Robert George Hurren

A Skipper with H.M. Drifter Gleaner of the Sea, Robert died on 26th of October 1916 at the age of 37.

Robert was born at Lowestoft on 6 June 1879, a son of William and Ellen Hurren. Robert's father was a fisherman. Robert also became a fisherman and gained his certificate of competency as a skipper in 1910. 

Robert married Elizabeth Alice Turrell at Saint Margaret's Church, Lowestoft, on 4th December 1898. They lived at Sparham's Buildings, Whapload Road, before living at 21, and then 25, Worthing Road, Lowestoft. 

Robert joined the Royal Naval Reserve on 12 January 1915 and was a Warrant Skipper. 

Robert was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (London Gazette 25 July 1916). In 1915 he was in command of the Drifter 'Gleaner of the Sea' which was part of the Dover Patrol and had the task of tending the nets that made up the anti-submarine defences. On 24th April 1915 they discovered that submarine U-13 was tangled in the drifter's anchor cable. Robert took a 'lance-bomb' and struck the submarine on the fore-deck. The submarine was damaged and was also attacked by British destroyers before sinking. (See OVERLORD'S BLOG: Gleaming Sea (overlord-wot.blogspot.com)

The Gleaner of the Sea was one of a number of Lowestoft trawlers, in the Dover Patrol, that were attacked by German destroyers during the night of 26-27 October 1916. The Gleaner of the Sea was lost with all hands. 

For details of the attack on the Dover Barrage see: The German attack on the 'Dover Barrage' 26th/27th October 1916 (sussexhistoryforum.co.uk)