ONE 16-year-old boy stood fatally wounded on the deck of the HMS Chester, quietly awaiting orders as his shipmates lay dead around him. It was May 31, 1916, the day of the Battle of Jutland, and the British ship had been hit 17 times by German cruisers. The boy on the deck was John Travers "Jack" Cornwell, who was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross (VC) for his bravery after his story became the talk of the country. Jack was born in Clyde Place, Leyton, in 1900, to parents Eli and Lily. He was their second child of four, and had two half brothers from his father's previous marriage. The family moved to a small cottage in Alverstone Road, Little Ilford, in 1910. Jack went to the Walton Road School close to his home and is known to have been a keen Boy Scout. After leaving school, he worked as a delivery boy for the Brooke Bond tea company before getting another job pulling carts for the Manor Park-based Whit-bread's Brewery Depot. When the First World War broke out in 1914, Jack's father, a former soldier, re-enlisted in the Army. But his son was more attracted to the Royal Navy. Armed with references from his employer and his headmaster he enlisted at the tender age of 15. After completing his basic training, he joined the fleet at Rosyth, Scotland, and was stationed on the newly commissioned HMS Chester in early May 1916. The Battle of Jutland began on May 31 as the German Navy tried to break the British blockade of the North Sea. The Chester was set to fight, and Jack's job was setting the sights of one of the ship's guns. But with four ships firing at it, the Chester was outgunned, and Jack's unit was hit before it could be brought into firing position. He received a serious chest wound, but an eyewitness described him standing in an exposed position, alone at his post, awaiting orders from the bridge. http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/...ighest_honour_for_bravery_in_first_world_war/
1900 March qtr.Cornwell John Travers W. Ham 4a 364 JOHN (JACK) CORNWELL VC 8th January 1900 - Born at Clyde Cottage, Clyde Place, Leyton (Essex). May 1905 - July 1910 - Attended Farmer Road School (now George Mitchell School). 1910 - Moved to Alverstone Road, Manor Park and attended Walton Road School (renamed after Cornwell in 1929). 1913? - 1915 - Left school for work. Possibly as a van boy for Brooke Bond or dray boy for Whitbread brewery, Ilford. He was a Scout in the 11th East Ham Troop, gaining his Tenderfoot badge and +2nd class as well as the Missions badge. Also won a special Boy Scout award for freeing a girl from a drain. August 1914 - Tried to volunteer for the Navy but was turned down on grounds of age. 27 July 1915 - Joined the Navy. http://www.royalnavalmuseum.org/info_sheets_johncornwell.htm John Cornwell was the second son of a Manor Park couple who had both originated from country areas and had settled in the area. John Travers Cornwell had always been called 'Jack', had left school at fourteen and had a passion to be a sailor. His father - Eli, despite being well over military age had rejoined the army at the outbreak of The Great War, his elder brother was a factory worker and Jack was working as a van boy for Brooke Bond's. http://www.lalamy.demon.co.uk/cornwell.htm World War I Victoria Cross Recipient; at 16 years four months, one of the youngest ever. Born in Leyton, Essex, the son of a Royal Army Medical Corps veteran. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/f...el=in&GSdyrel=in&GScntry=5&GSob=n&GRid=20027& This might be the marriage of his parents. 1884 sept. qtr.Cornwell. Eli W Ham 4a 139 and " Carpenter. Alice West Ham 4a 139 or " Marett. Alice Maud West Ham 4a 139 1901 Census. Clyde Cott, Clyde Place, Leyton. Eli Cornwell 47 Tram driver born.Bottisham, Cambridgeshire Lily Cornwell 29 wife born Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. Arthur F. son 13 Alice M. dau 11 Ernest E. son 3 John T. son 1 I would suggest that Lily was his second wife, and that his first wife was Alice Maud Marrett, with Ernest and John being the sons of Lily. Births: 1888 Mar. qtr.Cornwell Arthur Frederick W Ham 4a 38 1890 Mar. qtr.Cornwell Alice Maud Poplar 1c 683 1898 Mar. qtr.Cornwell Ernest Edward W. Ham 4a 20 1891 Census, Limehouse, London. Eli Cornwell 39 milkman born Bottisham, Cambridge. Alice Cornwell 26 wife born MAIDSTONE, KENT. Arthur F. 3 born Stratford, London. Alice M. 1 born Poplar, London. These are the only two that seem to fit dates etc., but neither born in Maidstone, Kent. However info given to the census enumerator was often incorrect. Birth : 1873 Jun.qtr.MARRETT Alice Maude Wandsworth 1d 513 1874 Sept.qtr.CARPENTER Alice Wandsworth 1d 589 I still feel that Alice Maude Marrett was Eli's first wife, mainly because their daughter was also Alice Maud. I cannot find the death registration of Alice Maude or a marriage for Eli to Lily. He was a Boy Scout too ...... !! http://www.scouting.milestones.btinternet.co.uk/cornwell.htm
I was about nine years old when I read about Jack Cornwell, in the Arthur Mee Children's Encyclopedia. One of the factors that meant that WW1 has always been an interest of mine!
