Commander Edward Bingham, RN, (1881–1939) saw notable service at sea during the early years of the war aboard battlecruiser HMS Invincible at Heligoland Bight and the Falklands. The third son of Lord Clanmorris, Edward Bingham was born in Bangor Castle, County Down, Ireland. Educated at Arnold House and aboard training ship HMS Britannia, he entered the Royal Navy in 1895.
Promoted for his service, he commanded a destroyer flotilla at Jutland where he ordered a daring attack in the night action. He was taken prisoner when his own ship, HMS Nestor, was sunk. Bingham's leadership and anticipation enabled the crew to prepare to abandon ship. As a result, 75 men from the Nestor were rescued by German torpedo boats. He was held as a prisoner of war at the notorious Holzminden prisoner of war camp.
Bingham held a number of naval commands and prestigious staff positions after the Armistice, until his retirement as a rear admiral in 1932. His Victoria Cross is on display at the North Downs Museum in Bangor Castle (shown above).
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| A Sister Ship of the Same Class as HMS Nestor |
He was decorated with the Victoria Cross by King George V on 13 December 1918 at Buckingham Palace. The citation reads:
For the extremely gallant way in which he led his division in their attack, first on enemy destroyers and then on their battle cruisers. He finally sighted the enemy battle-fleet, and, followed by the one remaining destroyer of his division (“Nicator”), with dauntless courage he closed within 3,000 yards of the enemy in order to attain a favourable position for firing the torpedoes. While making this attack, “Nestor” and “Nicator” were under concentrated fire from the secondary batteries of the High Sea Fleet. “Nestor” was subsequently sunk.
Sources: VC & GC Association; Wikipedia
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