William Fenn

An Able Seaman with H.M. Submarine L.55, William died on 4th of June 1919 at the age of 23. 

William was born at Wenhaston, Suffolk, on 12 April 1896, a son of Joseph and Mary Ann. E. Fenn. In 1901 his family lived at The Barn, Wangford. William was a pupil at Wangford School before joining Blythburgh Primary School on 10 November 1902, when his family lived at Blythburgh. He left that school on 8 April 1904 when his family moved to Wenhaston. By 1911 his family were living at Dunwich Road, Blythburgh, and William worked on a farm. Subsequently his family lived at White Horse Corner, Carlton Colville. 

Wiliam was working as a horseman when he joined the Royal Navy, as a Boy 2nd Class, on 10 July 1912. He attended H.M.S. Ganges and was advanced to Boy 1st Class. On 8 January 1913 he joined H.M.S. Vanguard. He went to H.M.S. Pembroke I on 3 June 1913 and on 28 August 1913 he joined H.M.S. Triumph. William then joined H.M.S. Hampshire on 8 November 1913. He was advanced to Ordinary Seaman on 12 April 1914 and Able Seaman on 3 May 1915. 

On 16 May 1915 William went to H.M.S. Excellent, where he qualified as a Seaman Gunner. He joined H.M.S. Pembroke I on 17 July 1915. On 29 October 1915 William joined Merchant Fleet Auxiliary ship Angora (also known as S.S. or H.M.S. Angora) which was used as a minelayer. William volunteered to join the submarine service and joined H.M.S, Dolphin on 8 October 1918 in readiness for work on submarines. On 18 November 1918 he joined H.M. Submarine L.55.   

In June 1919 the L.55 was part of the British military presence engaging with the Bolshevik forces in the Baltic. The L.55 was part of the Baltic Battle Squadron. On 9 June 1919 the submarine was in Caporsky Bay, in the Gulf of Finland, when it was attacked by two Bolshevik destroyers. What precisely happened to the L.55 is open to conjecture: Russian sources state the submarine was sunk by gunfire from the destroyer Azard; other sources suggest that the submarine was forced into a minefield. William’s service register entry records that he was on board the submarine when it ‘dived to attack enemy destroyer’. 

In 1927 the wreck of the L.55 was found by a Soviet minesweeper. Because of the political situation no British warships were allowed to attend, but the bodies of the crew were recovered and collected by the merchant ship Truro before being transferred to H.M.S. Champion. The crew were buried in a communal grave at Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery, Portsmouth, on 7 September 1928.

The L.55 was the only British ship sunk by the Bolsheviks. The submarine was salvaged and later commissioned for use in the Soviet navy.