Govan Memories
Down with Lord Kitchener
Peter Fisken was born in Liverpool on 14th May 1867. Peter's father returned to Glasgow, the home of his birth, with his family when Peter was a young child and the family settled in Govan.
Peter a Chief Engineer joined the Royal Naval Reserves as a Warrant Engineer in 1905 and was involved in quelling the Singapore Mutiny at the start of the war.
In 1915 Peter joined the armoured cruiser HMS Hampshire. On the 5th June 1916 the HMS Hampshire was carrying Lord Kitchener, the Minister of War, accompanied by members of his personal staff and officials of the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Munitions to Russia for a series of negotiations aimed at ensuring that the Russian forces would stay in the war.
Just as the ship left Scapa Flow it sailed into stormy weather and hit a mine laid by the German U-75. The ship went down between Marwick Head and the brough of Birsay, Field Marshall Kitchener, his staff, and 643 of the crew of 655 were drowned or died of exposure including Peter Fisken.
Peter was single and living with his parents James and Mary Fisken at 36 Stanley Street (now Luss Road), Govan. Peter was also survived by twin sister Janet and other siblings Polly, Catherine, Robert, James and Anna.
Peter Fisken was posthumously awarded the British War Medal, Victory Medal and 1914-15 Star and is buried at Lyness Royal Naval Cemetery, Orkney. Peter is also remembered on the McGregor Memorial Church WW1 memorial, now housed in Govan New Church at Govan Cross.
"Down with Lord Kitchener" researched & written by Colin Quigley 2014