Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of Josiah Chambers a coal miner, born 1870 in Whitwick, Leics., and his wife Mary Chambers (nee Smith, married in the 1st quarter of 1891 in the Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire district), born 1871 in Coalville, Leics. William was born on the 28th May 1892 in Whitwick, Leics., his siblings were, Emma, born 1895 in Whitwick, Leics., and Rose, born 1899 in Coalville, Leics., in March 1901 the family home was at 211, Ashby Road, Coalville, Leics. In April 1911 William was employed as a coal miner and was residing in the family home at 73, Margaret Street, Coalville, Leics., together with his widowed mother and siblings, Emma, Thomas, born 1902, Gladys, born 1905 and Charles, born 1909, the latter three siblings were all born in Coalville, Leics. William had once been a regular in the Royal Marines, just before the outbreak of war he and a friend decided to walk to Portsmouth to enlist in the Navy, however after a few days the friend turned back, but William continued to walk the 150 miles on his own. He was the first Coalville man to lose his life in the Great War. The background relating to the circumstances in which William lost his life are as follows; At the beginning of September 1914 Otto Hersing of U-21 ventured to the Firth of Forth, home to the major British naval base at Rosyth. Hersing is known to have penetrated the Firth of Forth as far as the Carlingnose Battery beneath the Forth Bridge. At one point the periscope was spotted and the battery opened fire but without success. Overnight Hersing withdrew from the Forth, patrolling the coast from the Isle of May southwards. From a distance, on the morning of 5th September he observed the SSE course of HMS Pathfinder followed by elements of the 8th Destroyer Flotilla. The destroyers altered course back towards the Isle of May at midday while HMS Pathfinder continued her patrol. Hersing spotted HMS Pathfinder on her return journey from periscope depth at 3.30 pm. This time he resolved to make an attack. At 3.43 pm Otto Hersing fired a single 20 inch Type G torpedo. 5th September was a sunny afternoon. At 3.45 pm lookouts spotted a torpedo wake heading towards the starboard bow at a range of 2,000 yards. The officer of the watch, Lieutenant Commander Favell attempted to take evasive action by ordering the starboard engine be put astern and the port engine at full ahead while the wheel was turned hard a port. Since the vessel was traveling at a mere five knots, however (due to a shortage of coal throughout the Royal Navy at the time), the maneuver was not in time and the torpedo struck the ship beneath the bridge at 3.50pm. The detonation apparently set off cordite bags in the forward magazine which caused a second, more massive explosion within the fore section of the ship, essentially destroying everything forward of the bridge. Broken in two, the "Pathfinder" instantly began sinking, dragging most of her crew down with her and leaving a massive pall of smoke to mark her grave. The vessel sank so quickly, in fact, there was insufficient time to launch lifeboats. (Indeed, the remains of a lifeboat davit and rope can still be seen on the wreck, demonstrating the speed with which the vessel sank). The forensic evidence of the wreck is that everything before the first funnel disintegrated. The majority of the crew below decks in the forward section had neither the time nor the opportunity to escape. Although the explosion was well within sight of land, Captain Martin-Peake knew it was essential to attract attention. He ordered the stern gun to be fired. The king-pin must have been fatally damaged by the explosion, because after firing a single round, the gun toppled off its mounting, rolled around the quarter deck, struck the after screen then careered over the stern, taking the gun crew with it. There was no list but there was insufficient time to lower boats. Indeed the remains of a lifeboat davit and rope can still be seen on the wreck. The propeller belonging to the ship’s boat lies on the deck nearby. Lt. Edward Oliver Sonnenschein (he changed his name to Stallybrass on 8th January 1918) recalled that the bulkheads held firm until five minutes after the big explosion. “The ship gave a heavy lurch forward and took an angle of about forty degrees down by the bow. Water came swirling up to the searchlight platform. The Captain said, “jump you devils jump !”. The Captain and his secretary remained with the ship until the very end but somehow both survived.” The bow section sheared off under the strain as the stern heaved up to a sixty degree angle. Then it quietly slipped below the surface. Eyemouth fishing boats were first on the scene and encountered a field of debris, fuel oil, clothing and body parts. Destroyers HMS Stag and HMS Express had spotted the smoke and headed for the pall of smoke. One of the destroyers had an engine problem when a water inlet was blocked by a leg in a sea boot. There is significant confusion regarding the numbers of survivors. On 6th September The Times declared that 58 men had been rescued but that four had died of injuries. The fact that it is impossible to determine how many were on board that day, adds to difficulties but research indicates that 268 personnel were on board plus two civilian canteen assistants. There were just eighteen known survivors. The St. Abbs’ lifeboat came in with the most appalling accounts of the scene. There was not a piece of wood, they said, big enough to float a man—and over acres the sea was covered with fragments—human and otherwise. They brought back a sailor’s cap with half a man’s head inside it. The explosion must have been frightful. It is thought to be a German submarine that did it, or, possibly, a torpedo fired from one of the refitted German trawlers, which cruise all round painted with British port letters and flying the British flag. Despite the events of 5th September having been easily visible from shore, the authorities attempted to cover up the sinking, and HMS Pathfinder was reported to have been mined. Admiralty came to an agreement with the Press Bureau which allowed for the censoring of all reports. The Scotsman however published an eye-witness account by an Eyemouth fisherman who had assisted in the rescue. The account confirmed rumours that a submarine had been responsible, rather than a mine. However The Scotsman also reported that HMS Pathfinder had been attacked by two U-boats and had accounted for the second one in her death throes. Admiralty intelligence later claimed that cruisers had cornered the U-boat responsible and shelled it to oblivion. The sinking of HMS Pathfinder by a submarine made both sides aware of the potential vulnerability of large ships to attack by submarines.
On Saturday September 12th 1914 The Leicester Chronicle and Leicestershire Mercury published the following article under the heading. “FATE OF PATHFINDER.” – MESSAGE TO BEREAVED COALVILLE MOTHER. – “Cheer up mother! I’m all right, and hope you are the same.” Mrs. Mary Chambers, a widow, of 73, Margaret Street, Coalville, only on Tuesday, the 1st inst., received the above hearty words from her sailor son, then serving on H.M.S. Pathfinder. On Monday afternoon the poor woman recived a communication from the Admiralty, under date 6th inst., regretting that information had reached the department that H.M.S. Pathfinder was sunk on the 5th inst., and that William Chambers, private, official number Chatham, 17,362 was reported missing. Yesterday morning Mrs. Chambers received a further communication from H.M.S. ----, which read; Madam, I deeply regret to have to inform you that yesterday afternoon, owing to H.M.S. Pathfinder being torpedoed by a German submarine, the former sank, and William Chambers, private, who it is believed was on board, is missing. Mrs. Chambers has two young children at home, and one girl in employment. William, reported missing, was her eldest son.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday September 11th, 1914:

