Vice admiral Gordon Campbell, (6 January 1886 – 3 October 1953) was a British naval officer, writer, politician and a recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...

forces. He was also awarded the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

and appointed a chevalier of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

for his actions during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Early life and career

Born on 6 January 1886 to Frederick Campbell, he was educated at Dulwich College, which he attended between 1898 and 1900. He then joined 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 ...

and was in October 1902 posted as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

to the battleship serving in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...

. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in 1907 and to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in March 1916. It was during the

that he was awarded the

for the following action: Campbell also commanded during the action of 8 August 1917 when she was sunk by SM ''UC-71''. Victoria Crosses were awarded to two members of the crew who were selected by ballot from amongst the crew of ''Dunraven'', Lieutenant

Charles George Bonner Charles George Bonner (29 December 1884 – 7 February 1951) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth forces. ...

and Petty Officer

Ernest Herbert Pitcher Chief Petty Officer Ernest Herbert Pitcher (31 December 1888 − 10 February 1946) (middle name also recorded as James) was a Royal Navy (RN) sailor and an English recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry in the fac ...

. Campbell received his second

Bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

to his

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

(DSO).

Later life

Campbell later achieved the rank of vice admiral. He commanded the battlecruiser from 1925 to 1927 and served as Naval Aide-de-Camp to

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

from 1928 to 1929. In 1931, he was elected as

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

, defeating the

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

leader,

Arthur Henderson Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935) was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the first Labour cabinet minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 and, uniquely, served three separate terms as Leader of th ...

. In 1935, however, standing as a National Liberal, he lost his seat. In the Second World War, Campbell was recalled to the Royal Navy and, serving in the rank of

, was responsible for anti-invasion measures around Padstow.Tempting the Fates,17 Aug 200, Dare Wilson Campbell wrote several publications, including the successful ''My Mystery Ships''. His brother,

Sir Edward Campbell, 1st Baronet Sir Edward Taswell Campbell, 1st Baronet, KStJ Justice of the Peace, JP (9 April 1879 – 17 July 1945) was a Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. Ancestry He was the son of Lieutenant colonel (United Ki ...

, was also a Member of Parliament. His

is held at his old school, Dulwich College.

References

External links

* * * illustrated account of Gordon Campbell, "the most famous Q-ship officer" {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Gordon 1886 births 1953 deaths Burials in Hampshire British military writers British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies National Liberal Party (UK, 1931) politicians People educated at Dulwich College People from Croydon Politics of Burnley Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Royal Navy vice admirals Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross UK MPs 1931–1935 Military personnel from Surrey