Francis Harvey: Difference between revisions
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{{featured article}}{{dablink|For the ex-[[United States Secretary of the Army|Secretary of the United States Army]], see [[Francis J. Harvey]]}} |
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{{Infobox Military Person |
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|name= Francis John William Harvey |
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|lived= 29 April 1873 – 31 May 1916 |
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|placeofbirth= [[Sydenham|Upper Sydenham]], [[Kent]] |
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|placeofdeath= [[HMS Lion (1910)|HMS ''Lion'']], [[North Sea]] |
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|image= [[Image:VCFrancisJohnWilliamHarvey.jpg|175px|Francis Harvey]] |
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|caption= Francis Harvey, VC |
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|nickname= |
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|allegiance= {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} [[United Kingdom]] |
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|serviceyears= 1892 to 1916 |
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|rank= [[Major (UK)|Major]] |
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|branch= [[Image:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg|22px]] [[Royal Marine Light Infantry]] |
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|commands= |
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|unit= |
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|battles= [[First World War]]<br/>• [[Battle of Heligoland Bight]]<br/>• [[Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)|Battle of Dogger Bank]]<br/>• [[Battle of Jutland]] |
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|awards= [[Victoria Cross]] |
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|laterwork= |
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}} |
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Major '''Francis John William Harvey, [[Victoria Cross|VC]]''' (29 April 1873 – 31 May 1916) was an officer of the British [[Royal Marine Light Infantry]] during the [[First World War]]. Harvey was posthumously awarded the [[Victoria Cross]], the highest award for valour available to British military personnel, for his actions at the height of the [[Battle of Jutland]]. A long serving Royal Marine officer descended of a military family, during his career Harvey became a specialist in naval artillery, serving on many large warships as gunnery training officer and gun commander. Specially requested for HMS ''Lion'', the flagship of the British [[battlecruiser]] fleet, Harvey turned the ship into one of the very best ships for gunnery in the [[Royal Navy]]. In her he fought at the battles of [[Battle of Heligoland Bight|Heligoland Bight]], [[Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)|Dogger Bank]] and [[Battle of Jutland|Jutland]]. During this period, the guns under his command sank two German cruisers and almost destroyed the German battlecruiser flagship [[SMS Seydlitz|SMS ''Seydlitz'']]. |
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At Jutland Harvey, although mortally wounded by German shellfire, ordered the blazing magazine of Q turret on the [[battlecruiser]] [[HMS Lion (1910)|''Lion'']] to be flooded. This action prevented the hundreds of shells stored there from catastrophically detonating in an explosion that would have destroyed the vessel and all aboard her. Although he succumbed to his injuries seconds later, his dying act saved over a thousand lives and prompted [[Winston Churchill]] to later comment: "In the long, rough, glorious history of the Royal Marines there is no name and no deed which in its character and consequences ranks above this".<ref name="P108"/> |
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==Gunnery expert== |
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Harvey was born in [[Sydenham|Upper Sydenham]], [[Kent]], the son of Commander John William Francis Harvey, [[Royal Navy|RN]] and Elizabeth Edwards Lavington Harvey ''née'' Penny. At age 11 in 1884, Harvey's family moved to [[Southsea]] and he attended [[Portsmouth Grammar School]], achieving excellent academic results and showing proficiency in languages and debating.<ref name="P106">Snelling, p. 106</ref> Harvey was descended from a military family, his great-great-grandfather [[John Harvey (Royal Navy officer)|John Harvey]] had been killed at the [[Glorious First of June]] in 1794 and his great-grandfather Admiral Sir [[Edward Harvey]], [[Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath|GCB]], RN and grandfather Captain John Harvey of the [[9th Regiment of Foot]] were also prominent military figures.<ref name="P107">Snelling, p. 107</ref> |
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Given his pedigree, it was not surprising that Harvey chose a military career, and he was accepted by both the [[Royal Military College, Sandhurst]] and the [[Royal Naval College, Greenwich]] training. Choosing the latter school as a Royal Marines officer cadet, Harvey graduated in 1892 and the following year was made a full [[lieutenant]], joining [[HMS Wildfire|HMS ''Wildfire'']] for his first sea-going commission.<ref name="LG4">{{LondonGazette|issue=26428|supp=yes|startpage=2|date=1 August 1893|accessdate=2007-11-20}}</ref> After just a year at sea, Harvey was back on shore attending gunnery courses at [[HMS Excellent (shore establishment)|HMS ''Excellent'']], qualifying in 1896 as an instructor first class in naval gunnery.<ref name="P107"/> Attached to the [[cruiser]] [[HMS Phaeton (1883)|HMS ''Phaeton'']], Harvey travelled widely over the next two years but in 1898 he was given a reprimand from the [[Admiralty]] for an unfavourable report he released on [[San Diego]] Harbour. Returning home the same year, Harvey was given the position of Assistant Instructor for Gunnery at Plymouth Division. During this period, Harvey married Ethel Edye and had one son, John.<ref name="P108"/> |
