Exceptional Naval and Polar Awards from the Collection of RC Witte South Africa and China


Appointed a Midshipman in the following year, he joined H.M.S. Terrible in September 1899, and quickly saw action in South Africa after being landed with the Naval Brigade that November, including the actions at Colenso, Spion Kop and Vaal Krantz, but, according to his own diary, it was before Ladysmith in February that he experienced some of the more spectacular ‘very narrow escapes’ cited by Captain E. P. Jones, R.N.:


7 February 1900: ‘I went down to Hospital Camp at the foot of Schwartz Kop and two shells from 6-inch guns pitched within 150 or 200 yards from me. They made a tremendous noise coming.’


23 February 1900: ‘At daylight crossed the river by pontoon bridge and brought guns into action near road. We had a very exposed position and enemy soon discovered us and shelled us thick and fast the whole day. Captain Cox severely hit. Also one man by a rifle bullet of which there were plenty.’


24 February 1900: ‘Slept last night under gun in case of attack. Bullets fell very thick. Today we were shelled heavily - men say I have a charmed life. I had three narrow escapes.’


George Crow’s From Portsmouth to Peking via Ladysmith adds further detail to events on the 24th:


‘A Midshipman (Mr. Hutchinson) who was sitting opposite the writer, was somewhat disturbed by a 45lb. shell which pitched only two feet behind him into a soft bank, and instantaneously rebounded back quite some 100 yards and dropped into the centre of some Naval volunteers, unexploded and quite harmless. This same officer had two more shells burst within a few inches of him that day, getting off unscathed each time, he being humorously described as the Jonas for the day, and a person to steer clear of ... ’


To which Hutchinson later added in his own hand to his copy of Crow’s book:


‘I had several near squeaks before this when on messages to different places for Captain Jones but never so near as these. I was riding my horse, or rather leading it, at the time of the second shell and a bit of it hit my horse but only made a small wound.’


Having been chosen as one of two Naval officers to ride at the side of General Buller in his triumphant entry into Ladysmith at the month’s end, Hutchinson and his shipmates from the Terrible were ordered to China, where, once again, he was landed for services with the Naval Brigade and quickly experienced further ‘near squeaks’. His diary, and Midshipman’s Journal, take up the story, as the brigade advanced on Pekin in the summer of 1900:


6 July 1900: ‘Severe shelling on both sides starting early this morning. Shells bursting all round guns on mud wall. Several coming within 3-4 yards. While the Marines were working a captured Krupp gun a shell burst in the gun blowing off a Marine’s arm.’


As verified in Crow’s history, Hutchinson was actually serving with Lieutenant Wilde’s 12-pounder gun on this date, ‘which had a very busy time of it, no less than 400 hundred shells having been fired at it from a battery of five guns.’


So, too, a witness to the horrors of war:


15 July 1900: ‘I went into the native city. It was rather difficult to make any progress as half the place was in flame and ruins. The streets were strewn all along with dead and dying Chinamen. A repulsive smell of roasted flesh prevailed.’


Returning home in early 1902, Hutchinson was given rapid promotion to Lieutenant that September, in addition to receiving his C.S.C. at an investiture held shortly before Christmas Day. Then in September 1908, he received his first command, a torpedo boat, the commencement of protracted service in small ships.


Jutland and beyond


A Lieutenant-Commander and C.O. of the destroyer Success on the outbreak of hostilities in August 1914, Hutchinson removed to the Liberty at the end of the same month, following the death of her previous commander at Heligoland Bight - in which action his head was blown off.


