Harold Douglas Randall, a Baker from Portsmouth, was born on 16 March 1893. He attested for the Royal Navy on 12 October 1911 and saw service during the Great War, first in H.M.S. Neptune and H.M.S. Inconstant, before later service in H.M.S. Opal in which he was present at the Battle of Jutland.
Advanced Leading Cook’s Mate on 15 October 1916, he died on 12 January 1918 when H.M.S. Opal ran aground in weather so atrocious that no vessels could be despatched until the following morning. It was two days before Opal was found, battered, broken and empty off the east coast of South Ronaldsay, Orkney Islands.
The sole survivor was later located on a small islet, and he related that the ship, together with H.M.S. Narborough, which sank with the loss of all hands, had been sailing a regular slow course making frequent soundings and radio reports, but had suddenly crashed headlong into rocks, probably due to a navigation error.
Both wrecks were abandoned and broken up by the sea over the next few weeks taking the bodies of both crews, bar the single survivor, with them.
Randall has no known grave and is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.
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