In this final installment of our three-part Remembrance Sunday series, we honour the Old Pangbournian whose loss marked the very beginning of the College’s wartime sacrifice.

The Deepest Duty: Lieutenant (E) Michael Prideaux Roupell

A Cadet of Rare Promise

Born in 1914, Michael Roupell attended the Nautical College from 1928 to 1932, where his formidable intellect, energy and leadership potential quickly set him apart. Entering the Royal Navy as a cadet, his early career displayed exceptional versatility: he underwent battleship training aboard HMS Thunderer, served as a midshipman on the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, and even temporarily qualified as a Fleet Air Arm pilot in 1928, flying from early aircraft carriers such as HMS Furious and HMS Glorious.

Eventually, Roupell chose to specialise as an Engineer Officer, denoted by the "(E)" in his rank, focusing his sharp mind on the heavy machinery, steam propulsion and damage control systems that kept the Royal Navy's capital ships operational.

Preserved naval service records describe him as an "exceptionally good officer" of "above average" ability. His commanding officers noted:

"Cheerful, energetic and frank... Socially popular and much liked in the mess. He has extraordinary energy and organising capacity, and a brain capacity above the average."

Alongside his professional brilliance, Roupell was a fierce competitor and a highly regarded rugby player across naval sports circles.

The Tragedy of HMS Royal Oak

By October 1939, just weeks after the outbreak of war, Lieutenant Roupell was stationed aboard the Revenge-class battleship HMS Royal Oak, anchored in the presumed safety of the heavily fortified British naval base at Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands.

In the dead of night on October 14, 1939, German submarine U-47, commanded by Günther Prien, slipped past defenses and launched a surprise torpedo attack on the stationary battleship.

The torpedo strikes ignited catastrophic explosions that instantly severed the ship’s electrical power. As an Engineer Officer, Lieutenant Roupell would have been deep inside the mechanical heart of the vessel when disaster struck - working amidst darkness, rising water and severe structural damage. Plunging rapidly to port, HMS Royal Oak capsized and sank in a mere 13 minutes.

Commemoration & Eternal Rest

Lieutenant (E) Michael Prideaux Roupell died at just 25 years old, alongside 834 of his shipmates in one of the Royal Navy's earliest wartime tragedies.

Because his body was never recovered from the depths of Scapa Flow, he is officially listed as missing at sea. His sacrifice is permanently honoured on Panel 33, Column 1 of the Portsmouth Naval Memorial, as well as on his family plot at All Saints Churchyard in Great Barford, Bedfordshire, where he is remembered alongside his father, Lieutenant Colonel Ernest Peter Stuart Roupell.

Lest We Forget

From the storm-swept waters of Scapa Flow to the fallen perimeters of Normandy and the skies over Belgium, the stories of Lieutenant Michael Roupell, Captain Frederick Colville and Pilot Officer Samuel Sibley represent the hundreds of Old Pangbournians across the decades who have stepped forward when their country needed them most.

As we stand in silence this Remembrance Sunday, we honour their service, preserve their memory and ensure that their sacrifices will never be forgotten.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.