BERTRAM+FIGG

Figg, Bertram, Stoker 1st Class, K/32366, H.M.S. Begonia, Royal Navy Died 6th October 1917, aged 28 Son of Caroline Figg, of Derby Road, Risley, Derby, and the late George Figg Commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Southsea Common, Portsmouth HMS Begonia was a Flower Class Sloop and more specifically an Azalea Class Sweeping Sloop. It was launched on 26th August 1915 and subsequently converted to a Q-Ship, being renamed Dolcis, Jessop then finally Q10. Q-Ships acted as decoys – heavily armed ships disguised as merchant ships which would lure German submarines into surfacing for an attack with guns. Their use was much lessened by 1917 as, early in the year, the Germans adopted unrestricted warfare at sea which meant that they would simply torpedo merchant vessels rather than requesting a surrender and evacuation before sinking it. There remains confusion about the ship’s fate. Some early reports indicate she was in collision with a German submarine, the U151. Other reports suggest the collision was with another British ship, HMS Parthian. No trace of the ship has ever been discovered and all 95 crew perished. The Flower class sloops were designed on merchant ship lines thus making them easily adaptable for conversion to Q-ships. These all had single funnels, and as the merchant ship silhouette was left to the builders, variations were many. The Flower Q-Ships were employed mainly on convoy and anti-submarine work. Nine were lost during the war.

According to his service papers held at the National Archives, Bertram Figg was born in Mapperley on the 10th April 1889.


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