John Creswell
Captain John Creswell, R.N. (1 March, 1895 – 30 July 1973) served in the Royal Navy.
Life & Career
The son of retired Colonel E. W. Creswell of the Royal Engineers.
He served in the battleship Commonwealth and the destroyers Crusader and Napier from September 1912 through 9 July 1917 when he was sent to Dolphin for instruction in submarines.
Creswell was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 February 1917.
Creswell was automatically promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 April 1924 after eight years' service as a Lieutenant.
The Commander-in-Chief Atlantic Fleet recommended him for promotion as did the Rear-Admiral (S), and he was accordingly promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June 1929. He was reappointed in command of L.33, and superseded in command on 24 February 1930. On 5 May he was appointed to Victory for the Tactical Course which he completed on 4 July. On 15 July he joined the Royal Naval Staff College as a member of the directing staff.
On 26 July 1932 he was appointed to Vivid for command of the new sloop Falmouth which served on the China Station. He was superseded on 29 December 1933, and after his foreign service leave he requested to go on half pay, where he remained until he was appointed for a Tactical Course on 14 May 1934. On 26 September he was given charge of the War Game Room at Malta. An appointment to the light cruiser Castor in May 1935 was cancelled. On 9 April 1935 he again requested to go on half pay, which was periodically extended until April 1936.
Second World War
Creswell was appointed in command of the armed merchant cruiser Worcestershire on 7 October 1940 with the acting rank of Captain. He was in command when she was damaged by a torpedo from U-74 on 3 April, 1941.[1] On 12 May 1941 he was appointed for temporary service on a Selection Board for Temporary Entry officers, and on 19 May was given command of the auxiliary minelayer Southern Prince and also appointed Chief Staff Officer to Rear-Admiral (M).
He was placed on the Retired List with the rank of Captain from 1 March 1945 but didn't formally revert to the Retired List until 11 January 1946.
See Also
Bibliography
- Creswell, John (1972). British Admirals of the Eighteenth Century: Tactics in Battle. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
Papers
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by Henry B. Crane |
Captain of H.M.S. H 44 10 Aug, 1921[2] – Jul, 1922[3] |
Succeeded by Cecil A. Laffitte |
| Preceded by Victor C. Dorman-Smith |
Captain of H.M.S. R 4 Jul, 1922[4][5] – 1 Feb, 1923[6] |
Succeeded by Edward A. Aylmer |
| Preceded by Frank G. Hackforth-Jones |
Captain of H.M.S. L 33 c. Mar, 1929[7] – 24 Feb, 1930[8] |
Succeeded by Frank G. Emley |
| Preceded by New Command |
Captain of H.M.S. Falmouth 25 Jul, 1932[9] – 29 Dec, 1933[10] |
Succeeded by Frederic J. Walker |
Footnotes
- ↑ Uboat.net page on Worcestershire.
- ↑ Creswell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/57. f. 57.
- ↑ Creswell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/57. f. 57.
- ↑ Creswell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/57. f. 57.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1923). p. 797.
- ↑ Creswell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/57. f. 57.
- ↑ Creswell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/57. f. 57.
- ↑ Creswell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/57. f. 57.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1933). p. 238.
- ↑ Creswell Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/57. f. 57.
