In Port Stanley Canopus had laid an improvised mine field at the entrance to Port William and then been grounded at the eastern end of Port to act as a gun ship. The armed liner Macedonia was patrolling the entrance to Port William.

Stanley harbour looking west, Canopus was grounded close to where the Lady Liz is now So where was Sturdee's squadron? Approaching from the north, on 7th December the were sighted and the Squadron entered Port William for coaling. Glasgow and Carnarvon coaled through the night. At daybreak Invincible, the flagship, and Inflexible commenced coaling. Bristol and Cornwall entered Port Stanley for boiler examination and overhaul. The Germans arrive! von Spee, in his flagship Scharnhorst approached Port Stanley from the SW on 8th December and at 0530 Gneisenau and Nurnberg were ordered to detach and approach Pembroke Point.

At 0735 the lookout on to the west of Port Stanley first saw the smoke and masts of the Gneisenau and at 0745 Canopus received a telephone message warning of two approaching men-of-war. The message was passed to Sturdee immediately

View east towards Stanley from Sapper Hill

At 0830 the tops of the Port Stanley wireless masts and lighthouse were spotted by Gneisenau and at 0840 smoke was seen proceeding into Port William. The First Lt of Gneisenau thought he had seen the tripod masts of battle cruisers in the harbour. His comment was dismissed!! Gneisenau and Nurnberg steamed on, but by 0900 it was obvious that there were a number of warships in the harbour.

Meanwhile Canopus had been given permission to open fire when the Germans were in range. At 0920 two heavy shells fell into the sea short of Gneisenau, followed by two more. Canopus had opened fire. The cruiser Kent was identified by the Germans as leaving harbour. At 0930 Von Spee signalled “Do not accept action. Concentrate on course east by south. Proceed at full speed

Meanwhile, Invincible and Inflexible still had colliers alongside, Bristol's fires were drawn, Carnarvon still had coal on her decks and Cornwall, Kent and Macedonia had not started coaling. The Squadron was hardly in a position to repulse an attack by a determined, experienced enemy. However, fortunately for the British, the Germans had turned away. Luck was on the side of the British. At 0950 von Spee ordered all ships to raise full steam In Port Stanley and Port William harbours steam pressure in the British fleet was rising, Glasgow and Carnarvon were ordered to sea to join Kent and at 1000 Invincible and Inflexible followed. At 1000, 2 Officers on SMS Leipzig quite clearly and distinctly saw a pair of tripod masts moving out of the harbour: Two battle-cruisers, a totally overwhelming force!! As Invincible cleared Cape Pembroke Sturdee ordered “General Chase”. Pembroke Point lighthouse

Glasgow was far ahead in the lead followed by Invincible and Cornwall. 15 miles to the SE Gneisenau and Nurnberg rejoined the German Squadron. Dense black smoke poured from the funnels of the ships of both Squadrons as they worked up to full power. At 1048 Glasgow reported von Spee was now 12 miles ahead and only making 18kts whilst Invincible, Inflexible and Glasgow were making 24kts. Sturdee ordered a reduction in speed to allow the other cruisers to catch up. Bristol had finally raised steam and cleared harbour at 1050 and at 1120 she was ordered to join Macedonia and attack and destroy von Spee's three colliers which, at 1030 had been reported approaching Port Pleasant, 30 miles south of Port Stanley At 1125 von Spee turned to stbd on to a SE'ly course and Sturdee, in Invincible, followed. At 1220 von Spee again altered to stb'd. At 1250 Sturdee gave the general order to engage and 7 minutes later Inflexible fired the first shot at Leipzig, it fell well short. The distance, however, was closing. von Spee acted, at 1320 he hoisted the signal “Light cruisers part company and endeavour to escape”. This was followed by a signal to Gneisenau to turn and accept action. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau turned to the NE.

At, 1330, the first broadside salvoes were fired, Invincible against Gneisenau and Inflexible against Scharnhorst. The German ships were being hit, but at 1345 Invincible was hit by a single shell at the limit of the German range and Sturdee edged his ships away. On this new course Inflexible was blinded by the smoke from Invincible drifting towards the enemy. The range opened and firing ceased. Realising he must be almost invisible in the smoke von Spee altered course away but his move was noticed and HMS Inflexible opens fire Sturdee once again gave chase. by Montague Daws

