Lt. Cdr. John Borrett, HMS Invincible
To the glory of God
And in affectionate remembrance of
JOHN CYRIL FITZROBERT BORRETT, R.N.
Lieut-Commander H.M.S. "Invincible"
youngest Son of
Major General H.C. BORRETT. C.B.
born 13th. April 1883,
Killed in action at the Battle of Jutland,
31st. May 1916
John Cyril Fitzrobert Borrett was born on 13th. April 1883 at Preston in Lancashire, the youngest son of Major General Herbert Charles Borrett CB (1841 - 1917), King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, and Charlotte Anne Borrett, nee Bennett (1849 - 1931), of Lancaster Lodge, Reading, Berkshire.
Brother of Ann Laura (b. 1868), Herbert Percy (b. 1869), Charles Tuthill (b. 1871), Cecil Arthur (b. 1872), Thomas Lionel (b. 1873), Gertrude Holmes (B. 1876), Oswald Cuthbert (b. 1878), Harold Giles (b. 1881) and Constance Ivy Eleanor (b. 1886)
John Borrett was one of 61 candidates who were accepted for Naval Cadetships in the January 1898 intake term at H.M.S. Britannia. Following competitive examinations he obtained a scores of 1,892 marks, placing him 30th. of 61.
Between March 1912 and 15th. January 1914, he was in command of HMS Widgeon, a river gunboat that served on the China Station.
Borrett was appointed to the battlecruiser HMS Invincible on 2nd. August 1914.
HMS Invincible was the lead ship of her class of three battlecruisers built for the Royal Navy during the first decade of the 20th. century and the first battlecruiser to be built by any country in the world. During the First World War, she participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight in a minor role, as she was the oldest and slowest of the British battlecruisers present. During the Battle of the Falkland Islands, Invincible and her sister ship Inflexible sank the armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau almost without loss to themselves, despite numerous hits by the German ships.
On 31st. May 1916 she was Rear-Admiral Horace Hood's flagship of the 3rd. Battlecruiser Squadron during the Battle of Jutland.
At 18:21 Invincible turned south, the German Admiral Franz von Hipper's battlecruisers Lützow, Derfflinger and Seydlitz were 9,000 yards (8.2 km) away and Invincible, and her sister ships, Inflexible and Indomitable, almost immediately opened fire. Indomitable hit Derfflinger three times and Seydlitz once, while Lützow quickly took 10 hits from the battlecruiser HMS Lion, Inflexible and Invincible, including two hits below the waterline by Invincible that would ultimately doom her.
At 18:30 Invincible abruptly appeared as a clear target before Lützow and Derfflinger. The two German ships then fired three salvoes each at Invincible and sank her in 90 seconds. At least one 305 mm (12 in.) shell from the third salvo struck her midships 'Q' turret. The shell penetrated the front of 'Q' turret, blew off the roof and detonated the midships magazines, which blew Invincible in half. The explosion possibly ignited 'A' and 'X' magazines. Of her complement of 1,031 officers and men, 1,026 were killed, including Rear-Admiral Hood. The six survivors were picked up by the destroyer HMS Badger. Five of the six were stationed in the fore control top located on the tripod foremast.
Invincible sank in 180 ft. (55 m) of water in position 57°02′40″N 06°07′15″E.
John died on Wednesday 31st. May 1916, aged 33. He has no known grave and he is commemorated on Panel 11 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Portsmouth, Hampshire.
This memorial is in St. Peter's Church at Cransford, Suffolk.
Lt. Cdr. John Borrett, HMS Invincible
To the glory of God
And in affectionate remembrance of
JOHN CYRIL FITZROBERT BORRETT, R.N.
Lieut-Commander H.M.S. "Invincible"
youngest Son of
Major General H.C. BORRETT. C.B.
born 13th. April 1883,
Killed in action at the Battle of Jutland,
31st. May 1916
John Cyril Fitzrobert Borrett was born on 13th. April 1883 at Preston in Lancashire, the youngest son of Major General Herbert Charles Borrett CB (1841 - 1917), King's Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, and Charlotte Anne Borrett, nee Bennett (1849 - 1931), of Lancaster Lodge, Reading, Berkshire.
Brother of Ann Laura (b. 1868), Herbert Percy (b. 1869), Charles Tuthill (b. 1871), Cecil Arthur (b. 1872), Thomas Lionel (b. 1873), Gertrude Holmes (B. 1876), Oswald Cuthbert (b. 1878), Harold Giles (b. 1881) and Constance Ivy Eleanor (b. 1886)
John Borrett was one of 61 candidates who were accepted for Naval Cadetships in the January 1898 intake term at H.M.S. Britannia. Following competitive examinations he obtained a scores of 1,892 marks, placing him 30th. of 61.
Between March 1912 and 15th. January 1914, he was in command of HMS Widgeon, a river gunboat that served on the China Station.
Borrett was appointed to the battlecruiser HMS Invincible on 2nd. August 1914.
HMS Invincible was the lead ship of her class of three battlecruisers built for the Royal Navy during the first decade of the 20th. century and the first battlecruiser to be built by any country in the world. During the First World War, she participated in the Battle of Heligoland Bight in a minor role, as she was the oldest and slowest of the British battlecruisers present. During the Battle of the Falkland Islands, Invincible and her sister ship Inflexible sank the armoured cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau almost without loss to themselves, despite numerous hits by the German ships.
On 31st. May 1916 she was Rear-Admiral Horace Hood's flagship of the 3rd. Battlecruiser Squadron during the Battle of Jutland.
At 18:21 Invincible turned south, the German Admiral Franz von Hipper's battlecruisers Lützow, Derfflinger and Seydlitz were 9,000 yards (8.2 km) away and Invincible, and her sister ships, Inflexible and Indomitable, almost immediately opened fire. Indomitable hit Derfflinger three times and Seydlitz once, while Lützow quickly took 10 hits from the battlecruiser HMS Lion, Inflexible and Invincible, including two hits below the waterline by Invincible that would ultimately doom her.
At 18:30 Invincible abruptly appeared as a clear target before Lützow and Derfflinger. The two German ships then fired three salvoes each at Invincible and sank her in 90 seconds. At least one 305 mm (12 in.) shell from the third salvo struck her midships 'Q' turret. The shell penetrated the front of 'Q' turret, blew off the roof and detonated the midships magazines, which blew Invincible in half. The explosion possibly ignited 'A' and 'X' magazines. Of her complement of 1,031 officers and men, 1,026 were killed, including Rear-Admiral Hood. The six survivors were picked up by the destroyer HMS Badger. Five of the six were stationed in the fore control top located on the tripod foremast.
Invincible sank in 180 ft. (55 m) of water in position 57°02′40″N 06°07′15″E.
John died on Wednesday 31st. May 1916, aged 33. He has no known grave and he is commemorated on Panel 11 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, Portsmouth, Hampshire.
This memorial is in St. Peter's Church at Cransford, Suffolk.