Charles Benjamin Thomas Scott (1885-1955)
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| Image courtesy of Clem Scott. |
Date of Birth: 12 October 1885
Place of Birth: Hardwick/Waddesdon, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England
Date of Death: 1955
Burial Place: Anglican Cemetery, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
Royal Navy ID: 212613
Enlistment Date: 13 December 1900
Served at HM Wireless Station: 21 April 1923- 12 October 1925
Duty: Chief Petty Officer Telegraphist
Appearance (as described in Service Record).
Height: 5’4” – 5’73/4”
Hair: Black
Eyes: Hazel
Complexion: Dark
Wounds, Scars, Marks: letter M on right arm, scar on terminal phalanx of right middle finger
Early Life
Charles Benjamin Thomas Scott was born on October 12, 1885 in Hardwick, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England. He was the fourth child of Charles and Elizabeth Scott.
His father was a Relieving Officer and Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages2. This role included administering relief to the poor and recording vital statistics.
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| Communities associated with the Scott family in Buckinghamshire. Image courtesy of Google Maps. |
When he was 6 the family was living on High Street in Whitchurch, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. Charles, his three older sisters, Amy (b. 31 August 1879), Elsie (b.~1882), Winnifred (b.~1884) lived with their parents and their younger sisters, Dorothy (b.~1888) and Alice (b.~1890). The family was also host to a young cousin, Henry Burton, who was about the same age as Charles.
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| View down High Street, Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire, England. Image courtesy of Google Maps. |
Early Royal Navy Service
In December 1900, at the age of 15, Charles joined the British Royal Navy. He enlisted as a Boy 2nd Class, and was assigned to HMS Impregnable, a training establishment at Devonport. The rank of Boy 2nd class was given to boys between 15-17 on Royal Navy training ships. |
| HMS Impregnable (1886-1919), formerly HMS Howe, in Devonport in the 1890s. Image courtesy of the United States Library of Congress, LC-DIG-ppmsc-08787. |
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| HMS Prince George, a Majestic-class pre-dreadnaught battleship. Image courtesy of Royal Museums Greenwich, PAD0294. |
During Charles’ service on HMS Prince George, he would have participated in the Coronation Fleet Review in August 1902 for His Royal Highness, King Edward VII5.
HMS Prince George served in the Channel fleet4. Charles was promoted to the rank of Ordinary Seaman on his 18th birthday, October 12, 1903. Just 5 days later, the Prince George was badly damaged when it collided with HMS Hannibal during a night training session off Ferrol, Spain5. Rammed in the side by HMS Hannibal resulting in a large hole below the waterline, Prince George was in danger for several while she limped to Ferrol5. For newly promoted Charles, this would have been a harrowing experience, but he had more adventures yet to come.
In July 1904, he was posted to HMS Firequeen I, a special service vessel. Following this posting, Charles moved to HMS Canopus, a battleship, in January 1905. The ship was sent to serve in the China Station, but was recalled from Colombo, Ceylon before entering into service in the China Station5. Upon returning to England, Charles and Canopus joined the Atlantic Fleet.
Charles was promoted to Able Seaman on September 17, 1905. In 1907 and 1908, Charles served several short postings on HMS Vernon (Torpedo School), HMS Victory (shore establishment), and HMS Crescent. He was then posted to HMS Egmont where he served from June 1908 until May 1909.
In 1909, Charles began to work as a telegraphist, during his posting to HMS Suffolk3. He continued to work in this capacity during postings to HMS Diana, HMS Victory I, and HMS Eclipse from 1909-1911.
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| This image from the 1911 Census shows a portion of the men posted to HMS Eclipse, including Charles Benjamin Scott. Image courtesy of the National Archives of the UK7. |
In October 1911, Charles was promoted to Leading Telegraphist and was posted to HMS Weymouth shortly afterwards.
HMS Weymouth was a brand-new light cruiser, launched in late 1910 and completed in October 19116. On board Weymouth, Charles would have served in the Atlantic Fleet until October 1913.
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| HMS Weymouth in 1912. Charles Benjamin Scott served on this ship from 1911-1913. Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, 2107-01. |
After a series of short shore establishments through late 1913/early 1914, Charles was posted to HMS Skipjack, a minesweeper, in March 1914. Six months later, Charles’ naval career took on a new level of intensity. On August 4, 1914, Britain declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary, beginning the First World War.
HMS Skipjack was attached to the Grand Fleet, based at Scapa Flow in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, and conducted minesweeping operations in the area8. Charles would have been involved in the pursuit of U-22 in the North Atlantic as well as U-16, near Orkney9.
In February 1915, Charles was attached to HMS Victory I and saw service in the Mediterranean, Dardanelles as well as a period of “secret” service8. During this time, he was promoted to Petty Officer Telegraphist3.
