The Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross

The Victoria Cross
Conferred upon members of
The Royal Naval Club and Royal Albert Yacht Club


 
Memorial
The Royal Naval Club and Royal Albert Yacht Club Memorial plaque

Location of Memorial:
In a corridor leading from the Reception area of the Royal Naval Club and Royal Albert Yacht Club, Pembroke Road, Portsmouth
 
Further Information
The memorial was unveiled by the Duke of Edinburgh on 23rd February 2007. It records the 19 members of the Royal Naval Club and Royal Albert Yacht Club upon whom the Victoria Cross was conferred. They are:-


 
Rear Admiral
Charles Davis Lucas VC
Born - Drumargole, Armagh, Ireland, 19 February 1834
Died - Great Culverden, Kent, 7 August 1914
 
Place and date of VC
HMS Hecla, The Baltic Sea, 21 June 1854
Rank - Mate, Royal Navy
Aged 20 years
 
The first deed of valour to be awarded with the Victoria Cross
Commanded the Ballachulish Corps in Scotland 1873/83
with the rank of Brigadier General
 
Club Member 1868

See the Ulster History page on Rear Admiral Lucas VC


 
Vice Admiral
Sir William Nathan Wright Hewett VC KCB
Born - Brighton, Sussex, 2 August 1834
Died - Portsmouth, Hampshire, 13 May 1888
 
Place and date of VC
Crimea - 26 October and 5 November 1854
Rank - Lieutenant, Royal Navy (Naval Brigade)
Aged 20 years
 
Other Decorations
Legion d'Honneur (France)
 
Commander-in-Chief East Indies 1882. Head of Naval Forces in the Egyptian War 1884
Commander-in-Chief Channel Squadron 1886/88
Buried in Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea
 
Club Member 1885

See separate page for Vice Admiral Hewett VC


 
Vice Admiral
Henry James Raby VC CB
Born - Boulogne, France, 26 September 1827
Died - Southsea, Hampshire, 13 February 1907
 
Place and date of VC
Crimea - 18 June 1855
Rank - Commander, Royal Navy (Naval Brigade)
Aged 28 years
 
Other Decorations
Legion d'Honneur (France)
 
First man to receive the Victoria Cross from Queen Victoria
at the first investiture held in Hyde Park, London - 26 June 1857
 
Club Member 1871

See separate page for Vice Admiral Raby VC


 
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir John Edmund Commerell VC GCB
Born - London, 13 January 1829
Died - London, 21 May 1901
 
Place and date of VC
HMS Weser, Crimea - 11 October 1855
Rank - Commander, Royal Navy
Aged 26 years
 
Other Decorations
Legion d'Honneur (France)
 
C-in-C North American and West Indies Station - 1881
C-in-C Portsmouth - 1888. Groom-in-Waiting to the Queen - 1891
Admiral of the Fleet - 1892
 
Club Member 1869

See separate page for Admiral Commerell VC


 
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir Nowell Salmon VC GCB
Born - Swarraton, Hampshire, 20 February 1835
Died - Southsea, Hampshire, 14 February 1912
 
Place and date of VC
Indian Mutiny - 16 November 1857
Rank - Lieutenant, Royal Navy (Naval Brigade)
Aged 20 years
 
Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth - 1894/6
Commanded the Diamond Jubilee Fleet Review
Admiral of the Fleet - 1899
 
Club Member 1879

See separate page for Admiral Salmon VC


 
Field Marshal
Sir Henry Evelyn Wood VC GCB GCMG
Born - Cressing, Essex, 9 February 1838
Died - Harlow, Essex, 2 December 1920
 
Place and date of VC
Indian Mutiny - 19 October 1858
Rank - Lieutenant 17th Lancers (Duke of Cambridge's Own)
Aged 20 years
 
Other Decorations
Legion d'Honneur (France)
 
Served in the Crimea with the Naval Brigade
Quartermaster to the Forces 1893/97
Adjutant General to the Forces 1897/1901
Commanded 2 Army Corps 1901/4 - Promoted Field Marshal 1903
Constable of the Tower of London 1911/19
 
Club Member Royal Albert Yacht Club 1901

See the Wikipedia entry for Field Marshal Wood VC


 
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir Arthur Knyvet Wilson VC GCB OM GCVO
Born - Swaffham, Norfolk, 4 March 1842
Died - Swaffham, Norfolk, 25 May 1921
 
Place and date of VC
El Teb - 29 February 1884
Rank - Captain Royal Navy (Naval Brigade)
Aged 42 years
 
Lord Commissioner of the Admiralty
and Comptroller of the Navy 1897
Commander Channel Squadron 1901
Commande4r-in-Chief Home and Channel Fleets 1903-07
Admiral of the Fleet 1907 - First Sea Lord 1909-12
 
Club Member 1870 - Chairman 1890-94

See the Royal Naval Museum entry for Admiral Wilson VC


 
General
Sir Lewis Stratford Tollemache Halliday V.C. K.C.B.
Born - Meadstead, Hampshire, 14 May 1870
Died - Dorking, Surrey, 9 March 1966
 
Place and date of VC
Peking, China - 24 June 1900
Rank - Captain Royal Marine Light Infantry
Aged 30 years
 
Served in the First World War
Member of the British Delegation to the Peace Conference
Adjutant General Royal Marines 1927/30
Honorary Colonel Commandant Royal Marines 1930/40
 
Club Member 1895

See the Wikipedia entry for General Halliday VC


 
Lieutenant Colonel
Brian Turner 'Tom' Lawrence VC, GCB, GCMG
Born - Bewdley, Worcestershire, 9 November 1873
Died - Nakura, Kenya, 7 June 1949
 
