Cyril Duncan Fenn (1882-1921)
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| Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, Lives of the First World War. |
Date of Birth: 19 August 1882
Place of Birth: Richmond, Surrey, England
Date of Death: 9 August 1921
Burial Place: Nayland Cemetery, Nayland, Suffolk, England
Enlistment Date: 15 May 1897
Served in Newfoundland: 20 March 1919 – 1 March 1921
Position: Commanding Officer of HMS Briton
Early Life
Cyril Duncan Fenn was born on August 19, 1882, in Richmond parish, in Surrey, England. He was the 8th child born to Edward Liveing Fenn, a well-renowned doctor, and Katharine Pauline (Julius) Fenn.
Cyril’s oldest brother, Charles, was 12 when Cyril was born. His other living siblings were Harold (b. 1877), Ernest (b. 1880), and Edward (b. 1881). Three other siblings had died in childhood before Cyril’s birth. Walter Robert Julius Fenn was born in 1875 and drowned at the age of 5 in 1880. Evelyn Alston Fenn was born in 1876 and died in 1877, and Reginald Alston Fenn was born in 1878 and passed in 1879.
Cyril was baptized on October 4, 1882. At the time the family was living at Number 1, Portland Terrace at Richmond Green. This was a large, urban, green recreation space in the centre of Richmond.
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| Portland Terrace, Richmond Green. Image courtesy of seville.co.uk |
When Cyril was 3 his younger brother Edward was born. Just under a year later, tragedy struck the family when Cyril’s mother Katharine died of tuberculosis in the spring of 1886. She was 35 years old and had 9 children before her death.
Cyril attended boarding school at Stubbington House, a boy’s preparatory school in Hampshire. The school was known as “the cradle of the Navy”2 and prepared young boys for service in the British Royal Navy, like other branches of the armed forces, and universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.
Shortly after leaving to attend Stubbington House, Cyril’s father remarried in 1891. Edith (Todd) Fenn joined the family and soon welcomed three new children to the Fenn family. Cyril’s half-sister Dorothy was born in 1892 but passed in 1893. His half-brother Edward was born in 1894, and half-sister Adria was born in 1895.
Naval Service
In 1897, at the age of 15, Cyril enlisted in the British Royal Navy. His first posting was HMS Britannia as a naval cadet. The Britannia was a training ship at the port of Dartmouth. He served here until September 1898.
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| HMS Britannia, by Henry Morgan. Image courtesy of the Portsmouth Museums, 1946/227. |
Next Cyril was posted to HMS Repulse, as a Midshipmen. The Repulse served as part of the Channel Fleet, patrolling the waters of the English Channel.
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| Postcard image of HMS Repulse. Image courtesy of eBay.com |
In the fall of 1899, Cyril briefly served on HMS Astraea, a second-class cruiser, before a four-month posting to HMS Andromeda in the Mediterranean until February 1900. HMS Astraea joined the Mediterranean Fleet and Cyril rejoined her crew.
During this second posting to HMS Astraea, Cyril spent two years abroad as the ship moved from the Mediterranean to the China Station. Here he would have travelled to Hong Kong, Singapore, and other parts of the region. In spring 1902, the Astraea returned to England via Singapore, Colombo, and Malta.
Upon his return to England, Cyril attended the Royal Navy College at Greenwich where he obtained the rank of Acting Sub-Lieutenant.
Around this time, Cyril was recorded as entering an apprenticeship as a wax candler. Some records indicate this may have been a symbolic apprenticeship solely to maintain a certain level of members in the wax candler’s guild of London. As Cyril was still actively serving in the Royal Navy, this explanation is plausible.
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Cyril Fenn’s Apprenticeship Indenture. Image courtesy of ancestry.ca |
Cyril served on HMS Bacchante in the Mediterranean Fleet. He was promoted to Lieutenant in June 1904.
He also served on HMS St. Vincent and attended the Signal School at Portsmouth in 1906. He then served on HMS Dido until May 1907. His next posting was HMS Warrior, an armoured cruiser based in the Channel Fleet.
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HMS Warrior. Image courtesy of the Imperial War Museum, Q21940 |
Over the next decade, Cyril had many different postings including HMS Ganges, a training ship where he would have instructed other navy members. He was promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 1912. He also served on HMS Dreadnought, the famous battleship, as a Flag Lieutenant, and was involved in training exercises in 1913.
Throughout the 1910s Cyril suffered from repeated bouts of tuberculosis. During this time, he was placed on shore leave several times, until he was found fit for service. Over his naval career Cyril was described in his service record as “zealous, active, sharp officer of good judgement and performance, above average”, having an “aptitude for instructional work”, a “good physique but handicapped by lung trouble” and was “recommended for charge of Signal School”.
On March 20, 1919, Cyril was appointed Commanding Officer of HMS Briton in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Shortly afterward he began his journey to this new posting.
Service in Newfoundland
By April 1919, Cyril had arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia on board RMS Olympic, where he continued onwards to Newfoundland.
Shortly after arriving in Newfoundland, Cyril would have been caught up in flight fever. In May 1919, several teams of airmen were preparing to attempt the first nonstop transatlantic flight. Staff at HM Wireless Station in Mount Pearl (under Cyril’s command) helped Arthur Brown set up his communication equipment. Arthur Brown and his flight partner John Alcock made the first successful flight in June 1919.
In September 1919, Cyril Fenn approved a permit for a team of journalists to tour HM Wireless Station in Mount Pearl. This group of reporters was the first to visit the station since its construction in 1915, due to the top-secret nature of its work during the First World War. Among this group of reporters was nineteen-year-old Joey Smallwood, future premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.