At this moment an amazing apparition appeared. A fully rigged sailing ship passed on the port hand of the battle-cruisers, her white hull and sails bleached in the sunlight. Evidently she was a Frenchman and she rapidly went about and headed north. By 1445 the range had closed to 15000 yds and firing on the Germans was recommenced. Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were now being seriously damaged. They turned 9 points to port and continued their broadsides. Sturdee turned 6 points to port gradually closing the range, and by 1500 it was down to 12500yds. By 1530 Scharnhorst was a near wreck, steam gushed from her decks, 2 funnels were leaning against each other and she was blazing fore and aft – but still her stb'd batteries fired. Just before 1600 she ceased firing, turned 8 points to stb'd towards her opponents, at the same time signalling to Gneisenau to attempt to escape. It was all over for the Scharnhorst, down by the head, listing heavily and ablaze, by 1610 she was on her beam ends. Seven minutes later with her propellers still turning and her ensign flying she sank. Shortly after when Carnarvon reached the spot no survivors were found, von Spee went down with his ship Scharnhorst sinking, Gneisenau astern by Lionel Wyllie Gneisenau was in no state to escape, her speed was down to less than 16kts, ablaze below and some of her engine and boiler rooms out of action. She was also the only target of the 2 battle-cruisers, and Carnarvon who had joined them. Her guns were still firing and she hit Invincible 3 times. The punishment she had received over the last 3 hours made itself felt and by 1715 she was a wreck, all engine and boiler rooms out of action and she had fired almost all of her ammunition. Gneisenau under fire By 1720 she was virtually stopped and around 1730 fired her last round. The battle-cruisers again opened fire. At 1740 the order was given to scuttle the ship. The charges were fired and she sank, von Spee’s son Heinrich went down with the her.

The battle-cruisers and Carnarvon repaired what boats they could and picked up survivors. In all 17 officers and 170 men were picked up. One of the German officers commented “I believe have a cousin on one of your ships, his name is Stoddart”. Admiral Stoddart, who was on Carnarvon, was equally surprised!

Picking up Gneisenau survivors Meanwhile

When the German light cruisers broke away to endeavour to escape they were some 10 miles ahead of the British ships. Dresden was the fastest and headed due south, followed by Glasgow the quickest of the British group. Dresden pulled away and Glasgow rejoined Cornwall and Kent. Kent and Cornwall were keeping together and chasing Leipzig and Nurnberg. Kent was the slowest and had not coaled in Port Stanley so was running light, everything onboard that would burn was being ripped out and fed to the furnaces. By 1600 she was up to 24kts! It was obvious that Kent and Cornwall were over hauling Leipzig and Nurnberg. Kent was creeping up on Nurnberg, however the first shots from her 6inch guns at 1615 were fired at Leipzig, but were short. Leipzig's stern 4.1” guns replied and landed almost alongside Kent.

Coal fired warship stokehold Nurnberg altered course towards the east and Kent followed cutting the slight corner. The sky was clouding over and mist forming. Kent was only gaining on Nurnberg slowly. By 1645 Kent was making 25kts but the mist was thickening. Nurnberg’s stern guns opened up on Kent who was being straddled regularly and sustained one hit on the foredeck that did no damage. SMS Nurnberg Kent returned fire but her guns were still out of range. At about 1735 with the mist thickening two of Nurnberg's over pressed boilers burst and her speed dropped to 19kts. At 1745 Nurnberg turned to port for her last fight. Kent also altered to port, the range closed to 6000yds and her stbd guns poured shells into the Nurnberg. the order was given to change to Lyddite shells and the effect was devastating. Despite being ripped apart Nurnberg was HMS Kent engaging SMS Nurnberg still fighting, hitting Kent and causing damage.

By 1825 Nurnberg was virtually stopped and ablaze. 11 minutes later she stopped firing, but her flag was still flying. At 1845 with Nurnberg showing no signs of sinking and with her fires abating Kent opened fire again. At 1857 her flag came down. She turned on her side at 1927 and at 1930 quietly sank.

SMS Nurnberg sinking by Willy Stoewer

As she went down a group of men were seen standing on her stern singing and waving a German ensign. Her flag flew at the end Kent's patched up boats searched the area until dark but, only 12 survivors out of a compliment of 322 were found of whom 5 died from shock and wounds within a few hours, von Spee's son Otto was not among the survivors. The crew of Leipzig had no doubt about their chances of escape. Her engines and boilers were were well overdue for refit and she was struggling for speed. However, her crew morale was high after 6 months at sea and the battle at Coronel. When Glasgow opened fire on her at 1453 at a range of 12000yds she turned to stb'd and fired off 3 salvoes which straddled Glasgow whose shells had fallen short. Leipzig then resumed her course but had lost ground. Glasgow moved in until the range was down to 9500yds and she opened fire again. Her shots straddled Leipzig hitting one of her guns and one of her bunkers causing pressure in her boilers to drop. Glasgow drew away, but by 1600 Leipzig was under fire again and she received a hit which caused a huge fire below decks. Leipzig was hitting Glasgow and at about 1620 there was a pause in the action as Glasgow drew out of range.

