On This Day in Wembury — 25 September 1948
Two days after the tragic accident at the Royal Naval Gunnery Range on 23 September, the Western Morning News carried official details of the victims.
Those killed were Petty Officer Victor Cross, 28, of Bristol, and Able Seaman Francis Melville Edworthy, 20, of Filleigh, North Devon. Both died instantly when a cartridge jammed in a 4.5-inch gun exploded during training.
Seven others were seriously injured and taken to the Royal Naval Hospital, Stonehouse:
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Ordinary Seaman D. Montgomery, Aberdeen
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Ordinary Seaman Stabb, Bittaford
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Able Seaman J. Taylor, Swansea
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Able Seaman D. Hughes, Swansea
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Able Seaman L. Main, Plymouth
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Leading Seaman E. Harrison, Portsmouth
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Able Seaman K. Pope, Southsea
The inquest later confirmed the cartridge was being rammed when it detonated, killing Cross and Edworthy instantly and scattering the crew.
The Wembury range and later HMS Cambridge always carried danger alongside their military role. Here the victims’ names and home towns remind us that the tragedy spread grief far beyond Devon, from Scotland to Southsea. In our archive of Wembury’s history, these entries stand not just as naval records, but as markers of ordinary young men caught in the hazards of service.
Source: Western Morning News, 25 September 1948.