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

Sir Anthony Henry Thorold, 15th Baronet, (7 September 1903 – 1 May 1999), was an English

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

officer, public servant, and councillor. He served as Captain of from 1951 to 1952, and was Commodore in Charge,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, from 1953 to 1955. After retirement, he turned to public service and politics, serving as

High Sheriff of Lincolnshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilit ...

for 1968 and as Leader of

Lincolnshire County Council Lincolnshire County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Lincolnshire in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county; the latter additionally includes North Lincolnshire and No ...

from 1973 to 1981.

Early life and education

Thorold was born on 7 September 1903 to Sir James Thorold, 14th Baronet, and his wife Katharine Thorold (née Tindal-Atkinson). He would succeed his father to the Thorold baronetcy in 1965. He was educated at

Royal Naval College, Osborne The Royal Naval College, Osborne, was a training college for Royal Navy officer cadets on the Osborne House estate, Isle of Wight, established in 1903 and closed in 1921. Boys were admitted at about the age of thirteen to follow a course lasting ...

, and at

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

Career

Naval career

Thorold joined the

in 1917. He was regraded from acting sub-lieutenant to sub-lieutenant on 30 August 1924. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 30 May 1926. He qualified as a navigating officer in 1928. He was promoted to lieutenant commander on 30 May 1934. He attended and passed the staff course at the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...

, in 1935. At the beginning of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, from 1939 to 1940, Thorold served with the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

and the

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...

. He was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

on 30 June 1940. From 1941 to 1943, he was

Staff Officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large milita ...

Operations to the

Flag Officer Commanding A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

Force H Force H was a British naval formation during the Second World War. It was formed in late-June 1940, to replace French naval power in the western Mediterranean removed by the French armistice with Nazi Germany. The force occupied an odd place ...

(

James Somerville Admiral of the Fleet Sir James Fownes Somerville (17 July 1882 – 19 March 1949) was a Royal Navy admiral of the fleet. He served in the First World War as fleet wireless officer for the Mediterranean Fleet where he was involved in providing ...

then

Henry Harwood Admiral Sir Henry Harwood Harwood, (19 January 1888 – 9 June 1950) was a Royal Navy officer who won fame in the Battle of the River Plate during the Second World War. Early life Following education at Stubbington House School, Harwood ent ...

). Between 1944 and 1945, he was assigned to

Western Approaches Command Commander-in-Chief, Western Approaches was the commander of a major operational command of the Royal Navy during World War II. The admiral commanding, and his forces, sometimes informally known as 'Western Approaches Command,' were responsibl ...

and served in command of various Escort Groups. He was captain of from April 1945 to early 1946. Thorold was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on 31 December 1946. From January 1949 to 1950, he was senior officer of the

Fishery Protection Squadron The Overseas Patrol Squadron (known as the Fishery Protection Squadron until 2020) is a front-line squadron of the Royal Navy with responsibility for patrolling the UK's Extended Fisheries Zone, both at home and around British Overseas Territori ...

, and commanding officer of . From December 1950 to January 1953, he was captain of , a

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. 'Stone frigate' is an informal term which has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy (RN), after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the First French ...

that was home to the Royal Navy's Navigation and Direction School. From July 1953 to June 1955, he served as Commodore in Charge of

. He was a Naval Aide de Camp to The Queen from 7 July 1955 to 7 January 1956. Thorold retired from the Royal Navy on 7 January 1956. Due to his high rank, he was allowed to continue to be addressed as captain.

Public service

On 2 June 1959, Thorold was commissioned as a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) to the

Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire The Lord-Lieutenant of Lincolnshire () is the British monarch's personal representative in the county of Lincolnshire. Historically, the lord-lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lord-lieutenant's responsibi ...

. In 1961, he was appointed a Justice of the Peace (JP) for

Kesteven The Parts of Kesteven ( or ) are a traditional division of Lincolnshire, England. This division had long had a separate county administration (quarter sessions), along with the two other Parts of Lincolnshire, Lindsey and Holland. Etymology T ...

. On 4 March 1968, he was appointed

: the appointment is held for one year. Thorold also held a number of voluntary chairmanships: Grantham Hospital Management Committee (1963 to 1974), Lincoln Diocesan Trust and Board of Finance (1966 to 1971), and Community Council of Lincolnshire (1974 to 1981).

Political career

From 1958 to 1974, Thorold was a

county councillor A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Australia In the Australian state of New South Wales, county councils are special purpose ...

for

. From 1973 to 1981, he was

Leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

Personal life

In 1939, Thorold married Jocelyn Elaine Laura Heathcote-Smith. She was the daughter of Sir Clifford Heathcote-Smith, a British diplomat and Royal Navy officer. Together they had three children: one son and two daughters. Their son Anthony Oliver Thorold would succeed to his father's title. Thorold died on 1 May 1999. His wife predeceased him, dying in 1993. He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's Church,

Syston Syston ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. The population was 11,508 at the 2001 census, rising to 12,804 at the 2011 census. Overview There has been a settlement on the site for over 1,000 ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

Honours

In the 1942 King's Birthday Honours, Thorold was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE). On 25 August 1942, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) "For bravery and enterprise while serving in H.M. Ships, Transports and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries in the successful operations which led to the surrender of the important base of Diego Suarez". On 19 June 1945, he was awarded a

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

to his Distinguished Service Cross "For outstanding courage, determination and skill while serving in H.M. Ships Nairana, Campania, Lark, Ainwick Castle, Onslow, Onslaught, Cygnet, Whitehall, Orwell, Zambesi, Zealous, Zest and Opportune, and H.M.C.S. Sioux, in escorting a convoy to and from North Russia under continuous and fierce attacks by the enemy and in exceptionally hard weather conditions."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorold, Anthony Henry 1903 births 1999 deaths Royal Navy captains Royal Navy officers of World War II Members of Lincolnshire County Council Deputy lieutenants of Lincolnshire High sheriffs of Lincolnshire Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne Graduates of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) English justices of the peace 115 Anthony Henry