Place and date of VC
South Africa - 7 August 1900
Rank - Sergeant, 17th (Duke of Cambridge's Own) Lancers
Aged 27 years
 
Other Decorations
Legion d'Honneur (France)
 
Served in the First World War 1914/18
Served in the Second World War 1939/42
Military Knight of Windsor 1934/38
Member of the English Riding Team, Olympics Games, Stockholm, Sweden
 
Club Member Royal Albert Yacht Club 1926

See the Wikipedia entry for Colonel Lawrence VC


 
Captain
Norman Douglas Holbrook VC
Born - Southsea, Hampshire, 9 July 1888
Died - Midhurst, Surrey - 3 July 1976
 
Place and date of VC
HM Submarine B11, Dardenelles - 13 December 1914
Rank - Lieutenant, Royal Navy
Aged 26 years
 
Other Decorations
Legion d'Honneur (France)
 
First Naval VC to be gazetted in the First World War
First Submariner to be awarded the VC
Served in the Second World War at the Admiralty
 
Club Member Royal Albert Yacht Club 1951

See separate page for Captain Holbrook VC


 
Vice Admiral
Eric Gascoigne Robinson VC OBE
Born - Greenwich, London, 16 May 1882
Died - Haslar, Hampshire - 20 August 1965
 
Place and date of VC
HMS Vengeance, Dardenelles - 26 February 1915
Rank - Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy
Aged 32 years
 
Other Decorations
Order of the Nile, Egypt, Order of St Anne (Russia)
 
Recalled to the Royal Navy in the Second World War
as Commodore of Convoy 1940/42
 
Club Member 1917

See the Wikipedia entry for Admiral Robinson VC


 
Captain
Edward Unwin VC, CB, CMG
Born - Fawley, Hampshire, 17 March 1864
Died - Hindhead, Surrey - 19 April 1950
 
Place and date of VC
HMS River Clyde, V Beach, Gallipoli - 23 April 1915
Rank - Commander, Royal Navy
Aged 51 years
 
Other Decorations
Order of the Nile, Egypt
 
Club Member 1930

See separate page for Captain Unwin VC


 
Rear Admiral
Edward Courtney Boyle VC
Born - Carlisle, Cumberland, 23 March 1883
Died - Ascot, Berks - 16 December 1967
 
Place and date of VC
HM Submarine E14, Dardenelles - 27 April 1915
Rank - Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy
Aged 32 years
 
Other Decorations
Legion d'Honneur (France)
Order of St Maurice and St Lazarus (Italy)
 
King's Harbour Master, Devonport 1926/28
Flag Officer in Charge, London, 1939/42
 
Club Member 1922

See the Wikipedia entry for Admiral Boyle VC


 
Admiral
Sir Martin Eric Dunbar-Nasmith VC KCB KCMG
Born - East Barnes, London, 1 April 1883
Died - Elgin, Morayshire - 29 June 1965
 
Place and date of VC
HM Submarine E11, Dardenelles - 20 May - 8 June 1915
Rank - Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy
Aged 32 years
 
Other Decorations
Legion d'Honneur (France)
 
Club Member 1906 - Trustee 1939

See the Wikipedia entry for Admiral Dunbar-Nasmith VC


 
Vice Admiral
Richard Bell-Davies VC CB DSO AFC
Born - Kensington, London, 19 May 1886
Died - Haslar, Hampshire - 26 February 1966
 
Place and date of VC
Ferrijik Junction, Bulgaria - 19 November 1915
Rank - Squadron Commander, Royal Navy
Aged 29 years
 
Other Decorations
Croix de Guerre avec Palme and Legion d'Honneur (France)
 
Rear Admiral Naval Air Station
Author of - Sailor in the Air
 
Club Member 1906 - Trustee 1938

See the Wikipedia entry for Admiral Bell-Davies VC


 
Vice Admiral
Sir Victor Charles Crutchley VC, KCB, DSC
Born - London, 2 November 1893
Died - Dorset - 24 January 1986
 
Place and date of VC
HMS Vindictive, Ostend, Belgium - 9-10 May 1918
Rank - Lieutenant, Royal Navy (Naval Brigade)
Aged 25 years
 
Other Decorations
Croix de Guerre (France)
Polonia Restituta (Poland) - Chief Commander of The Legion of Merit (USA)
 
Commanded Australian Naval Squadron
Flag Officer, Gibraltar
High Sheriff of Dorset 1955
 
Club Member 1921

See the Wikipedia entry for Admiral Crutchley VC


 
Lieutenant Commander
Gerard Broadmead Roope VC
Born - Taunton, Somerset, 13 March 1905
Died - West Fjord, Norway - 8 April 1940
 
Place and date of VC
West Fjord, Norway - 8 April 1940
Rank - Lieutenant Commander, Royal Navy
Aged 35 years
 
Club Member

See the Wikipedia entry for Commander Roope VC


 
Captain
Edward Stephen Fogarty Fegen VC
Born - Southsea, Hampshire, 8 October 1891
Died - North Atlantic - 5 November 1940
 
Place and date of VC
HMS Jervis Bay, North Atlantic - 5 November 1940
Rank - Captain, Royal Navy
Aged 49 years
 
Club Member

See separate page for Captain Fegen VC


 
Rear Admiral
Robert St. Vincent Sherbrooke VC, GCB, DSO, GCVO
Born - Newark, Nottinghamshire, 8 January 1901
Died - Newark, Nottinghamshire - 13 June 1972
 
Place and date of VC
HMS Onslow, North Cape, Norway - 31 December 1942
Rank - Captain, Royal Navy
Aged 71 years
 
Club Member

See the reference to Admiral Sherbrooke at Find a Grave


 
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