stopped to think I should have been. It merely flashed across my mind that we were now if for a busy time, if not for an extremely warm one.

4.55 p.m. Our Battle Cruisers passed between us and the enemy, steaming approximately North. It was then that I realised that we must have lost two, and that the wreckage that we had passed at about 4.30 must have been ours. We had seen the Destroyer - the 'Laurel' I believe - stopped amongst some wreckage and picking up a few survivors from the water. So small an mount of gear was there in the water that I had hoped that it was a German Light Cruiser, or at the worst one of ours. The 'Laurel' was about 2 1/2 cables from our line and was under considerable fire. It was a fine sight to see her boats' crews carrying out their work as though they were doing any peace evolution. As we were going on opposite course the Battle Cruisers passed us very rapidly and we did not get much chance to see how matters were going with them. We could see 'Lion', 'Princess Royal' , 'Tiger' and 'New Zealand'. They were all firing very quickly at the enemy Battle Cruisers and the only damage seen was Q Turret in the 'Lion' which was turned away from the enemy and appeared to be badly hit. We continued on our course after the Battle Cruisers had passed us for what seemed an eternity but which in reality was only about 5 minutes.

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[PAGE 4] everyone very cheery and full of go. They had no thought that we should come off worse than the enemy, but only wanted to know how many German ships were left afloat requiring to be finished off. They were full of confidence that every shell was doing its bit, and many and varied were the benedictions sent with them. When things were at their hottest I heard one man in the Gunhouse call out to the others "Do not get rattled you are putting your feet all over the  paintwork" [as original report]. Those in the Shellroom had a fairly good shock when the salvo pitched abreast them, several being actually knocked down. However, they treated it as a joke and their one idea was to send up as many projectiles as possible. I think the lot of those in the Magazine was the hardest, for it is no easy job to handle cordite for a 15" gun, and the atmosphere becomes extremely oppresive.

Until about 4.50 the enemy's firing continued to be very brisk and to fall all round us. The visibility had for us been getting steadily worse, in fact ever sing 5.15 we had very rarely been able to see anything but the flashes of the German guns. During this time we were several times hit, to what extent I could not tell, but I saw that the ship had dropped astern of station and that we had a bad list to starboard. Reports were continually coming by means of a special system of communications to the Commander, so we were not kept so very long in suspense as to the damage done to the ship. The whole organisation of patrols, repair parties, fire parties etc. seemed to work extremely well. Information about this or that part of the ship was constantly coming through, and it seemed to take a surprisingly short time to obtain an answer to the Commander's questions about any part of the ship. I heard reports coming through of a fire, that it was being satisfactorily dealt with; about certain compartments being flooded, of water leaking into others; about casualties, dressing stations being full, clearing of wounded and dead etc. It all came through in the most matter-of-fact way, and it seemed nothing out of the ordinary and as though we made and heard these sort of reports and orders every day of our lives. The Commander had to go and investigate on two or three occasions, but as a general rule he was able to control every-thing from 'B' Turret.

Until 6 p.m. the action continued in a Northerly direction, the light gradually becoming worse and the range shorter. After 5.40 p.m. the firing became intermittent, the light being then bad for the Germans as well as ourselves. By this time the atmosphere in the 'silent cabinet' was extremely hot and uncomfortable so the Commander and I, taking advantage of an unusually long pause, took an airing on the top of the Turret. The visibility was about 8,000 yards, but I could see no other ships except the other three of our squadron whom were again overtaking.

I do not remember seeing the German Battle Cruisers after the turn at 5.0 p.m. I am told that they fired at us during the run North but my attention was taken up with the High Sea Fleet when I could seem them.

After 6 p.m. firing again became more general, until at 6.10 it was quite brisk.