Captain Johnnie Walker, RN

I read the biography of this famous Naval Captain recently and have been inspired to officially declare him a Man Cave 'Gentleman of Renown'!

Captain Frederick "Johnny" Walker, CB, DSO and three bars (yes 3!!!), RN

A career naval officer, he joined the RN as a young Midshipman during WW1, and loved serving in the smaller sloops and frigates vice Bettlcruisers and above.  After the war he started a family and specialised in Anti Submarine Warfare, but his career stagnated as a Commander, mostly because he wasn't interested in the political and social requirements for advancement after hostilities.

After serving as the Executive Officer in a Battlecruiser (where, ironically, he was assessed as lacking in leadership skills) he was passed over for promotion and that would have been the end of this story - except that the Germans started another war and as an Anti Submarine Specialist he soon became involved, initially with channel defences, and then at sea.

Commanding the sloops HMS Stork and later Starling, he was personally responsible for reinvigorating convoy defence mechanisms, and the developing the tactics of the ASW Hunter-Killer groups which later supported them.  He was personally responsible for more U-Boat kills than any other man.  But all this came at a cost and shortly after D-Day, he died during shore leave from over-strain and battle fatigue.

If you want to read a rather stirring tale of personal Leadership, and motivation of men in a desperate battle, see if you can find a copy of "Walker RN".  Its out of print but well worth the effort of finding...or its available for free electronically at the second link below.

Read more about 'Johnnie' Walker here: http://uboat.net/allies/commanders/1.html
and here: http://www.captainwalker.info/

See previous Man Cave 'Gentlemen of Renown and Infamy' here:
http://tasmancave.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Gentlemen%20of%20Renown%20and%20Infamy

Rolf aka Rollo aka Robert I, Duke of Normandy

One from the Dark Ages this time: Rolf, also known by the latined Roolo, later baptised as Robert.  This chap was a Viking warleader who started life as a mischievous pillager and ended up founding the Normans. Good job.  He also earned the nickname "Rolf the Walker" for being so big that no horse could carry him and thus he had to walk everywhere.

Leading a few cantankerous lads ashore when the mood took him, he was one of the lesser chieftains who took part in the siege and capture of Paris in 885AD.  Enjoying themselves there to the consternation of the locals, he accepted a massive bribe from the Frankish King and then went off to enjoy himself annoying the Burgundians (and in his spare time no doubt spent his new wealth on ale and wenches).  Like most, he eventually tired of this so invaded northern France again but got a rude shock when King Charles of France defeated him in 911.

Tired of Vikings pillaging Northern France (the coastal areas were almost depopulated by this point), Charles needed a more permanent solution.  Tired of sodding about, Rollo wanted somewhere to stay, so it was agreed he would become the leader of the City of Rouen and the area later known as Normandy (literally, land of the North Men).  So he and the lads settled down, were baptised Christians (one of the conditions) and intermarried with locals to found the Norman society.

 

Interesting side-note: before he eventually died of old age (rare for a Viking Chieftain I would have thought) in 932, he donated 100 pounds of gold to the Church as well as sacrificing 100 slaves to Odin - thus hedging his bets for the afterlife.

He was succeed by William "the Longsword" and was the great-great-great-grandfather of William the Conqueror who was another boisterous chap who wouldn't stay at home. Through William, he is an ancestor of the present-day British royal family, as well as an ancestor of all current European monarchs and a great many pretenders to abolished European thrones. His descendants in Scotland, the Clan Rollo, were also involved in some uprisings and so forth so naughtiness seems to have run in the family.

All in all, a pretty decent outcome for a lesser noble going raiding, but not a chap you'd want to move in next door.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollo
http://www.authorama.com/famous-men-of-the-middle-ages-15.html
http://oaks.nvg.org/an6ra8.html

Panzerknacker!

Havent had an entry in this category for some time, and then I heard about this guy...

Günther Viezenz (born 1 February 1921 in Silesia) was a highly decorated German Hauptmann (Captain) in the Wehrmacht during WW2.

