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Chaplain Cyril Ambrose WALTON RN
HMS Chester Royal Navy Date of birth: 16th July 1877 Date of death: 31st May 1916 Killed in action aged 38 Commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial Panel 15
Cyril Ambrose Walton was born at Ickleford near Hitchin in Hertfordshire on the 16th of July 1877 the only son of the Reverend Thomas Isaac Walton and Barbara (nee Farrar) Walton of Ickleford Rectory. He was christened on the 12th of August 1877 at Ickleford. He was educated at Lancing College where he was in School House from January 1891 to July 1895 where he was a member of the Football XI. He went on to Keble College Oxford in October 1895 where he achieved a 4th Class Degree in Theology in 1898 and a MA in 1902. He went to Cuddesdon Theological College in 1899 and became a Deacon in 1901. He became a Priest in 1902 and was Curate of St Jude’s Peckham from 1901 to 1905 following which he moved to Clapham Parish where he was attached to St Peter's Church along with Henry P. Tower OL (School House 1874-1881). He was married on the 11th of November 1914 at St Peter's Church to Edith May (nee Sercombe) and they lived at The School House, Old Town, Clapham in South London. Shortly after Easter 1915 he volunteered as a Naval Chaplain and, in May 1916 was posted to the newly launched Town Class light cruiser HMS "Chester" under the command of Captain Robert Neale Lawson RN. HMS "Chester" joined the battle fleet at Scapa Flow on the 15th of May where she was attached to the 3rd Cruiser Squadron. On the morning of the 31st of May 1916 HMS "Chester" and the 3rd Squadron were some twenty five miles ahead of the main battle group. At 5.27 am Captain Lawson broke away from the main squadron to investigate sounds of gunfire from the southwest. He saw one vessel ahead in the mist, and realising she was an enemy ship he turned to bring his guns to bear. This action exposed HMS "Chester" to other enemy ships which were close by. During the fighting she came under heavy fire from the German vessels "Frankfurt", "Wiesbaden", "Pillau" and "Elbing". Within five minutes she was hit by 17 150mm shells which disabled three of her guns killing 29 and wounding a further 49 of her crew. Most of these men were gun crews, whose protection was limited as the shields on the front of the guns did not protect them adequately. Among those killed was 16 year old John Cornwall who was awarded the Victoria Cross for continuing to man his gun despite being mortally wounded. HMS "Chester" survived the action. A correspondent wrote:- "As they were racing into battle, Mr. Walton went up to the Captain to see if he could be of any use, and the Captain told him to go and cheer up the men. He was right round one side of the ship, speaking to every man and boy he saw, and was on his way round the rest. He came to the boy who gave me this account, patted him on the back and said "Cheer up, lad, and keep your head; we're in for a rough time". He had moved about five yards when he was struck by a shell, and fell face foremost. He raised his head a moment, and died.... Mr. Walton was buried at four o'clock the next morning (Ascension Day) with thirty or forty others. "How we shall all miss him" was the thought uppermost in the boy's mind. Thus passed a conscientious priest, a gallant gentleman, one of her many sons whom Lancing may be justly proud." He is commemorated on the HMS “Chester” Memorial in the south transept of Chester Cathedral, on the war memorial at Holy Trinity Church in Clapham and on the memorial at Keble College Oxford. He is also commemorated on the memorial at Ickleford.

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