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Between 1898 and 1903 Harvey spent much of his time attached to the Channel Fleet, aboard [[HMS Edgar (1890)|HMS ''Edgar'']] and [[HMS Diadem (1896)|HMS ''Diadem'']], practising and instructing in gunnery. In 1900 he was promoted to [[Captain (UK)|Captain]].<ref name="LG5">{{LondonGazette|issue=27164|supp=yes|startpage=2|date=13 February 1900|accessdate=2007-11-20}}</ref> In 1903 he was posted aboard [[HMS Royal Sovereign (1891)|HMS ''Royal Sovereign'']], the first of a string of big ship appointments teaching gunnery to the heavy units of the Channel Fleet. By 1909, Harvey had served on [[HMS Duke of Edinburgh (1904)|HMS ''Duke of Edinburgh'']], [[HMS St George (1892)|HMS ''St George'']] and the new battlecruiser [[HMS Inflexible (1907)|HMS ''Inflexible'']]. In 1910 Harvey became Instructor of Gunnery at [[Chatham Dockyard]] and the following year was promoted to [[Major (UK)|Major]],<ref name="LG3">{{LondonGazette|issue=28463|supp=yes|startpage=9|date=7 February 1911|accessdate=2007-11-20}}</ref> a report on the gunnery school commenting "Degree of efficiency in Gunnery Establishment at Chatham is very high both as regards general training and attention to detail. Great credit is due all concerned particularly to Major F.J.W. Harvey, the I of G".<ref name="P107"/> |
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The strength of this report subsequently gained Harvey a position as senior marine officer aboard [[HMS Lion (1910)|HMS ''Lion'']], the 27,000 ton flagship of the British battlecruiser fleet. ''Lion'' had twelve 13.5-inch guns and Harvey was stationed in an office under Q turret directing their operation and fire. Under her new commander, Admiral [[David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty|David Beatty]], Harvey turned ''Lion's'' gunnery into among the best in the fleet and he remained in command of her gunnery into the [[First World War]], his first military campaign.<ref name="P107"/> |
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==First World War== |
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[[Image:HMS Lion (1910).jpg|thumb|250px| The blazing HMS ''Lion'' at [[battle of Jutland|Jutland]]]] |
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Harvey did not have to wait long to see action, the [[Battle of Heligoland Bight]] bloodying him and his ship for the first time just weeks into the war. On 28 August 1914, HMS ''Lion'' and her squadron mates [[HMS Queen Mary|''Queen Mary'']] and [[HMS Princess Royal (1911)|''Princess Royal'']] swept into the [[Heligoland Bight]] where German and British cruiser forces were already engaged in a bitter struggle.<ref name="P131">Bennett, p. 131</ref> One German cruiser had already been sunk by the time Beatty's force arrived, but the German flagship [[SMS Köln (1909)|''Köln'']] and cruiser [[SMS Ariadne|''Ariadne'']] were surprised in the fog and decimated by heavy calibre shells from Beatty's battlecruisers. German Admiral [[Leberecht Maass]] and over 1,000 of his sailors were killed, Harvey's guns scoring several hits on the cruisers.<ref name="P107"/> |
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Six months later, Harvey's guns again caused severe damage to a German force at the [[Battle of Dogger Bank (1915)|Battle of Dogger Bank]]. Over the previous months, a German battlecruiser squadron under [[Franz von Hipper|Rear-Admiral Hipper]] had crossed the [[North Sea]] and bombarded several British coastal towns. On 24 January 1915, this was attempted again, but this time British signals analysts had detected the German movement and using this information the [[Admiralty]] dispatched Beatty's force to intercept and destroy them. Beatty and Hipper's squadrons collided at 09:00 and during the engagement that followed, ''Lion'' was left exposed by the poor performance of [[HMS Tiger (1913)|HMS ''Tiger'']], a new ship that had had significant troubles in recruiting and training her crew.<ref name="P142">Bennett, p. 142</ref> ''Tiger's'' woeful gunnery left the German battlecruiser [[SMS Moltke (1910)|''Moltke'']] uncovered and she was able to join the German flagship [[SMS Seydlitz|''Seydlitz'']] in outnumbering ''Lion''. The British flagship was hard pressed until one of Harvey's shots penetrated one of ''Seydlitz's'' turrets.<ref name="P108">Snelling, p. 108</ref> A huge explosion destroyed the neighbouring turret as well and killed 160 men, the German flagship only surviving due to the actions of sailor [[Wilhelm Heidkamp]], who wrenched open the water valves to the magazines even as the fires inflicted fatal injuries on him.<ref name="P143">Bennett, p. 143</ref> |
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''Lion'' was badly damaged in the action by shells from the passing [[SMS Derfflinger|''Derfflinger'']] and with her engines failing, dropped back to engage the already sinking [[SMS Blücher|SMS ''Blücher'']]. Misread signals resulted in the rest of the British fleet returning to support ''Lion'' in this task, allowing the remains of the battered German fleet to retire as the British destroyed the hapless ''Blücher'' and 792 of her crew.<ref name="P144">Bennett, p. 144</ref> Following the battle, Harvey remained aboard ''Lion'' at [[Rosyth]] for the whole of 1915 and the first five months of 1916, continuing his gunnery training and preparations for major fleet action. His preparations came to fruition on the last day of May, when the British fleet sailed to meet the main body of the [[High Seas Fleet]] at the [[Battle of Jutland]]. |
