The HMS Princess Irene Disaster of May 1915
The centenary of the destruction of HMS Princess Irene in a massive explosion on the River Medway during World War 1 takes place on May 27th. The disaster followed the destruction of HMS Bulwark which also exploded on the river in November 1914.
Constructed in Scotland and launched on October 20th 1914, the Canadian owned ‘HMS Princess Irene’ started as a commercial liner until requisitioned by the Royal Navy and converted into a minelayer along with its sister ship ‘HMS Princess Margaret.’ It made two mine laying trips before being moored at Saltpan Reach between Port Victoria and Sheerness and loaded with a new consignment of 500 mines, that’s about 150 tons of high explosives.
At 1114 in the morning of May 27th 1915 the vessel blew up without warning. Firstly, a column of orange flame shot up into the sky, seconds later a second column rose up to about 300 feet. A deafening explosion followed which blew the vessel to pieces. It rocked the area for miles around and could be heard in Maidstone.
The force of the explosion hurled debris to Sittingbourne where windows were shattered and people injured, severed heads fell in Hartlip and a boot, collar, tie and a case of butter landed in Rainham where, according to eye-witnesses, tiny fragments and soot from the explosion covered part of the village. Alfred Gulvin a bargeman from Henry Street got struck on the head by flying debris while working on the river and required stitches. A farm worker on the Isle of Grain died of a heart attack, a young girl was killed by a metal fragment while a man working on the Admiralty Fuel Depot at Port Victoria died after being hit by debris.
The dead included 273 officers and men and 76 dockyard workers who were on board ship at the time of the explosion. In total 352 people perished in the disaster. Three crew members who had gone ashore escaped while stoker David Wills got blown off the vessel and into the sea. He became the only survivor when he got pulled out of the water badly burned and covered in black oil by William Rider, a crew member aboard the tug ‘Bruno.’
A small harbour launch and two barges lying alongside ‘Irene’ were destroyed and the Admiralty Fuel Depot at Port Victoria got badly damaged when debris pierced the fuel tanks and the pumping station. Part of one of ‘Irene’s’ boilers landed on a collier about half a mile away knocking a crane off its bearings.
After the disaster recovered bodies were buried in the Naval Burial Ground of Woodlands Road cemetery in Gillingham and a memorial to the dead constructed there and opposite Sheerness Railway Station. A memorial plaque was also placed on the wall of Sheerness Holy Trinity Church.
Rumours spread that saboteurs had caused the disaster and a dockyard worker called John Harston was named as a suspect but the Special Branch released him after an investigation.
A Court of Inquiry set up after the incident concluded that a faulty primer on one of the mines hurriedly fitted by poorly trained personnel had caused the explosion. Therefore a verdict of accidental explosion ended the inquiry into one of the biggest naval disasters witnessed on the River Medway during World War 1.
Written by David Wood
Further to the article above, Ricki Wenn kindly got in touch with some more information about survivor David Wills and his rescuer, William Rider.
![Princess Irene Disaster Survivor David Wills with rescuer William Rider](/images/princess-irene-survivor-david-wills-william-rider.jpg)
Rainham station has changed substantially over the years and has recently had an upgrade to add a third platform allowing trains to start from Rainham.
In the early 1990s a new station ticket office was added, the red building that is currently in place.
Rainham station in 2006
Rainham Kent station in 1958
Rainham station in 1987
Working in the Brickfields
From the mid-19th until the mid-20th century many local men were employed in either the Otterham or Lower Halstow brickfields. Cliff Wanstall worked there before he became a well known and long serving Upchurch village postmaster.
“I worked in the Lower Halstow brickfields for five during the 1930s. My father had worked there as a moulder and setter and I used to travel to London on one of the brickfield trucks and helped the driver unload. I also ran errands in the brickfield during the school holidays. My first full time job as a ‘crowder’ was physically hard. I had to push a barrow full of bricks along a rail which was then loaded on to a lorry. I also worked as a ‘flatty’ making bricks by hand in the brick shed.
Men usually worked full time in the brickfield and women worked there as barrow loaders during the summer months but sometimes many were laid off during winter because of wet weather which made brick making difficult. Work usually began at 6 a.m.and finished at 5 p.m.with a one hour lunch break. Workers were paid on a peace work basis per thousand bricks. If rain came after working hours a whistle sounded and workers had to return to the field to cover the bricks, even late at night. Work was hard but relations between employees good.
Local Upchurch men who were employed in the Lower Halstow brickfield included Bert Smitherman and Wally Edmonds from The Street and Bert and Ashley Edmonds from Twinney.