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| Excerpt from the Evening Telegram, 1919-09-15. Image courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative. |
As the Commanding Officer of HMS Briton, Cyril was involved in many community events, social functions, and government receptions.
In November 1919, he attended the annual poultry show with the Governor.
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| Evening Advocate, 1919-11-27. Image courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative. |
One of Cyril’s many duties in his command of the HMS Briton was starting the demobilization forces in the region, as military needs decreased following the end of the First World War.
After two years in Newfoundland, Cyril was forced to resign from his post. His health had broken down once again and he was plagued with lung troubles. In March 1921, Cyril left Newfoundland and returned to England. His departure was lamented by those who knew him in Newfoundland as he was held in high regard for his kindness, hospitality, and support of local charities, such as the orphanage.
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Evening Advocate, 1921-03-16. Image courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative. |
Death
Only a few months after returning to England, Cyril Duncan Fenn finally succumbed to tuberculosis that had plagued him for most of his life. He passed away on August 9, 1921, just 10 days shy of his 39th birthday. His estate was left to his eldest brother Charles, a doctor like their father.
Cyril was buried with full naval honours at the Nayland Cemetery in Suffolk, England.
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| Suffolk and Essex Free Press, 1921-08-17. Image courtesy of the British Newspaper Archive. |
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| Evening Advocate, 1921-08-30. Image courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative. |
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| Lieutenant-Commander Cyril Fenn was buried at Nayland Cemetery in Suffolk, England. Images courtesy of findagrave.com |
Members of the Fenn family have an extensive family history site available online. This site includes many images of Cyril Fenn in his youth and early service and can be viewed here.
Family Tree
Parents
Edward Liveing FENN (b. 1844, d. 1947)
Doctor
Remarried in 1892 to Edith (Todd) FENN
Katharine Pauline (Julius) FENN (d. 1886)
Siblings
Charles Edward FENN (b. 1874)
Occupation: Doctor
Wife: Edith Elizabeth (Shuttleworth) FENN
Child: Edith Nancy Alston FENN
Walter Robert Julius FENN (b. 1875, d. 1880)
Evelyn Alston FENN (b. 1876, d. 1877)
Harold Liveing FENN (b. 1877, d. 1969)
Occupation: Wax Candler
Wife: Marjorie Helen Ruth (Barker) FENN
Reginald Alston FENN (b. 1878, d. 1879)
Ernest Vanderzee FENN (b. 1880, d. 1956)
Occupation: Reverend
Edward Churchill FENN (b. 1881, d. 1882)
Edgar Julius Fenn (b. 1885, d. 1942)
Occupation: Reverend
Dorothy Edythe FENN (b. 1892, d. 1893)
Half-sister
Edward Gerald Palmer FENN (b. 1894, d. 1918)
Half-brother to Cyril
Killed in Kefe-Kasim, Palestine during World War One.
Adria Margaret FENN (b. 1895, d. 1982)
Half-sister
1882 Baptismal Record, Surrey History Centre; Woking, Surrey, England; Surrey Church of England Parish Registers; Reference: P7/1/22
History of the Crofton Community Centre. https://www.croftoncommunitycentre.org/About.html
1891 Census of England, District, Richmond, Electoral District 3, page 52. The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1891; Class: RG12; Piece: 619; Folio: 52; Page: 17; GSU roll: 6095729
1903 Apprenticeship Registration. London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1930. London Metropolitan Archive; Reference Number: COL/CHD/FR/02/2541-2544
1911 Census of England, District 212, piece 10797. The National Archives of the UK (TNA); Kew, Surrey, England; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1911
1915 London, England City Directory, Royal Navy Barracks Harwich. London Metropolitan Archives; London, England; London City Directories
1919 April 21, Ship: Olympic Passenger List Canada, Arriving Passengers Lists, 1865-1935, Library and Archives Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Series: RG 76-C; Roll: T-14795
Newspaper Clipping from the Evening Telegram (St. John’s, NL). 1919-09-15. “Mt. Pearl Wireless Station.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative
Newspaper Clipping from the Evening Advocate (St. John’s, NL). 1919-11-27. “Poultry Show.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative.
Newspaper Clipping from the Evening Advocate (St. John’s, NL). 1921-03-16. “Commander Fenn Leaves.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative
1921 April 11 Passenger List, Minnedosa. The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and successors: Inwards Passenger Lists.; Class: BT26; Piece: 690
Service Record, Cyril Fenn. The National Archives, Kew. Reference: ADM/196/143, Image 49.
1921 Burial Site Cyril Fenn. Courtesy of findagrave.com https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125044464/cyril-duncan-fenn
Newspaper Clipping from the Suffolk and Essex Free Press (Suffolk, UK). 1921-08-17, “Nayland, Lieutenant-Commander Fenn.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the British Newspapers Archive.
Newspaper Clipping from the Evening Advocate (St. John’s, NL). 1919-08-30. “Death of Capt. Fenn.” The newspaper scan is courtesy of the Memorial University Digital Archive Initiative
1921 Probate Calendar, Cyril Fenn. Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England.
1921 Death Record. The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; Admiralty and predecessors: Office of the Director General of the Medical Department of the Navy and predecessors: Service Registers and Registers of Deaths and Injuries. Registers of Reports of Deaths: Ships; Class: ADM 104; Piece: 111; Piece Description: Piece 111: Registers of Reports of Deaths: Ships (1918-1930)
Alcock, John & Brown, Arthur. 1969. “Our Transatlantic Flight.
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