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Able Sea. Ernest Houghton
Royal Navy HMS Zealandia
from:Letchworth, Herts
Ernest Houghton, my paternal grandfather was placed in TS Mercury on the River Hamble, Southampton in 1906 at the age of 13 and trained as a boy sailor. He was there for 3 years and went straight into the Royal Navy at the age of 16 years and was placed in the training establishment HMS Impregnable at Devonport. His first ship was HMS Donegal followed by Jupiter, Cochrane, Excellent, Eclipse and Garry. A spell with HMS Victory at Portsmouth followed.
At the outbreak of WW1 he was part of the crew of HMS Zealandia and served on this ship for 2 years 9 months. After this he had a spell in barracks in HMS Pembroke, Chatham. Then followed a short spell back at HMS Victory. His last three ships before he was demobbed in 1920 were HMS Agincourt, HMS Hercules and finally HMS Wivern ending his naval career on 12/1/1920. In total he spent just over 14 years in naval service. He was on HMS Cochrane when it escorted the Royal Yacht - Medina (taking the King & Queen to India) in 1911 for the Delhi Durbar in which he took an active part in. He was chosen as 'King's Bugler' for some of the formalities of the Durbar. I have his Delhi Durbar medal to this day which I treasure. He died in 1965 when I was 20 so I remember him very well.
