Royal Navy – HMS Meteor
Edward Attwood was born at Cheltenham on Christmas Day 1882, one of seven children born to Edward and Annie Attwood.
In 1902, at the age of 19, he enlisted in the Royal Navy for a twelve year term and in February 1914 transferred to the Royal Fleet Reserve. Upon the declaration of war he was recalled for service and on 1 December joined the crew of the destroyer HMS Meteor, based at Harwich, as a Petty Officer.
On 16 December 1914 a small German naval squadron had bombarded the east coast towns of Scarborough, Hartlepool and Whitby and escaped successfully.
On 24 January 1915 Admiral Hipper sought to venture out once again, this time to attack the British Fishing Sleet off the Dogger Bank in the middle of the North Sea. However, thanks to the interception of wireless traffic, the Admiralty was alerted to the raid and despatched a force of Five battlecruisers and four light cruisers from Rosyth augmented by light cruisers and destroyers from Harwich: the intention being to trap and destroy Hipper’s squadron.
Upon contact Hipper realised that he was confronted by a superior force and turned his ships for home. A running battle with the British ships ensued for over three hours, during which time HMS Lion, the Flagship of Acting Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty, was badly damaged and the slowest of the German warships, the heavy cruiser, SMS Blucher, was pounded until she sank.
Blucher had maintained fire until almost the end and it was one of her shells which exploded in the No 1 boiler room of HMS Meteor, as she manoeuvred to fire a torpedo. The shell killed Petty Officer Attwood and two of his comrades. Meteor was taken in tow and was probably taken to the Lincolnshire port of Immingham, as all three casualties now lie in Immingham (St Andrew) Churchyard.
Edward had married Maria Emily Woodward in 1907 and the family home was 1 Hamilton Street, London Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham. They had three children; the youngest being born a few months after his father was killed in action.