Cornwall was now within range and firing but the worsening weather gave Leipzig some hope. However, pressure on her boilers had to be eased and she slowed. Cornwall had found the range and was battering Leipzig. By 1700 all internal communications were gone and by 1800 ammunition for the after guns was almost gone and there were only 200 rounds left for the for'd guns, but Leipzig was still underway and fighting. Cornwall changed to Lyddite shells and as earlier in the day the effect was devastating. Leipzig was ablaze and fired back until 1900 when all ammunition was gone. In a last desperate action between 1915 and HMS Cornwall 1920 three torpedoes were fired but the British ships were out of range. Glasgow signalled Leipzig asking her to surrender and waited for a sign. Visibility was falling. Leipzig still seemed to be moving, men were gathering on the foredeck and her ensign still flew. At 1950 Glasgow and Cornwall opened fire using Lyddite shells slaughtering the men gathered on deck. Finally 2 green flares burnt on Leipzig's quarterdeck which was taken as a sign of surrender. There were now only about 20 survivors left, 20 minutes earlier there had been over 200!!

At around 2100 Glasgow turned on her searchlight and with Cornwall launched two boats to search for survivors. Leipzig sank at 2123. 5 Officers and 13 men were picked up alive out of a compliment of 288, von Spee’s son Otto was not among them.

SMS Leipzig ablaze and sinking by Lionel Wyllie

SMS Dresden, in the meantime, had escaped to the south.

HMS Bristol

The German colliers, Baden, Santa Isabel and Seydlitz, which was also a hospital ship, had been reported off Port Pleasant. Bristol and Macedonia, an armed liner, were despatched with orders to locate and sink them. Seydlitz had steamed hard after the warships, but after a signal from von Spee steamed off to the south. She was eventually interned in Argentina

HMS Macedonia The colliers were captured by Bristol and Macedonia and sunk by gunfire after their crews were removed. Capt Fanshawe, of Bristol, carried out his orders to the letter. The several thousands tons of coal and considerable cargo of provisions they carried would have made a valuable and welcome capture!!

Sturdee, when informed of Dresden's escape, decided her most likely course of action would be to make for Cape Horn and attempt to hide in the numerous bays and channels around Tierra del Fuego. The battle-cruisers headed south at 18kts and Bristol joined them. Sturdee ordered Glasgow and Cornwall to close the eastern entrance of the Magellan Strait. By the early morning of 9th December it was obvious that Glasgow and Cornwall would have to return to Port Stanley for coal and ammunition, leaving Magellan open for Dresden. Invincible and Inflexible ran into thick fog approaching Cape Horn. Cape Horn

The fog saved Dresden as she continued and found haven in the Cockburn Channel. Sturdee turned back to the Falklands, searching the bays on their southern coastline, arriving in Port Stanley on the morning of 10th December. It was time to take stock.

Cockburn Channel

Four enemy warships had been sunk and over 2000 of their most competent seamen killed including von Spee and his two sons. The British had lost no ships. Their casualties were 10 killed or died of wounds and 15 wounded.

SMS Scharnhorst SMS Gneisenau SMS Nurnberg SMS Leipzig Damage to the ships was light, Kent received most hits, 37, Inflexible 3, Invincible 23, Cornwall 18 and Glasgow 6. None of the hits caused serious damage.

Damage to HMS Kent

One particular hit did, however, cause inconvenience for some!!

Damage to the Officers heads on HMS Kent

Within 24 hours of the victory a score of British ships stationed worldwide received orders to return to home waters. The pressure was off and the fleet could be concentrated on the Home front.

On 13th December it was reported that Dresden had been in Punta Arenas two days earlier. Inflexible, Bristol and Glasgow hurried off in pursuit but she wasn't found.

Punta Arenas Port William looking east.

On 16th December Invincible, with Sturdee aboard, left Stanley for home and on the 19th Inflexible also headed north. Admiral Stoddard, onboard Carnarvon, was left in command in Stanley and during the last days of 1914 and the first weeks of 1915 his ships steamed up immeasurable channels and searched numerous bays for the elusive Dresden. Three months after vanishing Dresden was spotted by Kent abreast of Coronel, but again she sped away.

Juan Fernandes Islands (Mas a Fuera) off the coast of Chile

On 14th March 1915, acting on intercepted wireless messages, Glasgow led Kent and the armed liner Orama around the point of Cumberland Bay on the east coast of Juan Fernandez island. Dresden lay anchored 500 yds from the shore, ensign flying and smoke coming from her funnels. As the British ships approached she trained her guns on them. Action took place, but after 5 minutes fighting Dresden hauled down her ensign and displayed the white flag.

SMS Dresden under attack in Cumberland Bay

Dresden’s crew abandoned, charges went off in her magazines and she sank. Her crew were picked up and her wounded treated. There were no British casualties or damage to British ships

SMS Dresden sinking

The last ship of The German East Asiatic Squadron was gone.

