Robert Stanley Button

A Seaman with H. M. Cable Ship Alert (United Kingdom), Robert died on 24th of February 1945 aged 39.

Robert was born at Lowestoft on 12 November 1905, a son of John and Susannah Button. He was baptised at Saint John’s Church on 1 December 1905 and his family lived at 47 Albert Street. By 1911 his family were living at 47 Park Road, and this was still the family home in 1945. 

In 1921 Robert was an errand boy working for John Deveraux and Sons at 129 High Street. 

On 1945 Robert was a Seaman Cable Hand serving with H.M. Cable Ship Alert. On 24 February the Alert was working off Ramsgate. As the ship’s work was close to Ramsgate not close escort protection was provided. At 10.05 a.m. the Alert was seen between Elbow Bouy and South Falls Bouy. At 11.05 a.m. a navy ship found the wreckage of a ship and it was not until two days later that this wreckage was identified as having come from the Alert. 

No detail of precisely what happened to the Alert is known. An expert witness, who looked at the ships’ wreckage some days later, felt that the ship must have suffered a catastrophic explosion as the ship had broken in two. It is possible that the ship had been torpedoed or had struck a mine. All 59 crew, including Robert, were lost and later the Admiralty issued an apology for not realising what had happened to the Alert sooner and for the lack of rescue effort made.   

Robert’s father, John, served in the Royal Naval Reserve and died in 1914.