Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Cecil Ryther Acklom (31 May 1872 – 12 June 1937), was a senior British officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, ‘a key figure in the development of the

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

for over a decade’, Assistant Superintendent at the Royal Gun Factory, Woolwich (1899-1910) and Superintendent of the Royal

Torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

Factory in

Greenock Greenock (; sco, Greenock; gd, Grianaig, ) is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council areas of Scotland, council area in Scotland, United Kingdom and a former burgh of barony, burgh within the Counties of Scotland, historic ...

(1910–19).Who Was Who, Published by A&C Black Limited

Life and career

Acklom was born on 31 May 1872, the son of Robert Evatt Acklom. Acklom entered the

in 1885 and in 1890 saw action in

East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...

on the coast at Vitu where he was awarded a medal and clasp. Between 1901 and 1910 he played a key role in the development of the

for the

, and later became Assistant Superintendent at the Royal Gun Factory, Woolwich between 1899 and 1910 before becoming Superintendent of the Royal Navy Torpedo Factory,

between 1910 and 1919. He was made CB in 1914, and

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1919. Acklom never married. He was the brother of

George Moreby Acklom George Moreby Acklom (17 November 1870 – 26 October 1959), was a British writer, editor, literary adviser and critic based in New York City, principally with the publisher E.P. Dutton, and the father of the Hollywood actor David Manners. Lif ...

and the uncle of

David Manners David Joseph Manners (born Rauff de Ryther Duan Acklom; April 30, 1900 – December 23, 1998) was a Canadian-American actor who plays John Harker in Tod Browning's 1931 horror classic '' Dracula'', which stars Bela Lugosi in the title role.Pac ...

.British BMD Indexes He died on 12 June 1937.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Acklom, Cecil Ryther 1872 births 1937 deaths Royal Navy officers Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire