Lieutenant Commander Walter John FLETCHER RN
HMS Defender Royal Navy

Date of birth: 24th June 1883
Date of death: 12th May 1917

Died aged 33
Buried at All Saints Church, West Farleigh
Walter John Fletcher was born in London on the 24th of June 1883, the third son of Lionel John William Fletcher, a barrister at law, and Eleanor Mary Agnes (nee Stopford-Sackville) Fletcher of "Elmscroft", West Farleigh, Maidstone in Kent

He was educated at Cornwallis School, Maidenhead and at Hazelwood School until July 1895 where he won the golf prize in 1895. The school magazine wrote the following of him when he left the school: - ".....leaves us for special instruction for the Britannia, which should present no difficulties to him as he has excellent abilities. He is a fair cricketer and football player."

After a year of preparation he entered Britannia Naval College as a Naval Cadet on the 15th of January 1897.

He left the College on the 14th of May 1898, passing on to HMS Victory until the 27th of May when he was posted to the cruiser HMS Bonaventure on the China Station until the 29th of August 1901. He was promoted to Midshipman on the 15th of July 1898 and was posted to HMS Pembroke from the 30th of August to the 5th of October 1901. He was posted to the battleship HMS Prince George on the 6th of October 1901 and served with her until the 14th of April 1902. On the 15th of April 1902 he was promoted to Sub Lieutenant and returned to attend a course at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich from the 29th of April 1902 to the 20th of June 1903. On the 1st of July 1903 he was posted to the battleship HMS Mars. He was promoted to Lieutenant on the 30th of June 1904 and was served on board the battleship HMS Illustrious from the 6th of July 1904 to the 14th of September 1905. On the 21st of July 1906 he was posted to the China Station once again on board the cruiser HMS Astrea, returning in September 1908. On the 30th of November 1908 he was given command of the Motor Torpedo Boat Destroyers HMS Haughty and No 10. On the 13th of January 1912 he was posted to HMS Defender and on the 30th of June 1912 he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander.

He was married to Dorothy (nee Chetwynd- Stapylton) on the 13th of October 1909 at Weybridge Parish Church with the bride and groom's car being pulled away from the church by a contingent of "bluejackets". They had a son, Wyndham John Stapylton, born on the 5th of August 1910, while he was in command of the destroyer HMS Ure, and a daughter, Marion born on November 7th 1914. Following his death Dorothy was re-married to William Miskin on the 18th of September 1919.

On the 20th of January 1914 he was appointed to the command of the destroyer HMS Defender and took part in the Battle of Heligoland Bight on the 28th of August 1914 where he was credited with picking up the first German survivors of the war, following the sinking of the German destroyer V-184.

Shortly after this action HMS Defender was in collision with a trawler and a court of inquiry found Walter Fletcher to have been at fault. The conclusion was that he was unsuited to be in command of a destroyer in wartime and that he should be relieved of his command. He was relieved on the 1st of October 1914 and returned to HMS Victory the following day where he served as Assistant to the Drafting Commander at the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth. On the 4th of October he forwarded a medical certificate to the Navy which asserted that he had suffered a nervous breakdown and on the 8th of November 1914 the Navy asked that he be assessed. He was examined on the 25th of November and was declared as unfit for service due to mental breakdown on the 9th of December 1914 and was placed on the retired list on the 9th of March 1915.

He died at Hove after a long illness.

His brothers, Captain Rowland Sackville Fletcher 1st Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers, was killed in action on the 1st of November 1914 and Lieutenant Horace William Fletcher 7th Battalion Royal Welsh Fusiliers, died of wounds on the 26th of March 1917.

He is not currently commemorated on the Hazelwood School Memorial.
Went on to Britannia Naval Coll

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