Subsequently present at the battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, and in operations off the Belgian coast, he was advanced to Commander in June of the latter year and appointed C.O. of the Achates, in which capacity he was present at the battle of Jutland, when Achates formed part of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla and was heavily engaged against the spearhead of the enemy’s battleship line - such was the atrocious damage and loss inflicted on the flotilla in two gallantly executed torpedo attacks that overall command fell to Hutchinson. But he consequently had the misfortune to call off a third torpedo attack for fear of hitting what he believed to be British cruisers - when in fact they were ships from the German Fourth Scouting Group and quickly straddled the Fortune and Porpoise. His decision to call off the attack was subsequently defended by Taffrail in Endless Story, though Their Lordships appear to have been less understanding, no doubt as a result of Hutchinson’s criticism of the lack of information made available to him as to the dispositions of our battleships and cruisers:


‘When Commander R. B. C. Hutchinson, D.S.C., of the Achates wrote in his report: ‘I respectfully submit that in future the maximum amount of information may be given to destroyers as to the disposition of our own forces, observing the difficulty of recognition at night,’ he was only voicing the general perplexity of many other destroyer captains. They knew their own battle-fleet was five miles ahead, steaming its southerly course at 17 knots. But few of them were aware of the whereabouts of the British battle-cruisers - in all, thirty ships. Scattered during the daylight action, they might be anywhere. Yet, in the pitch blackness, with visibility sometimes as low as half a mile, it was the duty of the destroyers to make certain before they attacked that they did not fire torpedoes at their friends. They knew full well that they would be fired upon if they approached their own ships at night, and were painfully aware that if they challenged an enemy with the usual flashing signal, it at once established their identity as British and would evoke an instant reply in the shape of a tornado of gunfire at point-blank range.


With the ships steaming at high speeds, the darkness and low visibility did not give much time for thought if a vessel were suddenly sighted. Immediate action was necessary if a chance of making a successful attack was not to be missed. Yet how was immediate action possible if that blurred shadow might be a friend?


Studying all the available records and narratives of the night fighting that followed, one realises that the task of the flotillas massed five miles astern of the British battle-fleet was as difficult, responsible and dangerous as it possibly could be.


Difficulty and danger nobody minded, for they were used to it. Moreover, torpedo-attacks at night were one of the functions for which destroyers existed. But the prospect of sinking one of their own vessels was frightful to contemplate. Commander Hutchinson’s remark was not made without good and sufficient reason.’


To conclude - whatever the views held by his seniors - the achievements of the 4th Destroyer Flotilla were duly praised in the official Narrative of the Battle of Jutland:


‘Those vessels of the flotilla that remained capable of action [under Hutchinson’s command] were now scattered and dispersed and took no further effective part in the operations. The 4th Flotilla had ceased to exist as an organised force, but the German fleet had been thrown into confusion and its escape had been delayed by nearly half an hour, since it had been forced to haul right around to S.S.W., 6 points off its course for the Horns Riff’.


