Tales of heroism and tragedy continued to be told in The Argus a century ago this week as the First World War continued to put Sussex men in life and death situations.

Able seaman and Hastings postman Charles Bartup was a local survivor of a naval disaster in which several British cruisers were holed by German firepower.

Mr Bartup was aboard the 472ft HMS Hogue when it was struck by two torpedoes as it travelled in convoy across the North Sea.

He told an Argus journalist that the ship was following HMS Aboukir when it began “heeling”, which the crew believed at first to be caused by hitting a mine.

The Hogue then went to the Aboukir crew’s aid only for them to be struck.

Mr Bartup said: “It was an awful sound.

“The captain who was standing near to me told me to jump over the side of the vessel and bade me goodbye.

“I kicked off my boots and slid into the ocean.

“I thought I could make for a spar floating in the distance but I found that it was absolutely crowded.

“My swimming powers now stood me in good stead.

“I was always considered a good swimmer and though I had not done any of it for three years, it all came back to me.”

Our plucky Hastings hero headed for a launch and was pulled to safety by a fellow crew member.

They then tried to steer the launch towards HMS Cressy, which was also in the vicinity before it was also torpedoed before their eyes. They were eventually picked up by a Lowestoft trawler and brought back to England.

Back on dry land, Mr Bartup received a hearty slap on the back from his Hastings friend Harry Bailey who survived the sinking of the Cressy.

The combined total from all three torpedoed ships was 837 men rescued and 62 officers and 1,397 enlisted men lost.

Sadly, there was no such miraculous escape for Private Barham, of the Coldstream Guards, who died from his wounds in action.

The young soldier was only 19 and the son of Mr and Mrs Barham of St Mary’s Road, Hastings.

Tragedy was also present on the home front as The Argus reported on the sad death of seven-month-old child Edward Albert Turk at his home in Belle View Cottages, East Hill Passage, Hastings.

His mother, Catherine, told an inquest that her son was in good health until one Sunday night when he was sick as she put him to bed.

Young Edward was restless and sounded strange at 4.30am the next morning so Catherine sent her husband to fetch a doctor.

When he returned, his son was already dead.

Surgeon Mr AE Baker said the cause of death was an acute intestinal obstruction.