THIS clutch of gallant young “Boys of the Bulldog Breed” were just some of the crew of HMS Neptune, who were photographed in between coaling duties at an undisclosed location.

There were several Southampton lads on board the ship who, according to the Southampton Pictorial publication of the time, were “waiting to give the enemy a hot time when he makes an appearance”.

HMS Neptune was a Dreadnought-type battleship and was the flagship of the Home Fleet from May 1911 until May 1912 when she was transferred to the 1st Battle Squadron, where she remained for several years, during which time she saw active service in the Battle of Jutland.

Designed with an altered gun turret layout to previous Dreadnought-class battleships, she could deliver a formidable punch due to her staggered wing turret arrangement that enabled her to achieve amazing firepower as all five turrets could shoot in broadside.

Although the potential damage that would be sustained to the superstructure from the blast of the guns if all five were fired like this resulted in this being a rather unpractical method of attack, which would only be employed in an emergency.

In addition to her already impressive arsenal, she was also the first Royal Navy ship to be equipped with superfiring turrets, which were positioned at the rear of the vessel.

After the war she was quickly transferred to the reserve fleet and subsequently scrapped in September 1922.