'The Bugler Boy'

This portrait of Bugler Boy Timmins was unveiled at Napier Road School, Gillingham, on the 14th April 1919 by Admiral Sir Frederick Sturdee who was Commander in Chief of The Nore.

The painting is now in the Maritime Museum at Chatham Dockyard, Kent. Charles Ernest Timmins, Bugler Royal Marine Light Infantry, at age 14 (Born 7th Dec. 1902), served on the C-class light cruiser H.M.S Cardiff which was commissioned in April 1917.

On the 17th of November 1917 HMS Cardiff was involved in a light cruiser action off Heligioland. The 1st Battle Cruiser Squadron and the 1st and 6th Light Cruiser Squadrons approached the outer edge of the quadrant of mines in Heligoland Bight where the German forces were working.

The mission objective was to surprise the enemy, and try and force him into action. The ships bugler Charles Timmins was killed while he was sounding the alert. A piece of shrapnel from a shell blew a hole in Cardiff’s funnel and pierced his bugle.

Over the years the possession of the bugle and Charlie’s medals has alternated between veterans in Cardiff and any RN ship bearing the capital’s name. On March 18 2012 the bugle was presented to HMS Dragon by Cardiff’s Royal Naval Association. HMS Dragon representing Wales as there is no HMS Cardiff at the present time.

Bugler Boy Charlie Timmins became a hero to the local school children at Gillingham.

In 1918, the war had come to a close, and HMS Cardiff had the honour of leading the German High Seas Fleet to the River Forth.

The father of Bugler Charlie Timmins, John Llewellyn Timmins of the Royal Marine Light Infantry, died on the HMS Hogue on 22 September 1914 at age 45.

The armoured cruisers HMS Cressy, HMS Aboukir and HMS Hogue were patrolling an area of the North Sea, just off the Dutch coast.

About 6am the German submarine U9 sighted the cruisers and 25 minutes later HMS Aboukir was sunk by a single torpedo. The other two Cruisers went to pick up survivors as it was thought that the Aboukir had struck a mine. U9 fired another torpedo at HMS Hogue sinking it and next sank HMS Cressy with two torpedos.

1,459 men were lost and 837 were rescued by nearby Dutch merchant ships and British trawlers.

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