Kyn, may i say a very welcome addition to the topic and a very warm welcome to the forum, Geoff

Thank you very much Geoff, i hope i can add something to the forum

I have just been given my Grandfathers Royal Navy records/ Certificate of service by my Aunt who has kept them for many yaers after my Grandmother died and have just found out he was on the Glatton the day she was destroyed.

My Grandfather was Thomas Henry Matthews and the time was 18 or 19 years old and had been on the Glatton from the 1st of July 1918. He survived the tragic event and died when i was four in 1968 and i never really knew him but family rumours persisted that the full truth was never told about the ship he had been on that had been partially destroyed by an accidental fire and then torpedo shots from her own side.

My own Father who passed away recently couldnt remember the name of the ship and niether could anyone else in the family but he could remember the vivid descriptions of what had happened to it from his own Fathers eye witness testimony and who had said some of the survivors from the intial accidental explosion were killed when she was hit by the torpedo's that her own side fired at her in order to stop the ship from exploding further and causing damage to ships nearby and that the survivors were told to keep quiet about the event because of the Official Secret Act. I am now very curious to know if these family tales have any truth to them.

There are several accounts on this thread. I would recommend the files at Kew; they are original documents so you will need to have a readers ticket and view them in situ - or pay for copies.

Thankyou, i will look into this.

Darren, good luck and keep us all posted