More about John Jagger

On 30 December 1915, Natal was lying in the Cromarty Firth with her squadron, under the command of Captain Eric Back. The captain was hosting a film party aboard and had invited the wives and children of his officers, one civilian friend and his family, and nurses from the nearby hospital ship Drina to attend. A total of seven women, one civilian male, and three children were in attendance that afternoon.

Shortly after 15:25, and without warning, a series of violent explosions tore through the rear part of the ship. She capsized five minutes later.Some thought that she had been torpedoed by a German U-Boat or detonated a submarine-laid mine, but examination of the wreckage revealed that the explosions were internal. The divers sent to investigate the ship reported that the explosions began in either the rear 9.2-inch shellroom or the 3-pounder and small arms magazine. The Admiralty court-martial into the causes of her loss concluded that it was caused by an internal ammunition explosion, possibly due to faulty cordite. The Admiralty issued a revised list of the dead and missing that totaled 390 in January 1916, but did not list the women and children on board that day. Losses are listed from 390 to 421.

With her hull still visible at low water, it was Royal Navy practice on entering and leaving Cromarty right up to World War II for every warship to sound “Still”, and for officers and men to come to attention as they passed the wreck. After numerous attempts, much of the ship was salvaged. The remainder was blown up in the 1970s to level the wreck so that it would not be a hazard to navigation.

John Jagger   347869   Petty Officer Royal Navy

H.M.S. NATAL DISASTER.

PETTY-OFFICER KILLED IN EXPLOSION.

Petty-Officer John Jagger, grandson of Mrs Jagger, 93 Keptie Street, has lost his life as the result of the sinking of H.M.S. Natal, which was destroyed in harbour last Thursday afternoon, by an internal explosion.  He was born in Dundee 27 years ago, and is unmarried.  His father resides at Mardevale, London, but deceased has resided with Mrs Jagger since infancy.  He was educated at the High School, and when 18 years of age joined the Navy, and has been in the service ever since, being three years on the Natal.  He was a popular, highly-respected and gentlemanly young navyman, and much sympathy will be extended to his relatives.

Another member of the crew, Chief-Stoker Charles Dougan, claims Arbroath as his native town.  He was more fortunate than his esteemed comrade, for at the time of the explosion he and several of the officers and men were on shore engaged in a football match.  A rather pathetic circumstance is that Petty-Officer Jagger had also a day off, but instead of going ashore along with his shipmates preferred to spend his spare hours in rest, and he was in his bunk when the explosion occurred.

It was Chief-Stoker Dougan who conveyed the sad news to Mrs Jagger on Tuesday when he arrived in Arbroath on a few days holiday.  He had also been on the Natal for about three years, and previous to joining the Navy resided with the late Wm. Forbes, caretaker at the Public Library, Academy Street, and lately since coming home on holiday has stayed with Mrs Jagger.

The Press Bureau announce that 400 of the crew were saved.  The Natal was a cruiser of the Warrior class (1904) with a displacement of 13,550 tons, and her complement of men was 704.  She had a speed of 23 knots.

Arbroath Herald 7th January 1916

John Jagger was the son of Mr Peter Jagger and Mrs Elizabeth Jagger of Dundee and 93 Keptie Street, Arbroath. He joined the Royal Navy as a Cook’s Mate in August 1907 and, after training at HMS Ganges in Ipswich, Suffolk, joined the cruiser HMS Pathfinder in 1908. He spent three years in this ship leaving in 1911 to serve ashore in HMS Ganges and the Naval Barracks at Chatham in Kent. In September 1912 he was drafted to the armoured cruiser HMS Natal. At the outbreak of war, she joined the Grand Fleet and in January 1915 was refitted at Invergordon. The Natal spent much of 1915 uneventfully patrolling the North Sea until she began a brief refit at the Birkenhead shipyard of Cammell Laird on 22 November. On 5 December the ship rejoined the 2nd Cruiser Squadron at Scapa Flow and the squadron sailed to the anchorage at Invergordon on the Cromarty Firth. HMS Natal blew up at anchor in Cromarty Firth with the great loss of over 390 lives including visiting civilians. John Jagger is commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial in Kent. The wreck of the Natal was broken up over the years.

Iain Stewart and Iain Birnie