Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

Keith Robin Hoare, (26 September 1890 – 6 February 1959) was a

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 ...

officer and a recipient of the Albert Medal, a high level decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth awarded for gallantry in saving life. Hoare was awarded the Albert Medal in 1918 for his actions in removing depth charges from HM Motor Launch 356 after its engine room exploded, despite the flames, thus preventing a further explosion. With the establishment of the George Cross in 1940, the Albert Medal was discontinued.

Early life

Robin Hoare was born the son of Charles Arthur Richard Hoare, Senior Partner of C. Hoare & Co, bankers, and

Beatrice Holme Sumner Beatrice Holme Sumner (12 July 1862 – 23 April 1946) was an English eccentric, for some sixty years the manager of a training ship for boys, TS ''Mercury''. As the lover of Charles Hoare, she was a controversial figure in Victorian society of th ...

on 26 September 1890.Keith Robin Hoare at The Peerage.Com
/ref> The family lived on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

but in 1892 moved to

Hamble Hamble may refer to: * The River Hamble in Hampshire, England * Hamble aerodrome on the banks of the River Hamble. ** Hamble-Warsash Ferry, a ferry service on the River Hamble * Hamble-le-Rice, a village on the river Hamble, close to the city of Sou ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

. He was educated at Northwood Park School on the

and

Loretto School Loretto School, founded in 1827, is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 0 to 18. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. History The school was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. ...

near

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

.Heroes of the Albert Medal by Allan Stanistreet, Published by Token, 2002, , Page 92 In his youth, he was a regular visitor to the Training Ship ''Mercury'' which from 1908 was managed by his mother and his stepfather,

C. B. Fry Charles Burgess Fry (25 April 1872 – 7 September 1956) was an English sportsman, teacher, writer, editor and publisher, who is best remembered for his career as a cricketer. John Arlott described him with the words: "Charles Fry could b ...

.''The Indominable Beattie – Charles Hoare, C. B. Fry and the Captain's Lady'' by Ronald Morris, Published by Sutton Publishing, 2004, , Page 108

First World War

Hoare's first military experience came when he was commissioned into the 1st

Hampshire Royal Garrison Artillery The 1st Hampshire Artillery Volunteers and its successors were part-time coast defence units of the British Army from 1860 to 1967. Although the units saw no action, they protected the Portsmouth area in both World Wars and supplied trained gunne ...

Volunteer Force The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increasingly integrated ...

, as a second lieutenant on 6 December 1902; he later transferred to the Lancashire Royal Garrison Artillery. He then

emigrate Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...

d to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

where he stayed for several years before working his passage home via

Valparaíso Valparaíso (; ) is a major city, seaport, naval base, and educational centre in the commune of Valparaíso, Chile. "Greater Valparaíso" is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located about northwest of Santiago ...

where he collected some polo

ponies A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...

for delivery to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. With the outbreak of 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 ...

in 1914 he was commissioned as a temporary sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve on 7 October 1914, initially for service in the

Royal Naval Division The 63rd (Royal Naval) Division was a United Kingdom infantry division of the First World War. It was originally formed as the Royal Naval Division at the outbreak of the war, from Royal Navy and Royal Marine reservists and volunteers, who wer ...

.Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve: Records of Service, WW1—Image details—Hoare, Keith Robin
''DocumentsOnline'',

The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...

(fee usually required to view full pdf of original service record). He transferred to the

Auxiliary Patrol The Auxiliary Patrol was an antisubmarine patrols initiative by the British to help combat German submarine operations in the early stages of World War I. It was under the command of the Admiral of Patrols at the Admiralty and was the pioneer of ...

on 27 November 1914, and was promoted

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 ...

on 7 October 1915. In 1917 and early 1918 he made several applications for transfer to the submarine service or to larger craft: these were all refused. He was promoted to acting