In November 1915, he was transferred again, to the new ship HMS Castor, a light cruiser, part of the 11th Destroyer Flotilla of the Grand Fleet9.
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| HMS Castor in 1915. Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, 1900-01. |
Battle of Jutland
While attached to HMS Castor, Charles participated in the largest naval battle of the First World War, the Battle of Jutland.
On May 31, 1916 the German High Seas Fleet set out to ambush the British Grand Fleet and the Battlecruiser Force in the North Sea. Luckily the British codebreakers had caught wind of the ambush and managed to put their full force to sea early10.
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| The Battle of Jutland. Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, Q71358. |
Over 250 ships were involved in the conflict. HMS Lion was damaged and HMS Indefatigable and HMS Queen Mary were sunk by the Germans10. When the battle was over the British had lost over 6,000 men and 14 ships and the Germans had lost 11 ships and over 2,5000 sailors10.
Charles’ ship, HMS Castor was damaged in the battle, and suffered several casualties9. According to his service record, Charles suffered injuries during the battle3.
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| Charles Benjamin Scott was wounded in action during the Battle of Jutland. Image courtesy of The National Archives of the UK, 212501-231000. |
Charles continued to serve on HMS Castor until February 1917.
Later Service
On February 26, 1917, Charles was transferred to HMS Chatham, and continued to serve in the Grand Fleet in the North Sea. In the summer of 1918, he was posted to HMS Aurora, where he served for the rest of the war. When the war ended in November 1918, Aurora was present at the surrender of the German High Seas Fleet6.
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| Surrender of the German High Seas Fleet 1918, by Bernard F. Gribble. Image courtesy of the US Naval Institute, 28-003-B. |
Following the Armistice, Charles spent most of 1919 attached to ships and shore establishments in Devonport. In September 1919, he was attached to HMS Calcutta, which was stationed in the North America and West Indies Station. During this posting the crew helped quell a violent strike in Trinidad and Tobago in December 19196.
In June 1921, while still serving on HMS Calcutta, Charles was promoted to Chief Petty Officer Telegraphist. Shortly after this promotion he returned to service in Devonport, England until 1923.
Posting to Newfoundland
On April 21, 1923, Charles was posted to St. John’s, Newfoundland, as the officer in charge of HM Wireless Station, located near current day Mount Pearl. The station was being decommissioned, as per a decision by the British Admiralty in 1922 and was limited to a custodial staffing level.
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| Passenger list showing Charles Scott departing Liverpool on April 21, 1923, bound for Newfoundland. Image courtesy of ancestry.ca11 |
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| HM Wireless Station in Mount Pearl, circa 1922. Image courtesy of Clem Scott. |
Marriage and Family
Shortly after arriving in Newfoundland, Charles met a young woman by the name of Gwendolyn Parsons. The Parsons family owned a large farm abutting the Wireless Station property. Throughout the life of the station, the Parsons had provided entertainment, hospitality and friendship to the men stationed at the site.
Only six months after arriving in Newfoundland, Charles and Gwendolyn were wed. Their wedding took place on the Parsons’ farm on October 11, 1923, the day before his 38th birthday. Gwendolyn was 19.
Coverage of the wedding was shared in the Evening Advocate on October 12, 192312.
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| Image courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative. Evening Advocate (St. John's NL) 1923-10-11. |
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Gwendolyn Parsons and Charles Benjamin Scott outside the Wireless Station. |
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| Charles "Ben" Scott. Image courtesy of Admiralty House Communications Museum, Clem Scott collection, 006-001-007. |
Charles and Gwendolyn welcomed their first child, Clement Scott, into the world in January 192513. The same year, the Wireless Station land was put up for auction following the final decommissioning work at the station. The 40-acre property was purchased by Gwendolyn and Charles, Heber and Hector Parsons (Gwendolyn’s father and brother), and George Durban (another station employee who had married Gwendolyn’s sister.)
The families converted the barracks building into a farmhouse with apartments for each family.
In October 1925, on his 40th birthday, Charles retired from the Royal Navy3. In 1926 following his retirement, Ben began to work as a Wireless Press Agent for the Evening Telegram and Daily News, working to receive Official Public Dispatches8.
In 1926, Gwendolyn and “Ben” (as he was known to his family), welcomed their second child, Elizabeth13.
Ben began to work as a Radio Engineer for the Newfoundland Radio Company in 19287.
The couple’s third child, Charles John Scott, was born in 192913.
Later Life
During the 1930s and 1940s, Ben and Richard “Dick” Bunt (married to Olive Parsons, the youngest of Heber and Lillian’s children) helped operate VONF (Voice of Newfoundland) radio alongside J.J. Collins. The Dominion Broadcasting Company had purchased the towers on the wireless station property. The towers subsequently became the property of the Broadcasting Corporation of Newfoundland and the CBC following Confederation.