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===Jutland=== |
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{| class="toccolours" style="float: right; margin-left: 2em; margin-right: 1em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5" |
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| style="text-align: left;" | "The armoured roof of Q turret had been folded back like an open sardine tin, thick yellow smoke was rolling up in clouds from the gaping hole and the guns were cocked up in the air awkwardly". |
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|- |
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| style="text-align: left;" | Lieutenant W. S. Chambers, HMS ''Lion's'' bridge.<ref name="P93">Snelling, p. 93</ref> |
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|} |
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Beatty's battlecruisers led the British fleet in its attack, casting south into the North Sea to find the enemy during the afternoon of 31 May 1916. At 14:15, scouting cruisers spotted the German vanguard and Beatty closed to attack the enemy with his main force. Given time to prepare, Hipper was ready for Beatty, his battlecruisers in line to face Beatty's approaching ships with their full broadsides. Hipper was also encouraged by the main German battleship fleet under Vice-Admiral [[Reinhard Scheer]], which was steaming northwards close behind him. At 15:45 Beatty came within range of the German fleet and the vanguards engaged each other with the opening fusillade.<ref name="P93"/> As the two squadrons closed on one another the Germans found the range better and faster than the British, who were silhouetted against the sun. Shells pounded the British while the Germans remained untouched for the first 10 minutes of the engagement.<ref name="P93"/> During this stage of the battle ''Lion'' was hit by nine shells from [[SMS Lützow|SMS ''Lützow'']].<ref>Campbell, p. 349</ref> One shell at 16:00 struck the right upper corner of the left hand gun port at the junction of the face plate and the roof, and punched a piece of the 9-inch face plate into the turret before detonating, blowing off the armoured roof of the turret. A fire started which a damage control party working from outside the turret fought to put out.<ref>Campbell, pp. 64–65</ref> |
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[[Image:Destruction of HMS Queen Mary.jpg|thumb|left|200px|HMS ''Queen Mary'' at Jutland.]]The initial explosion killed or wounded everyone stationed in the gun house itself.<ref name="P94">Snelling, p. 94</ref> Harvey, despite severe wounds and burns, realised that the shell hoist leading to the ship's main forward magazine was jammed open. With the hatch open, the flash fire would rapidly travel down to the main magazine resulting in an explosion that would tear the ship in two and kill everyone on board.<ref>Some accounts, including Perrett, suggest that both of Harvey's legs had been torn off by the shell blast, but Snelling indicates that he could still walk during these final seconds. The full extent of his injuries are unclear. One of the officers who helped recover his body, Lieutenant-Colonel F.R. Jones, wrote to the Marines' journal ''The Globe and Laurel'' in October 1956 that Harvey was "very badly burnt…[but] ''not'' dismembered in any way."</ref> Staggering across the wreckage of the turret, Harvey gave orders down the voice pipe for the magazine doors to be closed and the magazine compartments to be flooded, an action which would prevent the cordite in the magazines detonating.<ref name="THP">[http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/grant.htm Through the Hawse Pipe], Captain Alexander Grant, Retrieved 20 November 2007 </ref> Turning to his sergeant, the one man still standing, Harvey instructed him to give a full report to the captain (a standard drill in damage exercises). Seconds later, Harvey collapsed and died from the effects of his wounds.<ref name="P95">Snelling, p. 95</ref> The sergeant went immediately to the bridge and notified the admiral of Harvey's actions before being taken below to have his wounds dressed. |
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However, as soon as the turret had been hit the captain had ordered Q magazine doors closed and the magazine flooded, the order passing to the Transmitting Station below the armoured deck where Stoker 1st Class William Yeo was entrusted with passing the order on. The magazine was consequently flooded and locked up within minutes of the hit. However the cordite charges which had fallen down from gun house after the hit were not removed to safety, and there were still ready charges in the working chamber. A large number of crewmen still remained in the shell room, magazine handing room and working chamber. The fire which was thought to have been put out after the hit on the turret gained strength and ignited the remaining cordite charges, setting off a large explosion at 16:28 which immolated the turret crewmen, the flame of the explosion reaching as high as the top of the ship's masts. Even with the precautions taken in hand, the magazine doors were later found to be severely buckled – only the seawater in the magazine behind it prevented the blast reaching inside.<ref>Campbell, pp. 65–66</ref> Other ships of the battlecruiser fleet were less lucky; at about the same time as Harvey's death, [[HMS Indefatigable (1909)|HMS ''Indefatigable'']] was torn to pieces by a series of magazine explosions that claimed 1,013 lives and just minutes after that HMS ''Queen Mary'' exploded "like a puffball" in one huge column of grey smoke, killing 1,275 sailors.<ref name="P96"/> Hours later during the main battlefleet engagement, Admiral [[Horace Hood]]'s flagship [[HMS Invincible (1907)|HMS ''Invincible'']] was destroyed with 1,032 lives. All three ships were lost as the result of magazine explosions similar to the one narrowly avoided on ''Lion''.<ref name="P96">Snelling, p.96</ref> |