www.dnw.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156  |  Page 157  |  Page 158  |  Page 159  |  Page 160  |  Page 161  |  Page 162  |  Page 163  |  Page 164  |  Page 165  |  Page 166  |  Page 167  |  Page 168  |  Page 169  |  Page 170  |  Page 171  |  Page 172  |  Page 173  |  Page 174  |  Page 175  |  Page 176  |  Page 177  |  Page 178  |  Page 179  |  Page 180  |  Page 181  |  Page 182  |  Page 183  |  Page 184  |  Page 185  |  Page 186  |  Page 187  |  Page 188  |  Page 189  |  Page 190  |  Page 191  |  Page 192  |  Page 193  |  Page 194  |  Page 195  |  Page 196  |  Page 197  |  Page 198  |  Page 199  |  Page 200  |  Page 201  |  Page 202  |  Page 203  |  Page 204  |  Page 205  |  Page 206  |  Page 207  |  Page 208  |  Page 209  |  Page 210  |  Page 211  |  Page 212  |  Page 213  |  Page 214  |  Page 215  |  Page 216  |  Page 217  |  Page 218  |  Page 219  |  Page 220  |  Page 221  |  Page 222  |  Page 223  |  Page 224  |  Page 225  |  Page 226  |  Page 227  |  Page 228  |  Page 229  |  Page 230  |  Page 231  |  Page 232  |  Page 233  |  Page 234  |  Page 235  |  Page 236  |  Page 237  |  Page 238  |  Page 239  |  Page 240  |  Page 241  |  Page 242  |  Page 243  |  Page 244  |  Page 245  |  Page 246  |  Page 247  |  Page 248  |  Page 249  |  Page 250  |  Page 251  |  Page 252  |  Page 253  |  Page 254  |  Page 255  |  Page 256  |  Page 257  |  Page 258  |  Page 259  |  Page 260  |  Page 261  |  Page 262  |  Page 263  |  Page 264  |  Page 265  |  Page 266  |  Page 267  |  Page 268  |  Page 269  |  Page 270  |  Page 271  |  Page 272  |  Page 273  |  Page 274  |  Page 275  |  Page 276  |  Page 277  |  Page 278  |  Page 279  |  Page 280  |  Page 281  |  Page 282  |  Page 283  |  Page 284  |  Page 285  |  Page 286  |  Page 287  |  Page 288  |  Page 289  |  Page 290  |  Page 291  |  Page 292  |  Page 293  |  Page 294  |  Page 295  |  Page 296  |  Page 297  |  Page 298  |  Page 299  |  Page 300  |  Page 301  |  Page 302  |  Page 303  |  Page 304  |  Page 305  |  Page 306  |  Page 307  |  Page 308  |  Page 309  |  Page 310  |  Page 311  |  Page 312  |  Page 313  |  Page 314  |  Page 315  |  Page 316  |  Page 317  |  Page 318  |  Page 319  |  Page 320  |  Page 321  |  Page 322  |  Page 323  |  Page 324  |  Page 325  |  Page 326  |  Page 327  |  Page 328  |  Page 329  |  Page 330  |  Page 331  |  Page 332  |  Page 333  |  Page 334  |  Page 335  |  Page 336  |  Page 337  |  Page 338  |  Page 339  |  Page 340  |  Page 341  |  Page 342  |  Page 343  |  Page 344  |  Page 345  |  Page 346  |  Page 347  |  Page 348  |  Page 349  |  Page 350  |  Page 351  |  Page 352  |  Page 353  |  Page 354  |  Page 355  |  Page 356  |  Page 357  |  Page 358  |  Page 359  |  Page 360  |  Page 361  |  Page 362  |  Page 363  |  Page 364  |  Page 365  |  Page 366  |  Page 367  |  Page 368  |  Page 369  |  Page 370  |  Page 371  |  Page 372  |  Page 373  |  Page 374  |  Page 375  |  Page 376  |  Page 377  |  Page 378  |  Page 379  |  Page 380  |  Page 381  |  Page 382  |  Page 383  |  Page 384  |  Page 385  |  Page 386  |  Page 387  |  Page 388  |  Page 389  |  Page 390  |  Page 391  |  Page 392  |  Page 393  |  Page 394  |  Page 395  |  Page 396  |  Page 397  |  Page 398  |  Page 399  |  Page 400  |  Page 401  |  Page 402  |  Page 403  |  Page 404  |  Page 405  |  Page 406  |  Page 407  |  Page 408  |  Page 409  |  Page 410  |  Page 411  |  Page 412  |  Page 413  |  Page 414  |  Page 415  |  Page 416  |  Page 417  |  Page 418  |  Page 419  |  Page 420  |  Page 421  |  Page 422  |  Page 423  |  Page 424  |  Page 425  |  Page 426  |  Page 427  |  Page 428  |  Page 429  |  Page 430  |  Page 431  |  Page 432  |  Page 433  |  Page 434  |  Page 435  |  Page 436  |  Page 437  |  Page 438  |  Page 439  |  Page 440  |  Page 441  |  Page 442  |  Page 443  |  Page 444  |  Page 445  |  Page 446  |  Page 447  |  Page 448  |  Page 449  |  Page 450  |  Page 451  |  Page 452  |  Page 453  |  Page 454  |  Page 455  |  Page 456  |  Page 457  |  Page 458  |  Page 459  |  Page 460  |  Page 461  |  Page 462  |  Page 463  |  Page 464  |  Page 465  |  Page 466  |  Page 467  |  Page 468  |  Page 469  |  Page 470  |  Page 471  |  Page 472  |  Page 473  |  Page 474  |  Page 475  |  Page 476  |  Page 477  |  Page 478  |  Page 479  |  Page 480  |  Page 481  |  Page 482  |  Page 483  |  Page 484  |  Page 485  |  Page 486  |  Page 487