Richard Pulleyne, reading, in Wardroom of HMS E34 (Image: Imperial War Museum)

Richard Pulleyne was born in Headingley, Leeds on 26 February 1889 to Benjamin Colet Pulleyne and Susanna Pulleyne. He joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet. After time in HMS IMPLACABLE, HMS NEW ZEALAND and HMS VENERABLE, he joined submarines in August 1911.

He was promoted Lieutenant in October 1911 and was appointed to HMS B2 in November 1911. He was the only survivor of the sinking of HMS B2 (q.v.) on 4 October 1912 in a collision with the SS AMERIKA in the Dover Straits. His next appointment was to HMS C38 in Hong Kong in March 1913. Pulleyne’s next appointment was in command of HMS A8 in May 1915, back in Britain. This was followed by command of C6 and then of E34 in March 1917, for action in which Pulleyne was awarded the DSO, his citation reading:

“Torpedoed and sank an enemy submarine on the 10th of May 1918. Their Lordships consider that this action reflects great credit on Lieut. Pulleyne and his ship’s company, showing that they were in a state of immediate readiness to dive and fire the torpedoes and kept a better lookout than the enemy.”

Later, E34 sailed from Harwich on the morning of 14 July 1918, with orders to lay a minefield off Vlieland. On or about 20 July 1918, the submarine was lost. No reason has been discovered for her loss, but it is possible that she was mined. There were no survivors.

Following the loss of E34, the body of Richard Pulleyne was washed ashore on the West Frisian Islands. He is buried in the Noordwijk General Cemetery, Zuid Holland, Netherlands in Grave No. C47.