Safety precautions were quite good but occasionally I would see a man running with his barrow on rails downhill only to let go when losing control causing the barrow to crash and scatter its contents on the ground. The older workers looked after the younger ones. Work was difficult to obtain during the 1930s and the brickfields allowed a regular income. Many men were employed there all their working lives.
After the war I worked at Eastwood’s Otterham brickfield for two years and my first job was in the chalk pit just off Canterbury Lane. The work was easier than at Lower Halstowbecause you didn’t have to run so far with the bricks.
Most of the workers cycled to the brickfield from around the locality and many took a bottle of cold tea to drink. I got laid off for a month after I crashed my bike into the back of a lorry at the bottom of Windmill Hill on my way to work and got injured but I recovered.
On Saturday evenings some brickfield workers returned to The Three Sisters public house where they would pay their bills that they had run up during the week. The greatest benefit of working at the Eastwood’s brickfield was that if you were a member of a gang that produced one million bricks the company would provide each man with a new pair of boots. The work was very hard but I enjoyed it and worked there until the late 1940s.”
The brickfields closed down during the 1970s and the Otterham site is now occupied by a private housing estate that stretches up Otterham Quay Lane.
David Wood.
The Early Years of Cinema in Rainham
Although a cinema no longer exists in Rainham two once flourished as regular locations for entertainment from 1914 to 1966.
The first cinema to be established in Rainham known as the Empire Theatre operated in the High Street during the war years from 1914 to 1918. Although small and basic the Empire Theatre showed regular films to the public with seats varying in price from 2d to 6d. Charlie Chaplin films like ‘The Million Dollar Mystery’ proved to be very popular and long running although other films were also shown with a piano accompaniment and were well attended. Mrs Sayer performed as regular pianist and Mr Cheeseman provided a small orchestra. Films shown included ‘The Siege of Troy,’ ‘Henry VIII’ and ‘David Garrick.’ These film shows also raised money for the war effort.
Immediately after the war in 1919 demand for the cinema was such that plans were drawn up for the establishment of a bigger, more modern and fully equipped cinema in Rainham.
Originally constructed as a Salvation Army hall, the Royal cinema could officially seat 395 people and it opened on Monday October 25th 1920 in Rainham High Street in the building now occupied by Martin Lukehurst’s furniture store. In the early years it showed black and white films with a basic but powerful lantern and a recessed screen located at the High Street end of the building and proved popular at a time when TV didn’t exist. At a later date the Royal became generally known to locals as the ‘Bug hutch.’
The East Kent Gazette reported in October 1920,
‘Inside the hall is beautifully decorated and furnished, making a handsome modern cinema.’
Marshall Harvey from Sittingbourne designed the cinema building and Kemp Brothers from Station Road in Rainham constructed it. Mr W Baldock became the first manager, Mr W Thompsett caretaker and Mr Will George the pianist.
Nearly 500 people attended the first show according to the East Kent Gazette and Mr W Furness-Maxwell, the managing director gave a speech and said that the finest films on the market would be shown.
‘Romany Rye’ became the first film to be screened with a programme of short comedies and a topical events news programme. In following weeks ‘Billeted’ with Billie Burke and ‘The Warrior Strain,’ a comedy in which the Prince of Wales appeared were also shown. Continuous performances took place every evening from 6-15 pm to 10-30 pm with a children’s matinee at 2-30 pm every Saturday afternoon.
The Royal cinema later proved to be unique in the area with its double seats and became very popular during the inter-war years with high attendances. On Boxing Day in December 1921 The East Kent Gazette reported that nearly 2,000 people attended the day’s performances. The cinema’s popularity continued for over forty years and efforts to improve it took place until it came under financial pressure due to dwindling audiences and eventually closed after the screening of ‘Cat Ballou’ with Lee Marvin on March 5th 1966.
David Wood.
Building previously used as The Royal Cinema Rainham, now Lukehursts Furnishing.
There have been lots of posts and requests for information and photos of the Camp School in Maidstone Road Rainham, Kent.
This photo of The Camp School was dated 1953 and was sent in by Mary Hunt from Harvey Road
You can click the photo to see a larger version
Further photos from John Clements here
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Historical tales Article Count: 3
Historical tales
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Rainham Life
Local Events Article Count: 48
Local Events
Photos Article Count: 143
Photos
Action Forum Article Count: 234
Action Forum is a free monthly magazine that is distributed to the Rainham area covering Wigmore, Parkwood and Hempstead as well. This archive covers old copies of the magazine dating back to its initial publication in 1969 and give a fascinating glimpse into life in Rainham over the last 50 years.
Link to Article Index - Action Forum Index - Photos and Articles from 1969 onwards