Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Portsmouth Naval Memorial | 11 Hampshire | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.124 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 34C GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | Cross of St George | ||
Family :
Son of the late Col. Halahan (MO of the 5th Bn. Royal Fusiliers); husband of Gwladwys Mabel Davenport (formerly Halahan), of Stubbington, Hants.Robert was born on April 5th 1885, the youngest of six sons all of whom would go on to become Alleynians.
Education & Career :
Robert’s time at Dulwich started at the beginning of 1897, and lasted just over three years, before he left in the spring of 1900 to become a cadet in the Royal Navy.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: HM Submarine E18 |
"HMS E18 2 June 1916 Lost in Baltic (unknown cause) A torpedo attack by HMS E18 on 26th May resulted in the bows of the Destroyer V100 being blown off. Even though severely damaged the destroyer managed to limp back to port. E18 was sighted by a German aircraft off Memel on 28th May, and then by UB30 off Steinort on 1st June 1916. She was probably mined on or about 2nd June 1916 on route to Reval. The sighting was verified by German sources, namely the UB30 log book and the German naval history of war in the Baltic. Mike: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11326&hl=Submarine+E18 I received the following e-mail from CWGC last Friday (19th): ""Thank you for your e mail of 24 March 2004 regarding the following: Casualty: Lieut-Commander ROBERT CROSBY HALAHAN Served With: H.M. S/M ""E18"" Royal Navy Died: 11th June 1916 Commemorated: PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL Hampshire United Kingdom 11. Additional Information: Son of the late Col. Halahan (5th Bn. Royal Fusiliers); husband of Gwladwys Mabel Davenport (formerly Halahan), of Stubbington, Hants. I would explain that our records are based on information provided to the Commission after the war by the relevant Service Authorities, and as such we were avised of the date of death as seen above. As a point of interest, we record a further 20 casualties who were serving on the H.M. S/M ""E18"", all for whom the date of death of 11th June 1916 is recorded. I hope that the above information is useful. Yours sincerely, Julie Somay (Mrs) Enquiries Section"" So, it appears the Royal Navy decided upon the 11th June 1916 as the official day the E18 was lost. I e-mailed the RN Submarine Museum and asked when the sub was lost, their reply, received this morining was: ""Thank you for your e mail. As far as I am aware the submarine HMS E18 was lost on 24th May 1916 in the Baltic. I quote: ""On 23 May Lt Cdr Robert Halahan fired a torpedo which found the destroyer V100. The result was that the destroyer's bow was blown clean away; nevertheless, good seamanship enabled her to limp back to harbour. The next day E18 was lost without trace"". It is presumed that she was lost to a mine. Yours sincerely, George Malcolmson Archivist"" " |
| Action : Naval Campaign |
Naval Campaign is defined as to include all sea operations where attrition rates are in ones and twos and which do not fall within specific naval battles such as Jutland, Coronel, Falklands etc. This includes Merchant Navy losses.
Upon the outbreak of war, Robert was posted to Barrow, where the vessel he was to command was still being built. Upon its completion he was involved in the testing of wireless telegraphy at Christmas 1914, before, the following September, being transferred to the Baltic. Here he was placed in command of submarine E18, with many of its subsequent actions still being hidden in a shroud of secrecy.
She was lost at sea sometime in late May or early June, although the date was officially recorded for naval purposes as June 12th, with Lieutenant-Commander Halahan and his crew later being singled out for commendation by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, who took the highly unusual step of awarding Halahan the Russian Order of St. George posthumously. His elder brother, Henry, would later die during the raid on Zeebrugge in April 1918.
Detail :
Lieutenant Commander Robert Crosbie Halahan, RN, is commemorated on the Roll of Honour of Christ Church, in Cheltenham. He joined the RN in September 1901 and became a submariner after training between 1906 and 1909. It appears that he qualified as a pilot on 24th December 1913 in a Bristol aircraft, certificate number 718 issued at Salisbury Plain. He lost his life along with all hands of HM Submarine E18 when it was lost in the Baltic in June 1916, although the exact date is unknown. As well as working at the very extremes of technology in the air and under water he sounds quite a character. In the book 'Forgotten Flotilla' Lt Ashmore described how Lt Cdr Robert Halahan took E18 to the surface of the Ems River so he could go to the toilet. In the middle of this a German airship spotted her, E18 was able to crash dive to the bottom but in the shallow water she was easily visible from the airship. E18 was then subjected to 12 bombs being dropped around her; no damage was caused to her. Unfortunately Ashmore hasn't dated this action, E18 arrived in Harwich on the 27-6-1915 and departed for the Baltic on the 28-8-1915. So this action happed in this period, more likely in early to mid August 1915. HMS E18 was probably lost on 2 June 1916 in the Baltic to an unknown cause. Halahan's official date of death reflects the date when it was confirmed. Correspondence from the CWGC confirms that "I would explain that our records are based on information provided to the Commission after the war by the relevant Service Authorities, and as such we were advised of the date of death as seen above. As a point of interest, we record a further 20 casualties who were serving on the H.M. S/M E18, all for whom the date of death of 11th June 1916 is recorded". A torpedo attack by HMS E18 on 26th May 1916 resulted in the bows of the German Destroyer V100 being blown off. Even though severely damaged the destroyer managed to limp back to port. E18 was sighted by a German aircraft off Memel on 28th May, and then by UB30 off Steinort on 1st June 1916. She was probably mined on or about 2nd June 1916 on route to Reval. The sighting was verified by German sources, namely the UB30 log book and the German naval history of war in the Baltic. In his book Baltic Assignment (p141), Wilson indicates The Tsar sent Cromie a letter of sympathy for the loss of the Submarine, awarded Halahan the Cross of St George, the other two Officers the Order of St Vladimir and a Medal for each of the Crew.
For more detail on Submarine E18: The Crew HMSE18 from which the portrait photo and picture of the crew can be found.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Bramston Beach No. 2101 E.C. | Surrey |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
29th January 1909 | 25th February 1909 | 25th March 1909 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley