Under the command of Captain H J Savill and with a crew of 650 men HMS Hampshire was a coal burning, 10,850 ton cruiser of the Devonshire class built in 1905.

Shortly after the Battle of Jutland in June 1916 Hampshire was detailed to take Lord Kitchener, his staff and a number of government officials from the anchorage of Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands to Northern Russia where discussions were to take place on the subject of the Russian purchase of munitions for their war effort against Germany.

Field Marshal Lord Horatio Kitchener, the hero of the relief of Khartoum, former Commander in Chief of India and Secretary of State for War was a popular national figure who had by sheer force of his personality, and his famous recruiting poster, raised from volunteers the so called New Armies, otherwise known as Kitchener’s Army, at the outbreak of war in 1914.

On 5^th June 1916 the Hampshire and her escorting ships set sail from Scapa. There was a very strong northeasterly gale blowing. Instead of taking the easterly route the ships took the westerly route around the islands. But even in the shelter of the land the escorts could not keep up and they were forced to turn back and the Hampshire went on alone. Apparently as a result of a failure to communicate intelligence information Captain Savill was not aware that the area around Marwick Head had been mined by Lieutenant Commander Kurt Beitzen of the Submarine U75 in May and that the channel had not been swept.

At about 8pm the Hampshire struck a mine, some say it was two mines chained together, electrical power failed and the ship’s company were unable to launch the boats. Men took to the freezing, stormy water clinging to Carley Floats and the Hampshire sank in fifteen minutes. Kitchener was last seen on the deck talking with members of his staff. His body was never found.

There were twelve survivors of the Hampshire all of whom, after at least an hour in the water, managed to reach the storm torn, rocky shore clinging to Carley Floats. Amongst them was Stoker W C Farnden, Petty Officer W Wesson and Leading Seaman W Cashman. The dead included Kitchener’s interpreter Second Lieutenant Robert David MacPherson of the 8^th Battalion Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders.

Through the storm the dramatic events were seen from the shore and the Postmistress at Birsay informed Naval HQ in Kirkwall by telegraph. However, in spite of the pleadings of the crew the Stromness Lifeboat was not given clearance to launch and the local people alleged that they were not told of the events so that they could go to the cliffs and help bring the exhausted survivors ashore. Indeed it was even said that they were hindered by the Naval Authorities from assisting in any way and by the time that the sea search got underway all but twelve of the crew were dead.

The Kitchener Memorial Tower stands on Marwick Head and the Field Marshal is remembered by The Lord Kitchener National Memorial Fund raised by popular appeal to fund Kitchener University Scholarships originally intended to fund the education of young soldiers returning from the war.