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| Charles "Ben" Scott checking VONF radio station at the farmhouse, c. 1942. Image courtesy of Admiralty House Communications Museum, Clem Scott collection, 006-001-010. |
In 1955, Charles passed away in his 70th year. He is buried alongside Gwendolyn in the Anglican Cemetery in St. John’s15.
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| Image courtesy of FindAGrave.com |
Family Tree
PARENTS (married in Spring 1878)
Charles Edward SCOTT (b.~1846, d.~1902) of Chatham, Kent
Worked as a Relieving Officer and Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Parents:
Thomas SCOTT (b.1802), Relieving Officer of Chelmsford, Essex
Francis SCOTT (b. 1803) of Bishop Hoolford
Siblings:
Sarah (Scott?) LAWLESS? (b. 1824)
Mary LAWLESS? (b. 1846), born in East India
Elizabeth LAWLESS? (b.1847), born in East India
George SCOTT (b. 1828), Schoolmaster
Frederick SCOTT (b. 1831), Student at the Royal Academy
Walter SCOTT (b. 1834), Attorney’s Clerk
Albert SCOTT (b. 1841)
Mary Ann SCOTT (b. 1843)
Elizabeth Rebecca (Burton) SCOTT (b. ~1859) of Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire
Parents:
Benjamin BURTON (b.1838), Baker of Waddesdon, Buckinghamshire
Ann BURTON (b. 1835) of Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire
Siblings:
Henry Sattam BURTON (b. 1860)
Ruth BURTON (b. 1863)
Rosa BURTON (b. 1865)
Frederick W BURTON (b. 1867)
Walter J. BURTON (b. 1869)
Benjamin BURTON (b. 1871)
SIBLINGS
Amy Elizabeth SCOTT (b. 31 August 1879)
Elsie A SCOTT (b. ~1882)
Winnifred Louisa SCOTT (b. ~1884)
Nurse at the Brook Fever Hospital, 1911
Dorothy Ruth SCOTT (b. ~1888)
Alice Rosa SCOTT (b. ~1890)
Dulcie Minnie K Scott (b. ~1894)
Olive Frances Scott (b. ~1896)
Clemence Muriel Scott (b. ~1901, d. 1955)
SPOUSE
Gwendolyn Currie (Parsons) SCOTT (b. 1903, d. 1983)
Born on Bellevue Farm, Mount Pearl
CHILDREN
Clement Parsons SCOTT (b. 16 January 1925, d. 27 March 2017)
Became a magistrate of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador
Elizabeth (“Betty”) SCOTT (b. 1926, d. 15 April 2000)
1949 Assistant Librarian
15 years in the Royal Canadian Navy
Worked for the Newfoundland Liqour Corporation
Charles John SCOTT (b. 1929, d. 1975)
Wife: Valerie
References:
1885 Birth Registry, Aylesbury District. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.
1891 Census, The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 4253; Folio: 60; Page: 4; GSU roll: 6099363
Charles Benjamin Scott, Service Record, 212613. The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Royal Navy Registers of Seamen's Services; Class: ADM 188; Piece: 372. Digital copy available on ancestry.ca.
1901 Census, District “Vessels”, Ship HMS Impregnable, page 34. Returns of England and Wales, 1901. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives, 1901. Class: RG13; Piece: 2186; Folio: 128; Page: 34
Burt, R. A. British Battleships, 1889-1904. Pen & Sword Books, 2013. https://rbdigital.rbdigital.com.
Dittmar, F.J, and J.J. Colledge. British Warships, 1914-1919. First Edition. Ian Allan, 1972. Index accessed at https://www.naval-history.net/WW1NavyBritishShips-Dittmar1.htm#num.
1911 Census, District Portsmouth, Ship Eclipse, page 2. Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA) Series RG14, 1911.
1930. Who’s Who in and From Newfoundland. Pub. Richard Hibbs, St. John’s NL. Digital copy available courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative. http://lib-lespaul.library.mun.ca/PDFs/cns_tools/WhosWho1930.pdf
Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal, eds. (1985). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1906–1921. London: Conway Maritime Press.
What was the Battle of Jutland, Imperial War Museum. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-was-the-battle-of-jutland
21 April 1923 Passenger List, S.S. Sachem. Ancestry.com. UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
Newspaper Clipping from the Evening Advocate, (St. John’s, N.L.), 1923-10-11, “Wedding Bells.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Digital Archive Initiative.
1935 Census, District of St. John’s West, Section The Boggy Hall, Page 147. Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador, online record available on Ancestry.ca.
1945 Census, District of St. John’s West, Section Boggy Hall, Page 130. Provincial Archives of Newfoundland and Labrador, online record available on Ancestry.ca.
FindAGrave. Charles Benjamin Scott. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/196863740/charles-benjamin-scott
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