More about David Taylor

David Taylor was born in London and was married to Mrs May Taylor, 11 Langton Street, Kings Cross, London. He is listed in the Dundee City Roll of Honour. He worked as a Labourer until joining the Royal Navy as a Boy Second Class in 1911. After initial training at HMS Ganges in Suffolk he went to sea in a number of ships and, in 1913, he qualified as an Able Seaman whilst serving onboard the battleship HMS King George V. On the outbreak of war he was in Portsmouth in the base ship HMS Vernon and was drafted to the battleship HMS Benbow until November 1915. He spent a few weeks in the Naval Barracks in Portsmouth before joining the Armoured Cruiser HMS Black Prince in January 1916. David Taylor was killed in action during the Battle of Jutland. HMS Black Prince was part of the screening force ahead of the Grand Fleet and, in the poor light, lost contact with the rest of the Fleet about 6pm. During the next few hours she came into contact with German ships but, in the darkness, crossed the path of a squadron of German battleships attempting to escape from the Grand Fleet. Black Prince opened fire but was sunk in 15 minutes after a one sided fight. 857 men were lost and there were no survivors. David Taylor is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common in Hampshire and in the Clepington Church.

MS Black Prince participated in the Battle of Jutland, but her end was a mystery for many years, as she had lost contact with the British fleet. The German account reads that HMS Black Prince briefly engaged the German battleship, Reineland at about 23:35 GMT, scoring two hits with 6-inch shells.

HMS Black Prince then approached the German lines and she turned away from the German battleships, but it was too late. The German battleship Thuringen fixed the Black Prince in her searchlights and opened fire.

Up to five other German ships, including battleships Nassau, Ostfriesland and Friedrich Der Grosse joined. Black Prince was hit by at least twelve heavy shells and several smaller ones and sank within 15 minutes with no survivors of her 857 complement.