Stanley Wheatley was born on 6th April 1894 in East Wickham to Richard Henry and Frances Wheatley.
Stanley was the third of six children born to the Wheatley family between 1890 and 1903 – Lily 1890; Walter 1892; Stanley 1894; Evelyn 1898; Richard 1900 and Sidney 1903).Census records show that Stanley’s Father Richard was born in Plumstead and lived at a variety of addresses but always in Wickham Street. Richard worked in the Brickfields as a General labourer.
Stanley grew up living in 17 Victoria Cottages, Wickham Lane and attended Foster’s School, starting on 3rd May 1898, moving on to the Upper School on 1st April 1901.
On the 1911 Census Stanley is aged 17 and a butcher’s assistant. At age 21, Stanley is a Leading Stoker on HMS Natal, which was a “Warrior Class” cruiser of 13550 tons, built by Vickers, Sons & Maxim in Barrow-in-Furness.
The ship was launched in 1905 by the Duchess of Devonshire. The ship had already had an interesting history prior to the First World War. She escorted the royal yacht in 1911–1912 for the newly crowned King George V’s trip to India to attend the Delhi Durbar. When the US Ambassador to Britain, Whitelaw Reid, died in December 1912, the Natal had the duty of carrying his body back to New York.
In 1914 HMS Natal joined the Second Cruiser Squadron which by 1915 was based at Scapa Flow, in the north of Scotland. For most of the 1915 the ship, uneventfully, patrolled the North Atlantic. On 30th December 1915, whilst at anchor in Cromarty Firth, the Captain was hosting a film party aboard and had invited wives and children of his officers, also nurses from a nearby hospital ship Drina to attend. A total of seven women, one civilian male and three children were in attendance. At around 3.25 that afternoon, without warning a series of violent explosions tore through the ship causing it to capsize within five minutes. The Admiralty enquiry deemed that faulty cordite in the ammunition stores was the most likely cause of the tragedy which killed 421 crew and visitors.
Stanley’s body was never recovered for burial.
Commemorated
- East Wickham War Memorial
- East Wickham and Welling War Memorial Hall
- Chatham Naval Memorial
Links
This story has been researched by volunteers. We have taken every effort to ensure its accuracy. If you are related to Stanley Wheatley, or if you have any further information, please do get in touch.