Artificer Engineer Arnold Wharton was one of three Royal Navy officers killed in action during the bombardment of the Dardanelles when HMS Irresistible hit a mine on March 18th, 1915, and eventually sank. He would have been aged 35 in April 1915.
A message later from Athens said the three had been buried at sea within sight of Tenedos, where women on the shore cast flowers and incense into the sea as a sign of mourning, flags flew at half-mast and bells tolled on land and at sea.
Seaman George O'Brien, J26306, HMS St Vincent, died on his ship in the North Sea on November 15th, 1914. He was aged 18.
The second of (Edwin) James and Elizabeth O'Brien's six children, he belonged to a much-travelled family that lived at 65 Warwick Road, Luton, in 1914. His father was born in Newton Abbot, Devon, his mother came from Pembrokeshire and he was born at Worcester on July 30th, 1896. His two brothers and three sisters were born variously in Stantonbury (Bucks), Birmingham, Rugby, Leicester and Yiewsley, Middlesex.
First-class Petty Officer Charles Dimmock, 192556, an old boy of Queen Square School, Luton, was one of the crew of HMS Good Hope missing with all hands following the Pacific naval battle of Coronel, off the Chilean coast.
He was 33 years old and was brought up by his grandparents, the late Mr and Mrs George Dimmock, of 42 Albert Road, Luton. He joined the Navy as a boy and had 16 years service to his credit. For rescue work at the Messina earthquake disaster in Italy in 1908 he received a medal, and had recently received a long service medal.
Percy James Pinnock, was one of the first Luton-born casualties of the war to be reported missing in the pages of the Luton News. He was serving on HMS Amphion, the first Royal Navy ship to be sunk in the conflict. Launched in December 1911, the cruiser hit a mine on August 6th while defending the eastern approaches of the English Channel.
Percy was born on the Old Bedford Road in June 1894, and was ranked as a stoker second-class.
James Clarke of Tavistock St, Dunstable served 12 years with the Royal Navy before transferring to the Royal Navy Reserve in 1908. When WW1 commenced the thirty six year old was called up to to serve aboard HMS Hogue which was part of a patrol of armoured cruisers in the North Sea. These old slow ships were very vulnerable to a raid by modern German surface ships and the patrol was nicknamed the "live bait squadron".
Cyril George served aboard HMS President, an honoarary title awarded to training ships serving with the London Reserve Division. In WW1, it was this ship. According to some records he was buried at sea, and yet his grave is registered and stands in Rothesay Road Cemetery.
Cyril was the son of Harry (a baker) and Elizabeth Horseler of 37 Salisbury Road, Luton. He was youngest sibling to Hilda, Henry, Alex and Edith.
George Stood 5ft high, with a 32 inch chest; he had brown hair, grey eyes and a fair complexion.
William was born in Enfield, Essex on 12 November 1894.
In 1901 he is living in Butterfield Green, Stopsley with his widowed father, William, who is a scaffold builder. He has an 11 year old brother Herbert, 5 year old sister called Topsy & a sister Edith who is 3. His father employed a housekeeper at the time called Elizabeth Smith who is living-in with her 9 month old daughter Gladys.