Viezenz is the record-holder of the Tank Destruction Badge. He single handedly destroyed 21 enemy tanks with hand held explosives such as a panzerfaust, satchel charge, teller mines or hand grenades. He was awarded four Tank Destruction Badges in Gold and one in Silver (obviously the photo was before he got all of those).  He received Ritterkreuz (Knight's cross) on 7 January 1944.

After World War II Viezenz joined the Bundeswehr on April 1, 1956 and retired as Oberst (Colonel) on March 30, 1980. He died in Cologne in 1999.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCnther_Viezenz
http://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/war_badges/heer/single_tank.htm

Submissions and suggestions for the 'Gentlemen of Renown and Infamy' category are always welcomed!

General Wisdom

“I divide my officers into four classes;

the clever,

the lazy,

the industrious,

and the stupid.
Each officer possesses at least two of these qualities.”

- General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord

.

"a German general who served for a period as Commander-in-Chief of the Reichswehr. He is famous for being an ardent opponent of Hitler and the Nazi regime"

.

from Wikipedia "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_von_Hammerstein-Equord



Hmmm...which are your traits?

Captain Baron Cherkassov

An interesting short article, which winds up rather badly for the Baron after he "had gone ashore that night to visit a lady friend, leaving his ship with torpedoes disarmed, all shells stowed save 12 and no extra men posted on watch."

later...

"The two disgraced officers were court-martialed for negligence and summarily stripped of all their ranks and privileges as well as being given a 3 year and 18 month prison sentences respectively. Tsar Nicholas II also went so far as to decree that the Baron was to be sentenced to perpetual bachelorhood, it being forbidden for him to marry so that he could not perpetuate his disgraceful family name."

read why he was so horrendously punished and how "crew efficiency was further reduced" here: http://ww1history.suite101.com/article.cfm/zhemchug_vs_the_emden_1914

[This article is dedicated with great amusement to Ogrefencer]

The ill-fated Russian protected cruiser Zhemchug, her crew in high spirits

Garnet Joseph Wolseley

"La Coloniale" of the silly buggers Brigade at 15mmVSF Blog, has entered this stirling chap in the esteemed White Wine Sauce Hall of Esteemed Gentlemen!

You can read his biography at that blogsite here:

http://vsf15mm.blogspot.com/2008/01/garnet-joseph-wolseley.html

Vice Admiral Sir Nathan Hewett

Further investigation into some 'Fighting Admirals' of the Victorian era has revealed this man:

Vice-Admiral Sir William Nathan Wrighte Hewett VC KCB KCSI
b.1834, entered RN 1848, d. 1888

Aged 20 and but 8 years after entering the Royal Navy, William Hewett was awarded the Victoria Cross for services during the Crimea War.

In 1854, he was serving as Acting Mate on HMS Beagle but was commanding a Naval Brigade detachment manning a Lancaster Battery at Sebastopol. being threatened by the enemy. Through a misunderstanding he was ordered to spike his gun and retreat. The lieutenant, however, took on himself the responsibility of disregarding the order, shouting 'Retire? Retire and be damned! Fire!' He then pulled down the parapet of the battery and with the assistance of some soldiers, slewed his gun round and poured on the advancing enemy a most destructive and effectual fire until the Russians retreated. For this exploit and for further great bravery during the battle of Inkerman, that he received the Victoria Cross.

A slightly different account of his actions:

Among all the acts exhibiting gallantry, coolness, and judgment, one performed by Mr N.W. Hewett, then acting mate of HMS Beagle, stands conspicuous.