"COALVILLE MAN IN NAVAL DISASTER

ON BOARD THE “PATHFINDER”

WIDOWED MOTHER OFFICIALLY NOTIFIED

MESSAGE FROM THE KING

The grim realities of the great war proceeding on the Continent and in the North Sea are forcibly brought home to Coalville this week from the fact that one of its own sons is claimed as a victim – William Chambers, a sturdy young fellow, 22 years of age, whose widowed mother resides in Margaret Street.

Young Chambers was on board H.M.S. “Pathfinder” which is reported to have struck a mine on Saturday afternoon and was blown to atoms, the Coalville man being one of the two hundred odd brave fellows who are reported as missing. The sad news was received by Mrs Chambers in an official communication from the Admiralty by Monday afternoon’s post, the letter reading as follows:

Admiralty,
6th September, 1914

Madam, I regret to have to inform you that information has reached this department that H.M.S. “Pathfinder” was sunk on the 5th inst., and that William Chambers, private official No. Chatham 17362 is reported as missing. In the event of any further news being received respecting him you will be informed as early as practicable. Any application which the next of kin, or legal representative may have to make in consequence of the foregoing information should be made to this department in a letter addressed to the Accountant General of the Navy, Admiralty, London, S.W. – I am, madam, your obedient servant.

ALFRED EYLES
Accountant General of the Navy

Mrs Mary Chambers
73, Margaret Street
Coalville
Leicester

The first intimation of the sad occurrence was received in the following message published by the Press Bureau at 11.15 on Saturday night:

The Admiralty announces that H.M.S. “Pathfinder,” light cruiser, (Captain Francis Martin Leake), struck a mine today at 4.30 pm. about twenty miles off the East Coast, and foundered very rapidly. The loss of life has probably been heavy.

Mrs Chambers is the widow of the late Mr Josiah Chambers, who worked as a collier at the South Leicestershire pit and died a few years ago. Seen by a representative of this paper she stated that William was her eldest son and was 22 years of age. He enlisted in the Royal Marines while the coal strike was on two years last March, prior to which he had worked in the South Leicester No. 1 pit. He was at home on furlough last Easter.

