These old pictures capture the tragic story of my grandfather who died in a shipwreck off the coast of Chile in 1914

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Published: Tuesday, 21 May 2024 at 09:12 AM

My grandfather John Ellery Tizard on holiday in Bridgend, Wales, in about 1884.

Black and white photograph of a teenage boy in navy uniform

John joined the Royal Navy when he was just 18 years old.

Black and white photograph of four men in Royal Navy uniform, each with a dog

John joined the HMS Good Hope. Here he is (smoking a pipe) with some of the ship’s crew and their dogs!

Black and white photograph of the crew of a navy ship

John (centre of the back row, smoking a pipe again) with the officers of HMS Good Hope, October 1914. On 1 November 1914, the ship was sunk with the loss of all hands at the Battle of Coronel off the coast of Chile.

A scroll

John’s next of kin received this scroll after the war ended.