More about George Insch

George has no known grave but is remembered on the Plymouth Naval Memorial. He was a Royal Marine serving aboard H.M.S. Goliath which was one of the six Canopus-class pre-dreadnought battleships built by the Royal Navy in the late 19th century. Commissioned in 1900, she served in the Far East on the China Station until 1905, at which time she joined the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1906, she was attached to the Channel Fleet. Having been mothballed prior to the outbreak of the First World War, she was returned to full commission.

Goliath took part in operations against German East Africa, participating in the blockade of the German light cruiser SMS Königsberg in the Rufiji River. From March 1915, she was part of the Dardanelles Campaign, and remained in support of the landings at Gallipoli in April. On 13 May 1915 Goliath was sunk in Morto Bay off Cape Helles by two torpedoes from the Turkish torpedo boat destroyer Muâvenet-i Millîye, which was manned by a combined German and Turkish crew, drowning 570 of her 700 crew members, including her captain, Thomas Lawrie Shelford.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

George Insch was the son of Mrs Jessie Jamieson (formerly Insch)of 34 Russell Street, Dundee and was born in Peterhead. When he joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry in 1906 he had been working as an Agricultural Labourer. After initial training at Deal in Kent he was drafted to Plymouth Royal Marine Barracks. Before the war he had served in HM Ships Niobe, Suffolk, Sutlej, Gossamer, Prince George, Roxburgh and Hannibal. He was drafted to the pre dreadnought battleship HMS Goliath in July 1914. His ship was sunk in the Dardanelles by the Turkish Torpedo Boat, Muâvenet-i Millîye, manned by a mixed Turkish and German crew. 570 British sailors were lost and 130 saved. George Insch is named on the Plymouth Naval Memorial in Devon.