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==Remembrance== |
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Harvey's charred corpse was taken from the wreckage of Q turret in the aftermath of battle and buried at sea with full honours alongside the other 98 fatal casualties ''Lion'' had suffered.<ref name="P108"/> His bravery in the face of certain death did not go unnoticed; he was mentioned by name in [[John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe|Admiral Jellicoe's]] post-battle dispatch and, with three other men, was posthumously awarded the [[Victoria Cross]].<ref name="LG2">{{LondonGazette|issue=29751|supp=yes|startpage=8|date=15 September 1916|accessdate=2007-11-20}}</ref> Harvey's widow Ethel was presented with the award at [[Buckingham Palace]] by [[George V of the United Kingdom|King George V]] on 15 September 1916. The award was later presented to the [[Royal Marines Museum]], Eastney Barracks by his son Lieutenant-Colonel John Malcolm Harvey of the [[King's Regiment]] in 1973.<ref name="RMC">[http://www.royalmarines.mod.uk/units-and-deployments/commando-training-centre/history/the-victoria-cross/major-harvey.php Major Harvey], ''Royal Marines Commando, royalnavy.mod.uk'', Retrieved 5 December 2007 </ref> Harvey's name is inscribed on the [[Chatham Naval Memorial]] to those with no known grave, administered by the [[Commonwealth War Graves Commission]].<ref name="CWGC">[http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3051079 Harvey, Major Francis John William], ''Commonwealth War Graves Commission'', Retrieved 20 November 2007 </ref> |
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===Victoria Cross citation=== |
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<div style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 0.5em;"> |
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<blockquote> |
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<center> |
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Major Francis John William Harvey, R.M.L.I. |
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Recommended for posthumous Victoria Cross. |
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</center> |
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</blockquote> |
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<blockquote> |
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Whilst mortally wounded and almost the only survivor after the explosion of an enemy shell in "Q" gunhouse, with great presence of mind and devotion to duty ordered the magazine to be flooded, thereby saving the ship. He died shortly afterwards. |
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</blockquote> |
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</blockquote> |
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''The London Gazette'', 15th September, 1916<ref name="LG1">{{LondonGazette|issue=29751|supp=yes|startpage=5|date=15 September 1916|accessdate=2007-11-20}}</ref> |
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</div> |
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==Notes== |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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==References== |
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*{{cite book | |
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author=Arthur, Max | |
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title=Symbol of Courage, A History of the Victoria Cross | |
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year=2004 | |
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publisher=Sidgwick & Jackson | |
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id=ISBN 0-283103-51-9 }} |
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*{{cite book | |
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author= Bennett, Geoffrey | |
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title=Naval Battles of the First World War | |
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year=1968 | |
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publisher=Penguin| |
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id=ISBN 0-141390-87-5 }} |
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*{{cite book | |
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title=Jutland: An Analysis of the Fighting | |
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author=Campbell, N.J.M. | |
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year=2000 | |
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publisher=The Lyons Press | |
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location=New York | |
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id= ISBN 1-55821-759-2}} |
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*{{cite book | |
