“Stoker 1st Class Horace Coker died on 22 September 1914 whilst serving on HMS Aboukir. Early on September 22nd 1914, the elderly cruisers, HMS Aboukir, HMS Hogue and HMS Cressy, were on patrol in the area of the North Sea known as the Broad Fourteens. The German submarine U9 sighted the three vessels steaming at about 10 knots without zigzagging. Although the patrols were supposed to maintain 12-13 knots and zigzag, the old cruisers were unable to maintain that speed and the zigzagging order was widely ignored as there had been no submarines sighted in the area so far during the war. U9 fired a torpedo hitting the Aboukir. The two other cruisers closed to give assistance and U9 fired two more torpedoes which hit Hogue. Two more torpedoes sealed Cressy’s fate. In all 837 men were rescued from the three cruisers but 1459 were lost.”

Horace is remembered on the Chatham Naval Memorial and on the memorial in St.Mark’s Church, Deptford. He was 29 when he died, and on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission web site he is noted as the son of Sarah Ann Coker of 69 Amersham Vale, New Cross. His service record is available on the National Archives website where is gives his date and place of birth as 10 October 1887, Deptford, and his official service number as SS103095.

Horace's parents were Gerge and Sarah Ann Coker. He was my husband's Great Great Uncle. He is shown on my Ancestry family tree

https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/12264825/person/-160964227/facts 

Helen Bishop