Ira Sidney Berry

Gunner Ira Sidney Berry – Royal Marine Artillery, H.M.S. Good Hope

Early Life

The next name on the memorial is inscribed as Ivor S. Berry, though this appears to be an error. It should correctly read Ira Sidney Berry.

Ira was born in 1883 at Parracombe, Devon, the son of Thomas Berry and Martha Jane Down, who married there in 1877.

1891 Census

The 1891 Census records the family living at Voley, Parracombe. Thomas, aged 44, was a farmer, while Martha was 34. Their children were Frederick (12), Anne (10), Sydney (Ira) (8), and William H. (7 months). Also present in the household were three farm servants—John Popham (22), George Somerwill (15), and Emma J. Berry (15)—as well as Thomas’s mother, Sally Berry (74), a widow described as “Living on her Means.”

1901 Census

By 1901, the family was living at East Middleton Cottage, Parracombe. Thomas, then 53, was working as a plate layer, while Martha was 43. Their children included Ira Sidney (recorded as Fred Sidney), 18, also a plate layer, alongside William H. (10), Alfred J. (7), and Edith S. (4).

Thomas Berry died in 1909 and was buried at St Petrock’s Churchyard, Parracombe.

1911 Census

The 1911 Census shows Martha, now widowed, living at 12 Garden Street, Swansea, with three of her children. Ira (recorded as Harry S.), 27, and William H., 21, were both employed as carmen, while Edith (15) was still at home.

Military Service

H.M.S. Good Hope

During the First World War, Ira Sidney Berry enlisted in the Royal Marine Artillery as a Gunner. He was assigned to the armoured cruiser H.M.S. Good Hope.

Launched in 1901, Good Hope was the first of the Drake-class cruisers. At over 14,000 tons and capable of speeds up to 23 knots, she was heavily armed with two 9.2-inch guns, sixteen 6-inch guns, and a battery of smaller quick-firing weapons. Originally intended as a powerful cruiser for service across the Empire, by 1914, she was somewhat outdated compared to modern German warships but remained a key part of Britain’s global naval presence.

At the outbreak of war, Good Hope became the flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher Cradock’s West Indies Squadron, tasked with hunting down the powerful German East Asia Squadron, commanded by Admiral Maximilian von Spee.

In late October 1914, Cradock’s squadron, consisting of Good Hope, Monmouth, Glasgow, and the auxiliary cruiser Otranto, moved to intercept von Spee’s force off the coast of South America.

Death

On 1^st November 1914, the two squadrons clashed in the Battle of Coronel, off the coast of Chile. Outranged and outgunned by the modern German cruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, the British squadron was overwhelmed.

British Army and Navy Brith, Marriage and Death Records 

H.M.S. Good Hope was struck repeatedly, and a massive explosion was seen when her forward magazine was hit. The ship sank with all 919 officers and men on board — there were no survivors. Among those who perished were 100 Royal Marines, including Gunner Ira Sidney Berry, who was 31 years old.

Burial

Ira Sidney Berry
Portsmouth Naval Memorial
credit - findagrave

As the ship went down with her entire crew, Ira has no known grave. His name is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, which honours Royal Navy and Marine personnel lost at sea during the First World War.

Legacy

At the time of his death, Ira’s mother was living at 1A Eversley Road, Sketty. Though misrecorded as Ivor S. Berry on the St. Paul’s Church memorial, his sacrifice is remembered as part of the roll of honour.

The loss of Good Hope and her consorts at the Battle of Coronel was a profound shock to Britain, marking the Royal Navy’s first major defeat in over a century. For Swansea, the name of Gunner Ira Sidney Berry stands as a reminder of the men who served at sea and never returned.