213821 Lt. W. E. Senior DSC.Royal Naval Reserves HMS Night Hawk My husband’s grandfather, Lt W E Senior RNR, was captain on the minesweeper Night Hawk in the North Sea on Christmas Day 1914. His story involved the bombardment of Scarborough by German ships in December 1914 as probable cover for the laying of mines in the North Sea. The Night Hawk was a former trawler from Grimsby under the command of Lt Senior. She hit a mine on Christmas Day and from a crew of 13 seven survived, of whom Lt Senior was one. The ship went down in 10 seconds.
Lt Senior was awarded the DSC and the Croix de Guerre (May 31, 1917) for his service to minesweeping, he later became dockmaster in Grimsby. In Grandpa Senior’s honour, the [Croix de Guerre] sword is used at family weddings to cut the cake.
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