Walter Tom Abbott
Royal Navy
HMS Invincible
Battles & Incidents
Battle of the Falklands
8th December 1914
The Battle of the Falklands in December was the Royal Navy’s revenge for the German victory at the Battle of Coronel, off the coast of Chile, the previous month. On that occasion, German ships commanded by Admiral Graf von Spee sank two British cruisers.
Von Spee’s force, consisting of two cruisers, three light cruisers and three auxiliaries was preparing to attack Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, an important Royal Navy coaling station in the South Atlantic. However, as they approached Port Stanley on 8th December 1914, they discovered that a Royal Navy force of two battlecruisers, three armoured cruisers, two light cruisers and an armed merchant cruiser was in harbour, but with steam up.
The German force attempted to escape, but the British ships gave chase, and all the German ships except one light cruiser and one of the auxiliaries were sunk.
Walter Abbott from Beer was on HMS Invincible at the Battle of the Falklands, while Richard Cawley was on the armed merchant cruiser HMS Macdedonia (see separate entries for both men).