On the 26th of October 1854, the day after the battle of Balaclava, he was in charge of the right Lancaster battery before Sebastopol, with a party of bluejackets under him, when the Russians made a desperate sortie from the walls against Sir De Lacy Evans’ division. The advance of the Russians placed the gun in great jeopardy; and their assault was so vigorous that their skirmishers had got within 300 yards of the battery, and were pouring in a sharp fire from their Minié rifles. By some misapprehension the word was passed to spike the gun and retreat; but Mr Hewett, taking upon himself to disregard what he heard, answered, “That order did not come from Captain Lushington, and till he directs us to desert the gun, we’ll not move.” This proceeding was hazardous, for at the time the gun was in an ineffectual position, in consequence of the enemy advancing on its flank. With the assistance, however, of the seamen with him, and of some soldiers who came to his aid, he got round the gun into position; then, blowing away the parapet of the battery, he opened on the advancing column of the Russians so effective a fire, that they were completely staggered, and their progress was stopped. Seconded by his companions, whom his spirit animated, again and again he discharged his death-dealing gun, till the enemy gave way and retreated.

A story is current that he actually did receive an order to abandon the gun, and that afterwards, while he was reflecting what might be the consequences of having disobeyed it, his commanding officer inquired,
“Mr Hewett, were you not ordered to spike that gun and retreat?”
“I was, sir.”
“And you chose to disregard the order, and fight the gun?”
“I did, sir; but I am sorry if—”
“Well, then, you are promoted.”
Sir Stephen Lushington brought Mr Hewett’s conduct before the commander-in-chief, and he received from the Admiralty, as a reward, his lieutenancy, which he so well merited. At the battle of Inkermann his bravery was again conspicuous, and he was soon afterwards appointed to the command of the Beagle gunboat in the Sea of Azov.

He was promoted to Commander on 13th Sep 1858, Captain on 14th Nov 1862 and Rear-Admiral on 14th Nov 1862, spending much of his career at sea commanding a number of RN vessels, including some of the first ironclad warships. He also commanded the Naval Brigade in actions in West Africa, Egypt and the Sudan, gaining in the process a reputation as the Navy's finest exponent of Combined Operations.

Sir William Hewett rose to the rank of Vice Admiral in 1884 before retiring from the Navy in 1888 and died the same year.

Vice-Admiral Hewett was awarded the following medals:
Victoria Cross
Knight Commander of the Bath
Crimean War Medal
Turkish Crimean Medal
Crimean Medal 'Al Valore'
India General Service Medal
Ashanti Medal 1873–74
Egypt Medal 1882
Khedive Star 1882
Order of Mejidieh 4th
Class Legion of Honour 5th Class

Admiral Sir Walter Cowan

A true fighting naval officer I have recently been reading about is worthy of much admiration, and I am pleased to share with you my research into a man who is simply inspirational. So much so that I have started a new article category for him: Gentlemen of Renown and Infamy. If you have one of your own to suggest, I would greatly welcome your submission.

Admiral Sir Walter Henry "Titch" Cowan, 1st Baronet, KCB, DSO and bar, MVO

b.1871, joined the RN in 1884 (aged 13), d.1956

Early years - served in verious expeditions in West Africa, commanded the gunboat HMS SULTAN during the Battle of Omdurman and the whole gunboat squadron during the Fashoda Incident with the French during which he was awarded the DSO. Cowan then went south to participate in the Second Boer War, saw extensive sea service as a Destroyer Captain afterwards and then service the the Battlecruiser force during WW1 (including the Battle of Jutland where his ship was heavily damaged) during which he was known to be one of "the most offensively minded of the Grand-Fleet officers."

In his great book "The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command", Andrew Gordon writes:

"Walter Cowan, Captain of the [Lion class battlecruiser] Princess Royal, had been a close friend of [Admiral] Beatty's from both midshipman and Nile-gunboat days. He was a ferocious midget who loved war so much that he spent his leave periods in the trenches in France and wept when the Armistice was announced. "

It was also said that he "was the only Officer in the Grand Fleet that was sorry the war was over"

Gordon continues: "He became the scourge of the Bolsheviks in the Baltic in 1919 [As a Rear-Admiral he commanded a Light Cruiser Squadron from his flagship Delhi and sank 2 Russian Battleships and 1 destroyer], and ended his naval career as Admiral of the Fleet.[not quite true, but he was a full Admiral]"

Cowan came out of retirement in 1940, accepting demotion to the rank of Commander, to join an Indian armoured regiment in North Africa. He was captured by the Italians when he personally attacked a tank by himself armed with only a revolver! Subsequently released by the Italians on humanitarian grounds he joined the Commandos as a Naval liasion officer, aged 72. He saw further action in clandestine actions in Italy and the Med from 1943 where he won a second DSO in 1944 (more than 40 years after earning his first one) before retiring once more.

