John Curzon Swindell

Additional information
1911 Census

A school boy

Son of Frederick Swindell, age 52, a manager at Derby Plaster Co. making Plaster of Paris and estate agent, and Jessie Edith Swindell, age 33, of Weston Road, Aston on Trent, Derbyshire. John was the oldest of 4 children.

Also named on the memorial of Derby School outside St Helens House, King Street, Derby      

John Curzon Swindell was born on 24th April 1898 in Derby and served as a Leading Seaman in the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve during the first world war.

His ship, the SS Greldon is believed to encountered an ememy submarine in the Irish Sea and was subsequently lost.

Derby Daily Telegraph Thursday 1st November 1917

NAVAL GUNNER MISSING

We regret to record that Mr. John C. Swindell, son of the late Mr. Fred Swindell, of Aston-on-Trent, and Mrs. Swindell, now of Little Eaton, who was a gunlayer in the Royal Naval Reserve, is reported by the Admiralty as missing. He was serving as a member of the guns crew on board the steamship Greldon, which sailed from Liverpool, on Oct. 8. This vessel is reported to be considerably overdue, and probably must be regarded as lost, two of it's boats having been washed ashore on the North Welsh coast. Mr. John C. Swindell, who was an Old Derbeian, volunteered for the naval service in June 1916, and subsequently was given an advanced course in gunnery at Chatham, in which he passed with first-class honours. On his last voyage his ship narrowly escaped destruction from an enemy torpedo. He was home on leave but two months ago.