Able Seaman
Frederick George
DENNIS
Royal Navy
29

Frederick Dennis was born at Newton Abbott in Devon on 11 February 1885, the son of Noah and Ann Dennis. On leaving school he was employed as a labourer – at the time of the 1901 Census he was recorded as a labourer in a brick works, living at home with his parents at 56, Osborn Street, Wolborough, Newton Abbott.
He joined the Royal Navy as a Boy 2nd Class at HMS NORTHAMPTON (the Sea Going Training Ship for Boys on the Home Station) on 21 April 1902 signing on for a twelve year Continuous Service engagement starting on 11 February 1903. He was drafted to HMS CLEOPATRA on 1 July 1902 where he was advanced to Boy 1st Class on 21 July 1902. On 26 September 1902 he was drafted to HMS VIVID I at Devonport before joining the cruiser HMS PROMETHEUS on 18 December 1902. Advancement to Ordinary Seaman followed on 11 February 1903. On 11 May 1904 he was drafted to the cruiser HMS THESEUS and advancement to Able Seaman (Torpedoman) followed on 20 September 1904. On 1 December 1904 with the crew of HMS THESEUS he transferred to the cruiser HMS CORNWALL on commissioning at Devonport until 1 January 1907 when he was drafted to HMS DEFIANCE (the Torpedo School) at Devonport. He qualified Seaman Torpedoman on 21 June 1907 re-joining HMS VIVID I on 1 July 1907. His next sea draft was to the gun boat HMS CIRCE. However two weeks later on 23 July 1907 he was drafted to the gun boat HMS SKIPJACK.
Frederick Dennis joined submarines on 2 January 1908 with a draft to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS FORTH ‘for Submarine Training’. At the time of the 1911 Census he was living at 18, York Terrace, Kingsteignton, Devon with his wife Florence Lily (née West), whom he had married in Newton Abbott in the first quarter of 1907, and children Charles (two) and Gwendoline (seven months). On 11 November 1911 Frederick Dennis joined the Submarine Depot Ship HMS VULCAN at the Nore. From 17 January to 21 March 1912 he served in the Submarine Tender HMS HEBE before re-joining HMS VULCAN at Dundee. A third child, Catherine E Dennis, was born in the second quarter of 1912.
A draft to the Submarine Tender HMS ALECTO at Portsmouth followed on 1 January 1913 although this was only for six weeks before he returned to HMS VULCAN on 14 February 1913. He joined HMS DOLPHIN at Gosport on 12 July 1913 and volunteered for service in the Royal Australian Navy when the RAN decided to develop a submarine arm. He was lent to the RAN for three years from 1 December 1913 ‘for service with the Submarine Spare Crew’. Frederick Dennis was then drafted to HMAS PENGUIN ‘for Submarine AE1’ on 28 February 1914. He was serving in AE1 when it was lost from unknown causes off New Britain in the Bismarck Archipelago on 14 September 1914.
Frederick Dennis is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial on Panel 4 and on the War Memorial at Kingsteignton.