Cornwall In The First World War

During this month, each weekday I'm posting an image showing Cornwall's First World War.

Cornwall's easternmost naval base was HMS Defiance, situated at Wearde Quay on the River Lynher. Wearde Quay received occasional British submarines, from the old A Class to the somewhat less dangerous D Class, the surface-power engines of which ran on diesel rather than petrol.   

Over 1917 and 1918 His Majesty’s Australian Ship Platypus also appeared on the Lynher. Platypus was a submarine depot vessel used to store equipment, weapons and provisions for the undersea craft, which were too small to carry much themselves. By then though she was redundant in her original role; both Australia’s submarines had been lost.

Here, Platypus is at anchor with submarine D.3 alongside. On 12 March 1918 D3 was sunk with all 29 hands by a French airship which mistook her for a German U-boat.

My book, 'Cornwall In The First World War', is published by Truran. With 112 pages and 100 images, you'll find it in bookshops across the Duchy. It's also available through Amazon: http://amzn.to/19JbtZm