E.R.A. Albert Fleetwood d 31 May 1916 on H.M.S. Black Prince at the

IN LOVING MEMORY OF ALBERT JAMES FLEETWOOD BORN DEC 21ST 1922 DIED APRIL 27TH 1923. ALSO ALICE FLEETWOOD DIED FEB 8TH 1954 AGED 59 YEARS. ALSO JOSEPH HER HUSBAND DIED 16 NOV 1973 AGED 80 YEARS. TOGETHER

On reverse it says Two members called Albert Fleetwood died on this day. ALSO ALBERT FLEETWOOD E.R.A. Stoker 1st Class Albert Fleetwood served on H.M.S. Indefatigable, and LOST IN JUTLAND BATTLE was from Liverpool. He is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval MAY 31ST 1916 Memorial. AGED 25 YEARS

Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Albert Fleetwood served on H.M.S. Black Prince. He had joined up for the duration of hostilities on 26 May 1915, and went to HMS Black Prince on 8 July 1915. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Black_Prince_%281904%29 tells us: HMS Black Prince was a Duke of Edinburgh- class armoured cruiser built for the Royal Navy in the mid-1900s. She was stationed in the Mediterranean when the First World War began and participated in the pursuit of the German SMS Goeben and SMS Breslau. After the German ships reached Ottoman waters, the ship was sent to the Red Sea in mid-August to protect troop convoys arriving from India and to search for German merchant ships. After capturing two ships, Black Prince was transferred to the in December 1914 and was sunk during the Battle of Jutland in May 1916, with all hands killed.

The ship participated in the Battle of Jutland, where she was sunk with heavy loss of life. The circumstances under which she sank were mysterious for some years after. As the British had lost contact and did not see the ship destroyed, they were unsure as to whether a submarine or surface ship was responsible for sinking the Black Prince. During the battle, the First Cruiser Squadron was deployed as part of a screening force several miles ahead of the main force of the Grand Fleet, but Black Prince lost contact with the rest of the Squadron as it came into contact with German forces, at about 17:42. Soon after, two other members of the First Cruiser Squadron, HMS Defence and HMS Warrior were heavily engaged by German battleships and , with Defence blowing up and Warrior receiving heavy damage, which later caused her to sink.

There were no positive sightings of Black Prince by the British fleet after that, although a wireless signal from her was received at 20:45, reporting a submarine sighting. During the night of 31 May–1 June, the British HMS Spitfire, badly damaged after colliding with the German battleship Nassau, sighted what appeared to be a German battlecruiser, with two widely spaced funnels, described as being "...a mass of fire from foremast to mainmast, on deck and between decks. Flames were issuing out of her from every corner." The mystery ship exploded at about midnight. It was later thought that the burning ship may have been Black Prince, with the two midships funnels having collapsed or been shot away.

Recent historians, however, hold to the German account of the ship's sinking. Black Prince briefly engaged the German battleship Rheinland at about 23:35 GMT, scoring two hits with 6-inch shells. Separated from the rest of the British fleet, the Black Prince approached the German lines at approximately midnight. She turned away from the German battleships, but it was too late. The German battleship Thüringen fixed the Black Prince in her searchlights and opened fire. Up to five other German ships, including battleships Nassau, Ostfriesland, and Friedrich der Grosse, joined in the bombardment, with return fire from Black Prince being ineffective. Most of the German ships were between 750 and 1500 yards of the Black Prince — effectively point blank range for contemporary naval gunnery. Black Prince was hit by at least twelve heavy shells and several smaller ones, sinking within 15 minutes. There were no survivors from Black Prince's crew, all 857 being killed.

Albert is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial (CWGC).

From Ancestry, it appears that Albert was born in Preston on 16 May 1891. According to the baptismal records for St Peter’s, Preston, he was baptised on 31 May, 1891, and his parents were Frederick and Ellen Fleetwood of 47 Victoria Street, Preston. His father was a fitter.

At the 1901 Census Albert (9) was living at 23 Aughton St, Preston, with mother Ellen (33), a cotton (unreadable) and brother Joseph (7), on whose grave he is remembered.

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 26 Telford Street, Barrow in Furness. The household consisted of Albert (19), Head, apprentice turner in shipbuilding, born Preston; Joseph (17), apprentice pattern maker in shipbuilding, born Aston-on-the-Ribble; Frederick Edward (7), scholar, born Vickerstown, Barrow; and Helen Fleetwood (43), mother. She is listed as having been married for 21 years.

Probate was granted on 12 August 1916 regarding the death of Albert Fleetwood, of 56 Island Road, Barrow. His effects of £285 6s 5d were left to Helen Fleetwood, wife of Frederick Fleetwood.

Elsewhere, his executrix is identified as Mrs Helen Fleetwood, 2 Tulketh Road, Preston.