Commander John Simon Kerans (30 June 191512 September 1985) was an officer in the Royal Navy and later a Conservative Party politician. He is also the author of the 1964 book ''The World's Greatest Sea Adventures'', Publisher: Odhams Books Ltd.

The Yangtze Incident

As Assistant British Naval Attaché in then Nanking, China in 1949, Lieutenant-Commander Kerans took command of when the ship came under fire on the Yangtze River during the final stages of the Chinese Civil War after the captain and 16 others were killed in the shelling. The ship was detained for ten weeks during negotiations for its release, until Kerans led a night-time escape. Kerans was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. The ''Amethyst'' incident was later the subject of a film entitled '' Yangtse Incident: The Story of HMS Amethyst'' (1957), in which Kerans was portrayed by the British actor Richard Todd.

Politics

At the 1959 general election he was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for

The Hartlepools The Hartlepools was a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. The constituency became Hartlepool in 1974. The seat's name reflected the representation of both old Hartlepool and West Hartlepool. Hist ...

. He served only one term in the House of Commons, and did not contest the

1964 general election The following elections occurred in 1964. Africa * 1964 Cameroonian parliamentary election * 1964 Central African Republic parliamentary election * 1964 Central African Republic presidential election * 1964 Dahomeyan general election * 1964 Gabo ...

. He advocated the representation of Communist China in the United Nations. Kerans was the last Conservative to serve as MP for the constituency, (now called

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...

) until Jill Mortimer was elected following the

2021 Hartlepool by-election A by-election for the House of Commons constituency of Hartlepool in the former county of Cleveland, England, was held on 6 May 2021. The by-election was triggered following the resignation of Labour Member of Parliament (MP) Mike Hill, who re ...

Grave

His remains are interred in the churchyard of St Peters, Tandridge and the grave can be found in the eastern side near the boundary wall.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kerans, John Simon 1915 births 1985 deaths Royal Navy officers Royal Navy officers of World War II Politics of the Borough of Hartlepool Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1959–1964