BORN DARLINGTON 17/07/1895. SON OF JOHN WILLIAM & ELIZABETH DOWNS, 165 WOODCOCK STREET, 3 PALM GROVE, EASTBOURNE STREET, HULL, AND THE ABOVE ADDRESS. BROTHER OF ARTHUR & TOM. SISTERS ADA, DORA, ELSIE & LIZZIE DOWNS. HE WORKED AS A RIVETT HEATER FOR A HULL SHIPBUILDER. HE WAS KILLED IN ACTION, AT THE BATTLE OF CORONELL, OFF THE COAST OF CHILI, ON 01/11/1914, AGED 19. COMMEMORATED ON THE PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL.
The Battle of Coronel
HMS Good Hope and HMS Monmouth were sunk by the German fleet (Admiral Graf Maximilian von Spee), superior in both shell range and speed.
Armoured cruisers Gneisenau and Sharnhorst lead the main attacks in the Battle of Coronel, on 1 November 1914, off the Chilean coast.
Monmouth was hit by Gneisenau and was on fire. Nurnberg found her burning and after refusing to surrender, Nurnberg finished her off with 75 shells.
All hands on both cruisers HMS Good Hope (900) and HMS Monmouth (678) were lost. HMS Glasgow and HMS Otranto escaped.
