Bingham, Edward Barry Stewart



Edward Bingham was born in Bangor Castle, County Down, on 26th July 1881, and died on 24th September 1939 in London. He joined the Royal Navy in 1895. At the beginning of the First World War, he was appointed Commander (Executive Officer) of HMS Invincible, seeing action at the Battle of the Falkland Islands in December 1914. Just a month before the Battle of Jutland Commander Bingham took command of HMS Nestor. Whilst making a torpedo attack HMS Nestor came under concentrated fire from the German fleet and was sunk. Bingham was picked up by the Germans at Jutland, and spent the rest of the war as a prisoner of war. He remained with the Royal Navy reaching the rank of Rear Admiral, retiring in 1932. His VC Citation read as follows: “For the extremely gallant way in which he led his division in their attack, first on enemy destroyers and then on their battle cruisers. He finally sighted the enemy battle-fleet, and, followed by the one remaining destroyer of his division (“Nicator”), with dauntless courage he closed within 3,000 yards of the enemy in order to attain a favourable position for firing the torpedoes. While making this attack, “Nestor” and “Nicator” were under concentrated fire of the secondary batteries of the High Sea Fleet. “Nestor” was subsequently sunk.” The London Gazette 15th September 1916.


 * 1) HMS Nestor Crew List (Photographs)
 * 2) HMS Nestor Crew List (updated in Real-time)