Fryatt who, in March 1915, attempted to ram a prowling German U-boat with his 1902-built passenger ferry, the Great Eastern Railway-owned SS Brussels.
Ordered to stop by submarine U-33 near the Maas lightvessel off the Dutch coast, Fryatt - born in Southampton and raised in Harwich - saw the German U-boat surface.
It was his third such encounter with a U-boat that month.
Believing it was being readied to torpedo his ship, Fryatt ordered full steam ahead and tried to ram the U-boat head on, forcing it to crash-dive.
The SS Brussels managed to escape and Fryatt was awarded a gold watch by the Admiralty.
But 15 months later his ship was cornered by five German destroyers shortly after setting sail from the Hook of Holland. Fryatt, his crew and passengers were taken to an internment camp near Berlin.
Fryatt was then taken away to Bruges to stand trial on charges of being franc-tireur - a civilian engaged in hostile military activity.
His gold watch from the Admiralty was used as evidence against him and he was accused of sinking the German submarine - despite U-33 still being in active service.
The hearing, sentence and execution by firing squad all took place on the same day, 27 July.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-essex-36745439 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Fryatt
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