Royal Navy – HMS Louvain
Norman James Ridler was born at Stroud on 26 March 1898, one of four children born to Henry James and Esther L Ridler. After completing his elementary education, he lived at the family home in Painswick and worked in a pin factory before joining the Royal Navy as a Boy entrant in October 1913, when aged 15. He was posted to the pre-dreadnought battleship, HMS Albion, in October 1915, as an Ordinary Seaman. Upon reaching the age of 18, in March 1916, he signed on for twelve years’ service and was promoted to Able Seaman in September of that year, when serving aboard another pre-dreadnought battleship, HMS Lord Nelson. Following the closure of the Gallipoli campaign the latter became the flagship of the Eastern Mediterranean (later Aegean) Squadron, supporting Allied operations in the area, notably the Salonika front and the blockade of the Dardanelles.
He appears to have been transferred to the strength of a shore establishment from September to 31 December 1917, which may have reflected a period of home leave or leave in Malta. From 1 January 1918 he was posted to HMS Europa, which had become the flagship of the Royal Navy presence at Mudros, an island in the Aegean off the Gallipoli Peninsular. He was never destined to join the ship’s company.
HMS Louvain was a formerly the SS Dresden, a Great Eastern Railway ferry, which operated in the North Sea between Harwich and Antwerp. It was taken over by the Admiralty in 1915 and converted into an armed steamer and was being used as vessel to carry men and mail from Malta to Mudros. On 20 January 1918 it was passing through the Kelos Strait, which is located between the tip of the peninsular to the south-east of Athens and the island of Tzia. On board, beside the ship’s company, were men designated for other ships in the Aegean Squadron, Able Seaman Ridler being one. The Louvain was torpedoed by the German submarine EC-22, which had been on patrol in the area, principally mine laying. The ship sank quickly and an escort was only able to pick up sixteen survivors of the two hundred and forty on board. Included in those lost were seventy Maltese naval ratings, making this the worst single loss of life Malta suffered in the Great War.
Norman James Ridler was aged 19 when he died and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, on the War Memorials at Nailsworth and Painswick, and also on the Roll of Honour inside St George’s Church, Nailsworth.