There are 2 books dedicaed to his service which would be fascinating reading:

• Lionel George Dawson, Sound of the guns, being an account of the wars and service of Admiral Sir Walter Cowan (Pen-in-hand, Oxford, 1949);
• Geoffrey Bennett, Cowan's war: the story of British naval operations in the Baltic, 1918-1920 (Collins, London, 1964) - reprinted in 2002 as "Freeing the Baltic" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Freeing-Baltic-Geoffrey-Bennett/dp/184341001X)
  
  His Service biography is:

Naval cadet 1884; Benin, Nigeria 1887; Cdr, HMS REDBREAST, Red Sea 1893-1895; HMS BARROSA, Cape Station 1895; Brass River and Mwele Expeditions 1897; commanding gunboat flotilla, Nile during Sudan operations 1898; Aide-de-camp to Gen Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Viscount Kitchener of Khartoum and Naval Aide-de-camp to FM Sir Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts of Kandahar, Pretoria and Waterford, during South African War 1901; World War I 1914-1918; HMS ZEALANDIA, Grand Fleet 1914; Capt, HMS PRINCESS ROYAL 1915-1917; Battle of Jutland 1916; commanding 1 Light Cruiser Sqn of the Grand Fleet 1917-1920; Baltic Force 1919-1920; Battle Cruiser Sqn, Atlantic Fleet 1921-1922; Commanding Officer, Coast of Scotland 1925-1926; Commander-in-Chief North America and West Indies Station 1926-1928; retired 1931; Commando Forces, World War II 1939-1945; liaison officer with Commando Bde, Eastern Mediterranean 1941; attached to Indian Regt, Western Desert 1941-1942; captured at Bir Hakeim 1942; repatriated 1943, Cdo forces 1943-45

Emperor Norton I of America

Bizarre characters of History:

Norton the First, by the grace of God Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico

Proclamation of 17 Sep 1859:

"At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton, formerly of Algoa Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and now for the last 9 years and 10 months past of S. F., Cal., declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these U. S.; and in virtue of the authority thereby in me vested, do hereby order and direct the representatives of the different States of the Union to assemble in Musical Hall, of this city, on the 1st day of Feb. next, then and there to make such alterations in the existing laws of the Union as may ameliorate the evils under which the country is laboring, and thereby cause confidence to exist, both at home and abroad, in our stability and integrity.
NORTON I, Emperor of the United States"

http://www.sfmuseum.org/hist1/norton.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_I
http://www.kudzumonthly.com/kudzu/mar02/Emperor.html

Officer Qualities!

What a fantastic quote!:

"An Officer should be comely, spratly and above all else, confident in his own dress and bearing.

He should, where possible, eat a small piece of meat each morning with molasses and beans.

He should air himself gracefully when under fire and never place himself in a position of difficulty when being shot at.

He should eat his meals comfortably and ahead of his soldiers, for it is he who is more important tactically on the battlefield and therefore he who should be well nourished.

His hair should be well groomed and if possible he should adorn a moustashe or similar facial adornment.

When speaking to his soldiers he should appear unnerved and aloof and give direction without in any way involving himself in the execution of arduous or unofficer like duties.

He should smoke thin pantellas except when in the company of ladies when he should take only a small gin mixed with lemon tea.

He should be an ardent and erudite gentleman and woo the ladies both in the formal environment and in the bedroom where he should excel himself beyond the ordinary soldier with his virulent love making prowess.

These I say to you are the qualities of an Officer that set him apart from the lay person and the common soldier"

Lieutenant General Hubert Worthington
Commander In Chief
5th Royal Indian Mountain Division
Bombay
12 December, 1907