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author=Harvey, David | |
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title=[[Monuments to Courage]] | |
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year=1999| |
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publisher=Naval & Military Press Ltd.| |
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id=ISBN 1-843423-56-1}} |
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*{{cite book | |
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author= Perrett, Bryan | |
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title=For Valour | |
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year=2003 | |
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publisher=Wiedenfeld & Nicolson| |
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id=ISBN 0-297846-62-0 }} |
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*{{cite book | |
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author=Snelling, Stephen | |
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title=[[VCs of the First World War: The Naval VCs]] | |
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year=2002| |
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publisher=Sutton Publishing| |
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id=ISBN 0-750913-95-9 }} |
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* {{cite web |
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| title = Through the Hawse Pipe, Battle of Jutland Memoir |
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| work = Captain Alexander Grant |
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| url = http://www.worldwar1.co.uk/grant.htm |
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| accessdate = 2007-11-20 }} |
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* {{cite web |
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| title = Harvey, Francis John William |
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| work = Commonwealth War Graves Commission |
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| url = http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=3051079 |
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| accessdate = 2007-11-20 }} |
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* {{cite web |
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| title = Major Harvey |
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| work = Royal Marines Commando, royalnavy.mod.uk |
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| url = http://www.royalmarines.mod.uk/units-and-deployments/commando-training-centre/history/the-victoria-cross/major-harvey.php |
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| accessdate = 2007-12-05 }} |
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* {{cite web |
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| title = Holders of the Victoria Cross: Buried at Sea |
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| work = The Victoria Cross: Britain's Highest Award for Gallantry |
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| url = http://www.victoriacross.org.uk/ggatsea.htm |
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| accessdate = 2007-11-20 }} |
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* {{cite web |
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| title = Francis John William Harvey (1873-1916) |
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| work = Find A Grave |
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| url = http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7678402 |
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| accessdate = 2007-11-20 }} |
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<!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> |
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{{Persondata |
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|NAME=Harvey, Francis |
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Harvey, Francis John William |
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[First World War]] [[Victoria Cross]] recipient. |
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|DATE OF BIRTH=29 April 1873 |
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|PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Upper Sydenham]], [[Kent]] |
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|DATE OF DEATH=31 May 1916 |
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|PLACE OF DEATH=[[HMS Lion (1910)]], [[North Sea]] |
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}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Francis}} |
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[[Category:1873 births]] |
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[[Category:1916 deaths]] |
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[[Category:British World War I Victoria Cross recipients]] |
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[[Category:Royal Marines officers]] |
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[[Category:Royal Marines personnel of World War I]] |
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[[Category:British military personnel killed in World War I]] |
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[[Category:Burials at sea]] |
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[[Category:Old Portmuthians]] |
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[[Category:People from Sydenham]] |
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Revision as of 00:49, 14 September 2008
- REDIRECT [[HAGGER?]