A poem which appeared in the Groat during the war said to be written by the Reverend William Fulton, Church of Scotland Minister at Canisbay Parish Church, Caithness. It was thought that the poem was written to commemorate the loss of the Exmouth.

“The Sea gives up its Dead”

The sea sends up around our coasts

It’s treasures great and small

Each surging roll it’s salvage casts

While the wild sea birds call

But surely never round our coasts

Were dearer treasures spread?

Than when these Northern seas of ours

Gave up to us their dead.

The folks they gathered silently

In yon North Eastern town

They waited long and lined the streets

While sleet and snow pored down

They heard a sound slow moving feet

Brave comrades requiem tread

High honoured tribute paying

To the seas most treasured dead

For those dead heroes brothers were

Or husbands, fathers, sons

Right gallantly they volunteered

To serve our nations guns

To guard our coasts to man our ships

Make safe our daily bread

And now alas, this solemn thought

Our seas give up their dead

In saddened homes somewhere tonight

Heartbroken the twilight prayer

The Christmas prayer answered

In a fathers vacant chair

While sweethearts sorely stricken

May now only memories wed

for these grey Northern seas of ours

Have given to us their dead

They rest amongst their brothers

In a grey North Eastern town

Whose hardy brothers have ever in

Ships to the sea gone down

In faith and hope we leave them

Until time itself hath sped

And God himself shall call the sea

To give up all it’s dead