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| Tiverton : King's Crescent cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Lewis Clarke - geograph.org.uk/p/3053842 On Bert's Marines record, Agnes' address is given as King's Crescent, Tiverton. |
Albert Stone (Bert) (b. 18 Jan 1900 in Washfield, Devon), son of Charles Stone and Emma Middleton, married Agnes Jones (Daisy) (b. 27 Feb 1907 in Rushbrooke, Cork, Ireland), daughter of David Jones and Laura Elizabeth White, on 7 Aug 1926 at Saint Matthew's church, Clarence Place, opposite the former Royal Naval Hospital at East Stonehouse, in Plymouth.
Bert was the younger brother of Charley Stone and Daisy was the sister of Ellen Jones, who had married in 1922. As you may have deduced, the two brothers married two sisters. The story I was told was that when Daisy saw the wedding photos that had been sent back to the family in Ireland, she spotted Bert in the picture and decided she would marry him.
On 27 July 1914, at the age of 14½, Albert Stone enlisted as a Bugler in the Royal Marines and from 7 Dec 1914 until 29 May 1917, was assigned to his first ship, HMS Hilary (1914), a former passenger steamship, converted to an armed merchant cruiser for service during the First World War. She was commissioned into the Royal Navy at Liverpool on 6 Dec 1914 and patrolled between the British Isles and the Denmark Strait, often in the area between the Outer Hebrides and Faroe Islands and also to the Shetland Islands.
On 25 May 1917, HMS Hilary was torpedoed and sunk west of the Shetlands, by German submarine, SM U-88, captained by Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger. Schwieger was infamous for sinking RMS Lusitania two years earlier, an event Agnes (Daisy) remembered as a child, living in Queenstown (Cobh), Ireland, where both survivors and dead were brought ashore.
Bert was one of the survivors in the seven lifeboats from HMS Hilary, picked up by the naval drifter Maggie Bruce or the destroyer HMS Sarpedon.
After that, Bert was transferred to Plymouth Division and was at Deal from Sep 17 to Apr 18, becoming a Private in Dec 17, shortly before he was 18.
From 25 June 1919 to 21 Aug 1919, Bert embarked on HMS Cornwall (1902), presumably for her return journey from Bermuda to Devonport.
In Oct-Nov of that year, he was at HMS Impregnable training establishment (at that point the former HMS Black Prince (1861) in Devonport. And then at the HMS Vivid shore establishment from Dec 1919 until Dec 1920.
His subsequent excursions were with:
- HMS Ramillies 15 Jan - 1 Sep 1921 with the Atlantic Fleet.
- HMS Cairo 19 Nov 1921 - 7 Mar 1924 on the East Indies Station
- HMS Thunderer cadet training ship, 4 Jun 1924 - 30 Jun 1925
- HMS Adventure minelaying cruiser, 6 May 1927 - 16 Apr 1928
- HMS Hood 24 Apr 1928 - 16 May 1929, Mediterranean Fleet
- HMS Comus 10 Jan 1930 - 13 Apr 1930 in Devonport
- HMS Rodney 7 Jan 1933 - 30 Aug 1934 when Rodney became the temporary fleet flagship, for a winter cruise to British West Indies.
- HMS Leander 30 Apr 1935 - 25 Apr 1937
Bert, who had been promoted to Corporal in July 1927, was discharged at the end of his second period of engagement in Jan 1939. But, on 27 Sep 1939, he was back for service during World War II, until 1 Jan 1942.
Bert & Daisy had two sons: Albert Henry Stone (1927 S Quarter in EAST STONEHOUSE Volume 05B Page 372) and another in 1930.
In 1939, Albert Stone, Postman, wife Agnes, son Albert H (Harry) and two other occupants were living at 9 Falconhurst Road, Birmingham.
Albert Stone died in Birmingham, on 14 Jul 1974. Agnes Stone died on 19 Jul 2000 (DOR Q3/2000 in BIRMINGHAM (0611D) Reg D17B Entry 108).