Norman Douglas Holbrook | |
|---|---|
 Holbrook in World War I | |
| Born | (1888-07-09)9 July 1888 |
| Died | 3 July 1976(1976-07-03) (aged 87) |
| Buried | St James Old Churchyard,Stedham, West Sussex |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Rank | Commander |
| Commands | HMS B11 |
| Battles / wars | World War I World War II |
| Awards | Victoria Cross Légion d'honneur (France) |
CommanderNorman Douglas HolbrookVC (9 July 1888 – 3 July 1976) was a British naval recipient of theVictoria Cross (VC), the highest award of the British honours system. Holbrook was the first submariner to be awarded the VC and it was the first naval VC gazetted in theFirst World War.[1]
Holbrook was born on 9 July 1888 inSouthsea,Hampshire, fourth son ofColonel SirArthur Holbrook and his wife Amelia (née Parks). Sir Arthur was the proprietor of the Portsmouth Times, founder of the Southern Daily Mail and the Hilsea-based Holbrook Printers, a deputyLord Lieutenant and laterConservativeMP forBasingstoke.
He was educated privately and atPortsmouth Grammar School. In 1903, he enrolled in the officer training establishmentBritannia Royal Naval College and was appointed midshipman on 9 January 1905. He joined the submarine depot shipHMS Bonaventure on 4 April 1911, served in submarinesHMS F3,HMS V4 andHMS E41 before taking command of HMSB11 on 30 December 1913.[2]
Holbrook was 26 years old, alieutenant in theRoyal Navy during the First World War when on 13 December 1914 at theDardanelles,Turkey, he performed a deed for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. He was in command of the submarineHMS B11, an old and obsolete craft built in 1905. Notwithstanding the difficulties of a treacherous current in the Dardanelles, he dived under five rows of mines and torpedoed and sank theOttoman ironclad Mesûdiye, which was guarding the mine-field. In spite of being attacked by gunfire and torpedo boats, Holbrook succeeded in bringing theB11 back to the Mediterranean, When they got back to safety theB11 had been submerged for nine hours.[3]
Holbrook later achieved the rank ofCommander.
Holbrook married Viva Dixon, a widow, on 21 June 1919. They had a son who waskilled in action in theSecond World War. His wife died in 1952 and in the following year he married Austrian Gundula Bleichart (born 1914, died 2020).[4][5]
Holbrook died on 3 July 1976 atMidhurst,Sussex. He was buried at St James Old Churchyard,Stedham, West Sussex. He is probably the only VC recipient to have a town and (until May 2004) a local government area named for him. On 24 August 1915, amid a wave of anti-German feeling related to theFirst World War, the name of theNew South Wales EasternRiverina town of Germanton was changed toHolbrook to honour the recent VC recipient. He subsequently visited the town on three occasions. His widow, Mrs. Gundula Holbrook, donated his medal to the Council of the Shire of Holbrook in 1982. In 1995 she made a substantial donation towards the establishment of a submariners' memorial in the town, and in 1997 visited the town to unveil it. A bronze statue of Holbrook stands in Germanton Park, Holbrook.
Holbrook's medal was donated to the Council of the Shire of Holbrook, New South Wales in 1982. It subsequently passed toGreater Hume Shire Council upon the amalgamation of several Riverina shires in May 2004. Holbrook's medal group, including his Victoria Cross, went on display at the Australian War Memorial on 11 December 2009. His medals are on loan from the Greater Hume Shire Council.[6][7] A replica may be seen at the Submarine Museum, Holbrook.
Holbrook Road in Portsmouth is named after him.
A plaque was erected by the Submariners Association in 2014 on the exterior wall of the Portsmouth Grammar school Junior School facing Cambridge Junction, Portsmouth, UK.[8]
{{cite news}}:|author= has generic name (help) Includes biographical information.| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
