Griffith Hopkins – Mercantile Marine Reserve, H.M.S. Derwent

 Fireman Griffith Hopkins – Mercantile Marine Reserve, H.M.S. Derwent

Early Life and Family Background

Griffith Hopkins was born in 1899 in Swansea, the son of Samuel Hopkins and Sarah Jane Bevan, who married in 1889 in Swansea. He grew up in a working‑class household during a period of great industrial activity, surrounded by the noise of the docks, metalworks, and shipping lanes that defined Swansea’s character at the turn of the century.

1901 Census

According to the 1901 Census, the Hopkins family were living at Neptune Court, Swansea. Samuel, then 31, worked as a Scaler, an important role in the metallurgical industries, while his wife Sarah J., aged 29, managed the home and looked after their children: Edmund G., 11; Benjamin J., 10; Sarah J., 4; and Griffith, then just 1 year old.

1911 Census

By the 1911 Census, the family had moved to 63 Strand, Swansea. Samuel, aged 41, worked as a General Labourer, while Sarah Jane, aged 39, ran the home. Their older sons, Edmund George (21) and Benjamin John (20), were both employed as General Labourers, contributing to the household income. The younger children—Griffith, 12; Catherine Mary, 10; Annie Jane, 7; and Richard Henry, 3—were all attending school. The family lived close to the docks, where the industrial and maritime environment played a significant role in shaping Griffith’s early life.

Service in the Mercantile Marine Reserve

H.M.S. Derwent

As a young man, Griffith Hopkins joined the Mercantile Marine Reserve, serving aboard H.M.S. Derwent as a Fireman. His duties placed him deep in the ship’s boiler rooms—hot, cramped, and dangerous work essential to keeping the vessel operational. Derwent, a River‑class destroyer built by Hawthorn Leslie and launched in 1903, served extensively in escort, anti‑submarine, and counter‑mining duties throughout the First World War.

Loss of H.M.S. Derwent — 2^nd May 1917

During the night of 1^st–2^nd May 1917, the German minelaying submarine UC‑26 laid a fresh field of contact mines off Le Havre, a crucial port for Allied shipping. On the morning of 2^nd May 1917, while carrying out patrol and escort duties in the area, H.M.S. Derwent struck one of these mines and sank rapidly.

H.M.S. Derwent was sunk north of the Le Havre Whistle Buoy. 58 officers and men were lost, with only a small number of survivors.

Death and Commemoration

British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Griffith Hopkins
Plymouth Naval Memorial
credit - findagrave

Griffith Hopkins lost his life on 2^nd May 1917 in the sinking of H.M.S. Derwent. According to the British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, his death was officially recorded as occurring in naval service on this date. As he has no known grave, his name appears on the Plymouth Naval Memorial, honouring those who lost their lives at sea during the First World War. His sacrifice stands as one of many made by the maritime communities of Swansea