SMS Gneisenau von Spee SMS Nurnberg Gneisenau stokers SMS Scharnhorst Gneisenau seamen SMS Leipzig on Spee’s sons SMS Dresden Addenda.

Lyddite was a form of high explosive widely used during both the Boer War and First World War, most notably during the latter by the British. Named after the area in southern England in which the substance's initial trials were performed, so as to maintain secrecy, Lyddite was actually composed of molten and cast picric acid. First tested in 1888 Lyddite, was considered a relatively 'insensitive' explosive, which meant that it lent itself moderately well to armour piercing shells, given that the substance was less liable to detonate immediately upon impact but would instead be triggered by an impact fuse. In practice, however, Lyddite shells would detonate while in the process of tearing through armour.

Sturdee’s decision to turn away from the Scharnhorst early in the engagement, after receiving a hit from her at the maximum range, was perhaps fortuitous. The decision ensured that none of Scharnhorst’s salvoes would land on her decks. Tragically, eighteen months later at Jutland, Invincible and two of her sister ships, Indefatigable and Queen Mary were hit on their decks and blew up with the loss of over 3000 men. Rear Admiral Sir Horace Lambert Alexander Hood KCB DSO MVO was one of those killed aboard Invincible. Ironically, HMS Hood, named after 1st Viscount Hood of Whitley, Lord Samuel Hood 1724-1816, (an ancestor of Sir Horace), suffered the same fate at the hands of the Bismark in WW2.

Marine painter William Lionel Wyllie, who painted some of the pictures shown in this article, died in 1931 and was rowed from Portsmouth to Portchester where he was laid to rest in a family grave. The picture shows his remains being rowed across Portsmouth harbour in April 1931 with HMS Rodney in the background. No tribute was paid to him as a War Artist of the highest rank

Willy Stöwer (22 May 1864 – 31 May 1931) was a German artist, illustrator and author during the Imperial Period. He is best known for nautical paintings and lithographs. Many of his works depict historical maritime events such as the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912. To commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of WW1, Oxford University archaeologist and Falkland Islander Menson Bound led a search for the lost German fleet of Admiral Graf von Spee. His quest also led him to rediscover a film masterpiece, the 1927 silent movie “The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands - one of the finest works of the British silent film era. The battles were so famous then, it was thought important to immortalise them in film The Royal Navy even lent their Mediterranean fleet for the action scenes. Five years after the first expedition a second expedition found the wreck of SMS Scharnhorst about a 100 miles from the Falkland Islands. The wreck has been filmed and is to be declared a War Grave.

Scan of SMS Scharnhorst from Menson Bounds expedition in 2019 which finally located the wreck.

Detail of gun aboard SMS Scharnhorst The restored 1927 The 2014 hunt for The 2019 hunt which silent movie Von Spees fleet discovered the Scharnhorst

The Dockyard Museum, Stanley. Full of exhibits covering the history of the Falkland Islands from settlers and their lifestyle to wildlife, shipping artefacts from the days of sail and Antarctic Expeditions. War features too, with the Coronel and Falklands Battles, the River Plate Battle from WW2 and of course the 1982 conflict.

To those who may be unaware of the isolated location of the Falkland Islands, a plaque situated at Cape Pembroke lighthouse shows distances to various locations. Heading east the nearest landfall is the Nelson Strait on the west coast of Chile 12745 miles away!!

Cape Pembroke lighthouse looking east Credits My French teacher at the Technical Grammar School, Exeter in whose classroom I was able to read an encyclopaedia about WW1 which contained details of both battles. Thank you Percy!! The wonderful Dockyard Museum in Stanley which has a section focused on the Battles. Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust who are prominent in the search with Menson Bound for von Spee’s Squadron. Link to the discovery of SMS Scharnhorst https://en.mercopress.com/2019/12/05/suddenly-out-of-the-deep-sea-gloom-emerged-the-mighty- scharnhorst-with-her-great-guns-poking-in-every-direction The 1927 silent movie “The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands” for inspiration. Barry Pitts book “Coronel and Falklands” which gave a greater insight into events, well worth a read for those interested in the subject. The Internet of course for its incredible source of information. Google Earth for enabling us to see where it all happened. Tom Epton for his proof reading. I hope those who read my story of these two Battles enjoy my account of them. Both were brutal and fought in the Nelson tradition of “If your flag still flies you are fair game”. Whatever, it’s all part of our Naval history! In some ways it is similar to the conflict, some 58 years later, when a British fleet was sent south to liberate the Falkland Islands.

The liberation monument of the 1982 conflict. Situated on Ross Road to the east of the 1914 memorial. Photo by Robin C Goodwin, Falkland Islander