Philip Ernest Forrest

Able Seaman Philip Ernest Forrest – Royal Navy, HMS Paxton

Early Life

Philip Ernest Forrest was born in 1898 in Camberwell, Surrey, the son of Ernest Forrest, a journalist, and Ellen Moss.

1901 Census

By the 1901 Census, the family was living at 3 Church Parks Place, Sketty. Ernest, aged 41 and born in Camberwell, was working as a journalist, while Ellen, 28, came from Herefordshire. Their children were Philip (3), Muriel K. (2), born in Fulham, Middlesex, and Amabel Iris (1), born in Gower.

Swansea Prison - Records

Family life soon broke down. In 1908, Ernest, then 48, was convicted of neglecting to maintain his wife and children and was sentenced to prison.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had separated. Ernest, aged 52, was living in Cardiff, listed as a journalist but lodging on Neill Road. 

1911 Census

Ellen, aged 38, was working as a domestic cook at Nutcombe, Sketty, her birthplace now recorded as Shoreditch, Middlesex. 

1911 Census

The children were placed in institutional care: Philip (14) and his siblings Muriel (12), Amabel (11), Menta (9), and Blodwen (8) were recorded as scholars at the Cottage Homes, Cockett, which housed children from struggling families.

Military Service

On 1^st January 1913, aged just 15, Philip enlisted in the Royal Navy. He began his service as a Boy Class II aboard HMS Impregnable, a training ship.

Royal Navy’s Registers of Seamen’s Service 

The Royal Navy’s Registers of Seamen’s Service chart his steady progress. By 1^st May 1917, he had achieved the rank of Able Seaman and was serving aboard HMS Paxton, a Q-ship disguised as a merchant vessel. These decoy ships carried hidden weaponry and played a dangerous game: luring German U-boats into attacking, only to reveal their guns and fight back.

Death

On 20^th May 1917, HMS Paxton was on patrol in the Atlantic when she was approached and shelled by a surfaced German submarine. Paxton returned fire with her concealed stern gun, forcing the enemy to submerge. To maintain her disguise, the crew painted the ship’s sides with the name of a neutral Swedish vessel before continuing her course.

That evening, at about 7:15 p.m., the German submarine U-46 struck Paxton with a torpedo. The blast disabled her engines and killed at least two crew, including the chief engineer. Fifteen minutes later, a second torpedo hit, breaking the ship’s back. Paxton sank rapidly, disappearing beneath the waves within five minutes.

The crew abandoned ship in boats and rafts, but Paxton had been unable to send a distress call. Survivors drifted for hours before some were rescued in the days that followed. A handful of officers, including the ship’s commander, were taken prisoner by the U-boat.

Among those killed in the sinking was Able Seaman Philip Ernest Forrest, aged only 19. His body was never recovered.

Burial

Philip Ernest Forrest
Portsmouth Naval Memorial
credit - findagrave

British Army and Navy
Births, Marriage and Deaths Records

With no known grave, Philip is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, which bears the names of thousands of Royal Navy sailors who lost their lives at sea during the First World War.

Legacy

Philip’s story is one of hardship, resilience, and sacrifice. From a disrupted childhood in Sketty to service in one of the most perilous branches of the Royal Navy, he displayed courage far beyond his years. His name is remembered on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial and on the St Paul’s Church war memorial in Sketty, ensuring that he is honoured both nationally and within the community that once sheltered him and his siblings.