PLUCKLEY - Kent Fallen

HOGBEN E
Petty Officer Stoker K/9733 Edwin (Edward) E.G HOGBEN. HMS “HORNET”. Royal Navy.
Died Tuesday 23 rd April 1918 age 25 years. Son of Abraham and Mary J Hogben of Lamden
Road, Pluckley, Ashford, Kent. Formerly 3 Thorne Cottages, Pluckley, Ashford, Kent. Buried in
the Salonika (Lembet Road) Military Cemetery, Thessalonika, Greece. Grave reference 1616.
The local papers stated that Edwin fell on the 21 st April 1918 NOT the 23 rd (as recorded by the
Commonwealth War Graves Commission).
See George SKEER (Lost Men below) Edwin must have known him well… They probably both
died as a consequence of one action.
HMS Hornet was a Acheron class Destroyer completed 20 December 1911. Attached to 1 st
Flotilla from 1911 to 1912 and the Grand Fleet from 1914 to 1916 when it was transferred to the
3 rd Battle Flotilla. HMS Hornet was sold off in 1921.
HMS Hornet was invlolved in rescuing survivers from HMS Argyll in October 1915 -
“ Meanwhile, the two destroyers HMS HORNET and JACKALL appeared out of the gloom and
made every effort to get close to the stricken ARGYLL. After several attempts, HORNET
managed to get her stern close to ARGYLL's, where 500 of her crew had been assembled for
abandoning ship. The rest of the crew took to the lifeboats and rowed clear of their ship”.
“ On mountainous waves, the stern of HORNET rose and fell like an express lift against
ARGYLL's. At times the two ships clashed violently, buckling HORNET's stern plates. There was
a real danger of men being crushed between them, but each time the sterns passed, men made
the jump to HORNET's deck until there were none left aboard ARGYLL”.
The 1901 census gives –
3, Thorne Cottages, Pluckley
Abraham HOGBIN 48 Stockman on Farm Boughton Malerbie
Mary J 48 Ham, Kent
Kate 11 Pluckley
Edwin E.G 9 Pluckley
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