HMS Pegasus – Royal Navy
Douglas Harry Wright was born in Gloucester on 10 June 1895 and had joined the Royal Navy at Devonport prior to the outbreak of war. Much of his early life had been spent in Cheltenham.
The Great War was less than two months old when the 2,135 ton protected cruiser HMS Pegasus put into Zanzibar Harbour to effect repairs to her boiler and engines. The harbour was guarded by an armed tug, HMS Helmuth, which had been captured from the Germans. At 5.25am on 20 September Helmuth spotted the approach of the German light cruiser Konigsberg, which had been roaming the Indian Ocean as a surface raider. Helmuth was unable to warn Pegasus of the danger. Konigsberg opened fire and Pegasus, outranged and outgunned, was put out of action in eight minutes. Her captain struck colours to avoid further bloodshed and the ship sank later in the day.
Thirty eight of the Pegasus’ ship’s company of 224 were killed and fifty five wounded. One of those killed was Able Seaman Douglas Harry Wright, age 19.
Able Seaman Wright was originally buried in Zanzibar Town Cemetery but in 1971 his remains, plus those of others from Pegasus, were removed to Dar Es Salaam War Cemetery. He is commemorated on the Cheltenham Borough War Memorial.