Themes

The Navy's People

• Naval Lives

  • Edward Pitcairn Jones

  • William Waller

  • Loftus William Jones

  • JT Cull

  • A C Green

  • Philip Needell

  • Astle Scott Littlejohns

  • EJF Records

  • Clifford Simkin

  • Frank Clements

  • Margaret Hodgson

  • Charles Sheppard

  • 'Buster' Crabb

  • Sir Frank Twiss

  • Jeff Tall

  • Phil Macquaid

  • Julia Massey

  • Nick Vaux

  • Wayland Austin

• In Focus: Women in the Navy

• In Focus: Recreation and Time off

• In Focus: Discipline and Punishment

Learning

• How To: Understand Naval Medals

William Waller

Article highlights

• The career of the first diving coxwain

• Early life

• The HMS A8 disaster

• Serving aboard Holland 1

• Return to active service

Return to active service

The Royal Navy had 74 submarines in commission at the start of World War One, more than any other nation. Waller returned to active service on 2 August 1914. He was now age 45 and considered too old for the hazards of submarine service. He instead served for most of the war as a Torpedo Coxswain in Drifters and Trawlers carrying out minesweeping duties.

His asthma eventually invalided Waller out of the Navy in May 1918. His condition had probably deteriorated due to the unhealthy conditions of the early petrol driven submarines in which he had served.

Waller was one of the founder members of the Kingsteignton branch of the Royal British Legion after the war. He died on 20 April 1955 aged 85.

Credit:

Text adapted from an original article on William Waller written by George Malcolmson, Archivist at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.

Related External Links

• Wikipedia - HMS A8

• Submarine Heritage - Holland 1

• Royal Navy Submarine Museum