World War I Victoria Cross Recipient. Born in Leyton, England, he served as a Seaman 1st Class in the British Royal Navy. During the Battle of Jutland, Denmark, on May 31, 1916, 1st Class Cornwell was serving as a lookout on the H.M.S. Chester which was stationed ahead of the fleet in the North Sea. When the first shots were being fired, lookouts reported to the Captain who ordered battle stations. Then as the H.M.S. Chester encountered four German cruisers, 1st Class Cornwell took orders via headphones from his officer on the bridge. He was fully responsible for setting his ship's gun sights and speed, to whether they were to hit or miss their target. The German cruisers opened fire, 1st Class Cornwell was one of the first to be hit and he suffered a serious wound to his chest. He nevertheless remained standing alone at a exposed post, quietly awaiting orders till the end of the action, with the gun's crew dead and wounded all round him. He was taken to hospital in Grimsby, England and died two days later. For most prestigious gallantry, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross presented to his mother by King George V on November 16, 1916. At age 16 he was the youngest naval recipient ever to be vested with the Victoria Cross.
World War I Victoria Cross Recipient. Born in Leyton, England, he served as a Seaman 1st Class in the British Royal Navy. During the Battle of Jutland, Denmark, on May 31, 1916, 1st Class Cornwell was serving as a lookout on the H.M.S. Chester which was stationed ahead of the fleet in the North Sea. When the first shots were being fired, lookouts reported to the Captain who ordered battle stations. Then as the H.M.S. Chester encountered four German cruisers, 1st Class Cornwell took orders via headphones from his officer on the bridge. He was fully responsible for setting his ship's gun sights and speed, to whether they were to hit or miss their target. The German cruisers opened fire, 1st Class Cornwell was one of the first to be hit and he suffered a serious wound to his chest. He nevertheless remained standing alone at a exposed post, quietly awaiting orders till the end of the action, with the gun's crew dead and wounded all round him. He was taken to hospital in Grimsby, England and died two days later. For most prestigious gallantry, he was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross presented to his mother by King George V on November 16, 1916. At age 16 he was the youngest naval recipient ever to be vested with the Victoria Cross.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
Inscription
In Memoriam
First Class Boy JOHN TRAVERS
CORNWELL V.C.
Born 8th January 1900
Died of wounds received at
the Battle of Jutland
2nd June 1916.
This stone was erected by scholars and ex-scholars
of schools in East Ham.
"It is not wealth or ancestry
but honourable conduct and a noble
disposition that make men great." Ovid
Family Members
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