A torpedoed battleship, the losing toss of a coin, ragtime played on a piano on the sinking ship and a rescue when unconscious after 20 hours in a small boat on a rough sea.

These were elements of the dramatic story of officers' steward Alfred Joseph John Hart, probably the last man to leave the stricken HMS Formidable in the English Channel on New Year's Day 1915 and survive. The son of a Bedford railway porter, he had joined the Navy four years earlier at the age of 17. Here is his story as recorded by The Luton News on January 14th, 1915.

"The vessel was off Portland on New Year's Eve and at about 2 am I was in my bunk when I was awakened by the dull boom of an explosion on the starboard side of the boat. I rushed on deck at once and heard the order given for the boats to be got out. This was no easy task for the vessel had listed considerably and a heavy sea was running.

"There was absolute order among the crew and not the slightest sign of panic. The boats were got away and the occupants told to keep away from the ship for a time.

"The order was then given 'Every man for himself' and the crew were told to get pieces of wood or anything they could cling to when the vessel sank.

"When everything had been done to save the Formidable the boats came alongside and took off as many as possible. There were five boats and two were swamped. In all about 129 were saved.

"All the boats had left the ship when the crew of one of them cried out 'Room for one more'. Two of us tossed for it and the other chap won, but he said: 'You have got parents, I haven't. Go on, jump for it'.

"As the boats drew away we could see the crew striking matches to light their cigarettes and pipes. A piano had been pulled up on deck, and ragtime was being played to keep up the spirits of the men.

"There were about 60 of us in the boat I was in. The sea was very rough and the cold was awful. The waves washed over us repeatedly and nearly swamped the boat, and we were constantly baling it out with boots or anything that would hold water. The coxswain was a good sort and did his best to cheer us up, and the men sang at times.

"After a while we found ten of the crew were dead. Seven more died when in sight of land, and these were buried at Lyme Regis.

"I was unconscious when we landed, but they told me afterwards that we touched shore between 12 and 1. We had been in the boat all day, nearly 20 hours."

[HMS Formidable was the third British battleship to be sunk - the second to enemy action - in World War One. Of its complement of 780 men, 35 officers (including Captain Noel Loxley) and 512 men were lost.]

[The Luton News, January 14th, 1915]