A Future King's Letters from Jutland

On 31 May and 1 June 1916, British and German naval forces met off the coast of Denmark, in what was to be the largest naval battle of the First World War, with heavy losses on both sides. Among those serving in the British Fleet was King George V's second son, Prince Albert, the future King George VI (1895–1952).

The prince had been enrolled in the Royal Naval College at Osborne House at the age of 13. In September 1913, he was commissioned as a midshipman on the battleship HMS Collingwood  (4th Battle Squadron, Grand Fleet), and he was serving on this ship  as a sub-lieutenant during the fighting at Jutland, as he described in a letter sent to a Captain Faussett (equerry to his father,  King George V). King George VI is the only British sovereign to have seen action in battle since William IV.

HMS Collingwood

Here are some key excerpts from the letter, which Prince Albert titled: "Account of the Naval Action, Wednesday, May 31st 1916."

The Grand Fleet went to sea on Tuesday evening the 30th and steamed in an easterly direction towards the Skaggerak. . . We went to “Action Stations” at 4.30 p.m. and saw the Battle Cruisers in action ahead of us on the starboard bow. Some of the other cruisers were firing on the port bow. As we came up the “Lion” leading our Battle Cruisers, appeared to be on fire the port side of the forecastle, but it was not serious.

. . . As far as one could see only 2 German Battle Squadrons and all their Battle Cruisers were out. The Colossus leading the 6th division with the Collingwood her next astern were nearest the enemy. The whole Fleet deployed at 5.0 and opened out. We opened fire at 5.37 p.m. on some German light cruisers. The Collingwood’s second salvo hit one of them which set her on fire, and sank after two more salvoes were fired into her …

I was in A turret and watched most of the action through one of the trainers telescopes, as we were firing by Director, when the turret is trained in the working chamber and not in the gun house. At the commencement I was sitting on the top of A turret and had a very good view of the proceedings. I was up there during a lull, when a German ship started firing at us, and one salvo “straddled” us. We at once returned the fire. I was distinctly startled and jumped down the hole in the top of the turret like a shot rabbit!! I didn’t try the experience again …we had torpedoes fired at us which we got out of the way of luckily.

Depiction of the Battle (detail) at the Royal Navy
Museum, Portsmouth

. . . My impressions were very different from what I expected.  I saw visions of the masts going over the side and funnels hurtling through the air, etc.  In reality, none of these thinks happened and we are still quite sound as before. No one would know to look at the ship that we had been in action.  It was certainly a great experience to have been through and is shows that we are at war and that the Germans can fight if they like.

A more personal accompanying letter of 11 June addressed to Captain Faussett's wife contained this revealing comment.

I am quite all right and feel very different now that I have seen a German ship filled with Germans and have seen it fired at with our guns. It was a great experience to have gone through and one not easily forgotten. How and why we were not hit or damaged beats me, as we were being fired at a good part of the time. The ship ahead of us was hit but it did not do any damage. We had torpedoes fired at us which we got out of the way of luckily. It seems to have resulted in a victory for us, often all the news which is coming from Germany. The Germans must have  suffered very severely as our ships were hitting very nearly all the time.

The Future King Wearing His Service Ribbons

A handwritten, but legible, copy of the full letter to his brother, the Prince of Wales, can be found HERE.

The full letter to Mrs. Faussett can be found HERE.

Sources:  Website of the Royal Family; BBC, Royal Archives