Born on the 5th July 1893 Richard was the son of John, a farm labourer, and Emma Hunt, of Back Street, now known as Old Road, Shipston-on-Stour, Worcs. In 1901 the census shows Richard living with his Grandparents Richard and Betsey Clarke in their house in Burmington. The census also shows Richard to be the youngest of the family, his older siblings being Charlotte, Thomas, Alice, John and James.

There is no record of Richard in the Shipston School records, although Infants are missing at the key point.

On the 2nd March 1914, well before the outbreak of war, Richard joined the Navy, signing up for twelve years. All of his paperwork has his forenames switched around to Frederick Richard. His height was noted as 5 foot 2 ½ inches, his hair as brown and his eyes as bronze.

On enlisting Richard was initially posted to HMS Victory II, a Shore-based Training establishment at Crystal Palace, and was serving as a Stoker 2nd Class.

On the 1st August 1914 Richard joined HMS Glory, a Canopus Class Battleship, and four days later the ship sailed for the Americas, where she acted as flagship to Rear Admiral Phipps-Hornby and the North American Squadron, and operated between the West Indies and Canada. Glory was then assigned to provide additional protection to the first convoy of Canadian troops, which included the Arcadian that was carrying Disney Stein.

On the 5th October, two days after the convoy set off, HMS Glory took up position on the starboard wing of the convoy, which was carrying over 30,000 Canadian troops.  The convoy arrived safely at Devonport between 14th and 20th October 1914. 

On the 2nd January 1915 Richard was promoted to a Stoker 1st Class. In the June of that year HMS Glory joined the Mediterranean fleet initially covering the Dardanelles (Gallipoli) and from December, just before the British Army’s withdrawal from the Dardanelles, the ship

became part of the Suez Canal Patrol. From April to July 1916 the ship was recalled to Portsmouth for a refit.

On arrival in Portsmouth Richard was transferred back to HMS Victory II.

Some sources list the cause of Richard’s death as enteric fever (typhoid) contracted in the Dardanelles, but his service record lists it as Measles and Acute Rheumatism. 

Richard died on the 25th June 1916 and is buried in the Haslar Royal Naval Cemetery at Gosport in Hampshire and is remembered on both the Town Memorial and on a plaque in Burmington Church.

Mike Wells