Skegness Magazine

Blown Up by a Mine
Sad Fate of a Skegness Young Man

Only Two of Crew Saved

Deep sorrow entered another Skegness house last week, when the sad tidings reached here of the death of Mr Hira Grunnill son of Mrs E Grunnill of 3 Sea View Terrace, who was killed whilst serving his country “Somewhere in the North Sea”.

The deceased young fellow who, although of a rather quiet nature, was well-liked and respected by all who knew him, had only been in the Service on a mine-sweeper for a few weeks. He came home on a short leave during February, taking part in the Football Club’s Whist Drive on the 10th, and returning to duty on the following morning. He appeared to be in the best of health and seemed well satisfied with his new life.

As is well known, the dangers of such a calling are many and varied, and whilst his vessel was patrolling last week she struck a mine, the explosion being such as to blow her literally to fragments. There was no time to take to the boats and the crew had to fling themselves into the water without delay. Only two were eventually picked up alive, one singularly enough being a friend and namesake of the unfortunate young fellow – Seaman Hedley Grunnill, of Alexandra Road, Skegness.

The latter was only just found in time, his long immersion in the water having almost exhausted his strength. He returned home later in the week, bringing full details of the ghastly occurrence to the bereaved relatives of the drowned man.

The deceased was a member of the Skegness lifeboat crew, and followed the avocation of a fisherman and boatman, his figure being a familiar one to the visitors and excursionists to the resort.

He was 30 years of age, and was brother-in-law to Mr Fred Walker, a well-known local builder. Sydney, his brother, is at present serving with the 8th Lincoln regiment on active service.

The Funeral

The funeral took place at Skegness on Monday in the presence of a number of sorrowing relatives and friends.
The coffin, which was of elm with brass furniture, bore the following plate:
HIRA GRUNNILL
DIED FEB. 21ST, 1916,
AGED 30 YEARS

The coffin was borne by six members of the Lifeboat crew – of which deceased had been a member ten years and in the cortege were included the remaining members of the Lifeboat crew, Coastguards and other local uniformed organisations, Mr and Mrs Charles Fred Grantham, Mrs Martin-Simpson and others.

A Terrible Ordeal
Hedley Grunnill’s Story of the Disaster

Seaman Hedley Grunnill, who, as stated previously, was one of the two survivors of the disaster, said that the affair happened on the 21st about 7pm.
The mine-sweeper usually carried 16 hands, but on this occassion the crew only numbered eleven. The vessel went down in eight minutes after striking the mine. All the crew jumped into the sea directly after she struck, and he did not see Hira Grunnill again. He and the second engineer – an Aberdeen man – managed to get hold of another member of the crew and supported him between them in the water for over an hour, but the poor fellow’s reason gave way under the strain and he made frantic efforts to bite them, so that they had perforce to relinquish their hold upon him to save themselves. They were in the water 70 minutes before being picked up by a rescuing trawler. The body of Hira was recovered next morning by a mine-sweeper.

This is either the fifth or sixth occasion on which the narrator has been shipwrecked, the first being on his very first voyage to sea. This last affair, however, was by far the most terrible experience and he looks upon his escape as a very narrow one.

We congratulate him on his good fortune and express the hope that he had now met with the last of such experiences.

Hira Grunnill is buried in St Clement’s Churchyard and below is a picture of his memorial.

Source: Skegness, Mablethorpe and Alford News 1916.