Mrs Chambers was naturally quite overcome at the feared loss of her boy. She has four other children, two girls aged 19 and 9 and two boys, aged 12 and 5, three of them, therefore, being dependent. She received a further letter on Tuesday morning as follows:

H.M.S.
September 6th, 1914

Madam, I deeply regret to have to inform you that yesterday afternoon owing to H.M.S. “Pathfinder” being torpedoed by a German submarine, the former sank and William Chambers, private, who, it is believed was on board, is missing. Yours truly.

Commander.

This gives a somewhat different version as to how the vessel was lost, and it was confirmed by a further report yesterday which was passed by the Press Bureau. On Wednesday Mrs Chambers received the following communication:

Admiralty, Whitehall.

The King commands me to assure you of the true sympathy of His Majesty and the Queen in your sorrow.

WINSTON S. CHURCHILL

Further details show that the prevailing clear atmospheric conditions afforded every opportunity for witnessing the movements of war vessels fully 20 miles seawards, and several people report having seen the terrible disaster through telescopes.

The station officer at the St. Abbs’ signalling station was first to make the official intimation that a warship had been blown up and he telephoned to the lifeboat officials to have the St. Abbs’ motor lifeboat launched. This was instantly done, and following in the lifeboat’s train were a number of steam and motor fishing boats, all of which dashed to the spot.

In his statement to Messrs. William Bertram and Shields, the hon. secretaries, Second coxswain Nisbet who was in charge says that on nearing the spot where the Pathfinder had been blown up he came upon an enormous stretch of wreckage. In fact, the water was densely strewn for about a mile and a half. This was of every conceivable description, and the most of it was little larger than a man’s leg.

There were any number of seaman’s jackets, caps, jerseys, boots, stockings, letters, photos and books which had been cast into the sea with the blowing up of the warship. So terrible was the explosion that the Pathfinder was practically blown to pieces.

In about four minutes all trace of her was lost save her wreckage which was strewn over the waters. A sad memento of the disaster was the finding, floating on the water, of the ship’s Bible, and the order of daily service from which the daily lessons were read by the chaplain or the captain.

The Pathfinder had been doing duty patrolling the East Coast, and only a few hours earlier was manoeuvring little more than a mile off St. Abb’s Head. She was a 2,940 ton vessel, had a crew of 268, and was commanded by Captain Francis Leake. The disaster was observed by two of the officers doing duty at Cockburnspath. They saw the vessel through their field glasses emitting columns of smoke, and almost immediately afterwards the bow of the vessel was observed towering high out of the water. She went down with startling suddenness. From Dunbar the disaster was plainly seen by numerous officers doing duty along the coast.

Mr Fairburn, the coxswain of one of the lifeboats, saw the vessel shoot up a huge column of smoke and flame. The vessel sank four minutes afterwards. It has been gathered that about 90 of the wounded and dead, including several officers and the officer in command (Captain Leake), were picked up by torpedo destroyers previous to the arrival of the St. Abb’s lifeboat and several fishing vessels. They were taken by sea to hospitals in the Firth, along with five or six corpses of sailors, by the torpedo destroyers.

It is believed that the number lost is 232. Survivors of the disaster were landed at Queensferry by the depot ship Tyne. It is officially stated that the Pathfinder’s crew numbered 264, and that 58 survivors were picked up and transferred to the Tyne. Of those, 16 were wounded and four died on the way to Queensferry, where other wounded men were taken to the hospital."

Coalville Times article - Friday September 3rd, 1915

IN MEMORIAM

In affectionate remembrance of William Chambers, aged 22 years, who died in the defence of his country, September 5th, 1914, being on board H.M.S. ‘Pathfinder,’ sunk in the North Sea.

The parting was sad, the shock severe;
We little thought his end so near
‘Tis only those that have lost can tell,
The sudden grief of the last farewell.

From his mother, brothers and sisters.
Margaret Street, Coalville.

Coalville Times article - Friday September 8th, 1916

IN MEMORIAM

In loving memory of my dear son, Private Wm. Chambers, of the Royal Marines, who went down in the “Pathfinder”, September 5th, 1914.

We often sit and think of him,
His name we oft recall,
There is nothing left to answer,
But his photo on the wall.

From his Mother, Brothers and Sisters.
Margaret Street, Coalville

Research undertaken and submitted (including photograph from the Coalville Times) by Andy Murby, Jan 2017