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

on 25 February 1918, and on 6 April 1918, Hoare was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

for his service in the Patrol during the course of the previous year. On 12 April 1918, the engine room of HM Motor Launch 356 exploded at Dunkirk quay, after a collision with another vessel, and the forward petrol tanks burst into flames.Staunton, Anthony (2005). ''Victoria Cross: Australia's Finest and the Battles they Fought''. Prahran, Victoria, Australia: Hardie Grant Books. . Page 298 Several of the launch's crew were blown overboard by the explosion, while the remainder were driven off by the fire. Flames soon began to issue forth from the cabin, and burning petrol spread on the surface of the water. As others proceeded to flee the scene, Hoare, along with Lieutenant Arthur Bagot, realised the fire was threatening the aft petrol tanks and the depth charges located on board the launch. Jumping in a dinghy, the pair rowed out towards the blaze. On reaching the wreck, Hoare and Bagot removed the depth charges despite the flames; thus preventing any further explosion. For their actions during the incident, both Hoare and Bagot were awarded the Albert Medal. The announcement and accompanying citation for the award was published in the '' London Gazette'' on 20 August 1918, reading: Appointed Commander of Motor Launch 283, Hoare was in action at the

First Ostend Raid The First Ostend Raid (part of Operation ZO) was the first of two attacks by the Royal Navy on the German-held port of Ostend during the late spring of 1918 during the First World War. Ostend was attacked in conjunction with the neighbouring h ...

on 23 April 1918. Throughout the operation, the launch conducted duties of rescuing officers and men from HMS ''Sirius'' and HMS ''Brilliant''. Praised for "exercising the utmost coolness and judgement" during the engagement, Hoare was awarded the

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, ty ...

. His citation records that he went alongside HMS ''Sirius'' under heavy fire and took off 50 of her crew and then went alongside HMS ''Brilliant'' and took off 16 of that ship's crew. The notification of the award was published in a supplement to the ''London Gazette'' on 23 July 1918. His acting rank was also confirmed as a further reward for his success in this operation. He was invested with his DSO and DSC by

King 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 his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 31 July 1918. He was also involved in the

Second Ostend Raid The Second Ostend Raid (officially known as Operation VS) was the later of two failed attempts made during the spring of 1918 by the United Kingdom's Royal Navy to block the channels leading to the Belgian port of Ostend as a part of its confl ...

on 9 May 1918, for which he received a

Mention in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

and a

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 DSO on 28 August. He was given his AM and the Bar to his DSO in a further investiture soon after. He received further Mentions on 18 February 1919 (relating back to the incident for which he also received his first DSO), and on 8 March 1919. Hoare was demobilised on 24 September 1919.

Later life

After the War, Hoare became the manager of a fleet of fishing trawlers owned by ''Sam Robford & Co'', a business based in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. In 1926, Robin Hoare, in partnership with

s Sydney Allen and Lionell Chappell, took an interest in the

Honister Slate Mine The Honister Slate Mine in Cumbria is the last working slate mine in England. Quarrying for Westmorland green slate has been taking place in the area since 1728. Apart from the mining it is also a popular tourist attraction in the Lake Distr ...

Borrowdale Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria, England. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Cumberland. It is sometimes referred to as ''Cumberland Borrowdale'' ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

: Hoare became the Resident Director while his colleagues became

sleeping partner A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments o ...

s. At the start of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Hoare returned the

, seeing action on armed trawlers with Dover Command from May 1940 and then joining Combined Operations to undertake landing craft duties in preparation for the

Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and ...

from August 1943 before serving as Commanding Officer, HM Naval Base Haifa from January 1945.Tyler, Page 114 Hoare returned to Honister Slate Mine in 1945. He died in 1959 while still active as Resident Director of the mine. In 1971, the remaining living holders of the Albert Medal were instructed to return it, and they were issued with the George Cross in its place.

Family

In 1919 he married Brenda Bardsley and together they had a son and three daughters. From around 1930 they lived at Portinscale near Keswick in

Cumbia Cumbia refers to a number of musical rhythms and folk dance traditions of Latin America, generally involving musical and cultural elements from American Indigenous peoples, enslaved Africans during colonial times, and Europeans. Examples include: ...

.Tyler, Page 88

References

Sources

*Ian Tyler (1994) "Honister Slate – The History of a Lakeland Slate Mine", ''Blue Rock Publications'' . {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoare, Robin 1890 births 1959 deaths Recipients of the Albert Medal (lifesaving) People educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh People from Keswick, Cumbria Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Navy officers Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War I Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy officers of World War II