Walter Stanley Button

An Engineman with H.M. Drifter Jeannie Murray, Walter died on 15th of February 1918 at the age of 25. 

Walter was born at Hulver, Suffolk, on 21 August 1892, a son of Charles and Laura Button. In 1901 his family lived at Hulver Street, Henstead. In 1901 they lived at The Street, Hulver, and Walter was a fisherman. 

On 12 December 1912 Walter married Isabella Brown at Saint Peter’s Church, Kirkley. Walter was a fisherman and they both lived at Kirkley. In 1913 they lived at 4 Colville Road, Kirkley. Later Isabella lived at Well Lane, Hulver, and then at 15 Oaklands Terrace, Kessingland.

Walter joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 21 January 1915 and served with the trawler None-the-Less as a Deck Hand. He was promoted to Enginemen on 1 July 1915. Walter joined the trawler Jeannie Murray on 1 July 1916. 

Walter was serving on the Jeannie Murray when he was killed in an event known by some as the ‘Massacre of the Drifters’. Captain Taprell-Dorling, in his book Swept Channels described the event:

"On the night of 14-15 February 1918, an enemy submarine was reported in the minefield [off Dover] by the drifters, and heavy firing began. The "P" boats, monitors and destroyers on patrol concluded that the firing was at the submarine. They were unaware that a flotilla of German destroyers had steamed through the patrol and were attacking the paddle minesweepers, trawlers and drifters who were burning lights to assist in illuminating the minefield.

The trawler James Pond, commanded by Chief Skipper A.E. Berry, D.S.C., R.N.R., was burning her flares near the French coast when he saw three destroyers approaching from the eastward at high speed. Flashing past at very close range, they each fired salvoes. It was impossible to miss. The raiders disappeared into the darkness, to leave the trawler damaged and blazing.

The enemy destroyers had not finished. After passing the James Pond they turned sharply to the north-north-west along the line of drifters, firing salvoes into them as they steamed by. These little ships did not hesitate to return the fire with the tiny guns they possessed; but 3 and 6 pounders were nothing of a match for the 4.1's of the enemy. The Christina Craig, Clover Bank, Cosmos. Jeannie Murray, Silver Queen, Veracity and W Elliott, all between 60 and 96 tons, were sunk one after the other. Still more were damaged."