Charles Strickland: Tuesday 22nd September 1914
Charles was on board HMS Cressy together with John Poore who is also commemorated on SMM memorial. Details of the action are in John’s section. He is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial, at Wandsworth Prison Museum, and had a street in the Parish, Strickland Row, named in his honour.
Charles was a Warder at Wandsworth Prison living in the Prison Quarters. He had been in the navy before joining the Prison and his father, a veteran of the Crimea lived in Endlesham Road. As he had previous naval service Charles was probably called up as a reservist at the outbreak of war. He was 53 when killed and left a widow, Hannah, and 3 children.
After Charles death, the family had to leave the Prison Quarters and moved to 56 St Ann’s Hill. Two of his 3 children were to be killed before the end of the war. One son, also Charles, a Lance Corporal in 1st London Fusiliers aged 18, was killed 19 March 1917 and Alfred, joined the 21 Battalion Middlesex Regiment and was killed, also aged 18, on 09 April 1918. Charles and his two sons are commemorated on St Anne’s Church war memorial.
Charles is one of 3 Wandsworth Prison staff killed during the first War and a framed photo of him is in the Prison Museum. In 1928 there was a development around the Prison Quarters, and Strickland Row and Upton Row were created and named in memory of War casualties Charles Strickland and John Upton. Upton Row appears to have been lost but Strickland Row still stands off Heathfield Square. The third Warder, Edward Hyner is also commemorated on the SMM memorial but did not get a road named after him.
Otto Weddigen who commanded the U Boat that did all the damage was decorated for his efforts and published a book “The First Submarine Blow is Struck”. He went on to command another submarine, U29, which was eventually rammed by HMS Dreadnought on 18 March 1915 killing him. U9 survived the war and was broken up in Morecombe. A BBC sponsored diving team located the Cressy wreck in 2003, reporting it as in poor condition. The wreck is, of course, a War Grave.
