Richard Douglas Sandford
Lieutenant Richard Douglas Sandford, V.C., (11 May, 1891 – 24 November, 1918) was an officer in the Royal Navy.
Life & Career
The son of E. G. Sandford, Archdeacon of Exeter passed out of the Training Establishment in September 1908 and was appointed to Hibernia of the Channel Fleet, in which he would spend fifteen months.
Sandford was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 October, 1913.[1]
Sandford was noted as a "most reliable range-taker" by Captain Cecil Irby Prowse of Duke of Edinburgh in December, 1913.[2]
In early 1914, he received training in submarines, and in May was appointed to H.M.S. Forth for service with them. In July, he transferred to Onyx and on 13 November, to Dolphin.
Sandford was appointed to Dolphin for service in the submarine W 1 on 13 November, 1914.[3] He served in G 6 from mid-February 1916 until being given his first command, C 34 on 29 August, 1916.
At the end of 1916, he was appointed to K 7 very briefly before being put in K 6. He served in her until 5 January 1918 when he was sent to the Periscope School at H.M.S. Dolphin.
In late March 1918, he was appointed to command the submarine C 3, which would soon undertake an unusual mission. Sandford would receive the Victoria Cross for his role in commanding the explosives-laden C 3 as a mobile demolition charge to destroy a viaduct allowing the Mole at Zeebrugge to communicate to the port.
Sandford died of typhoid at Eston Hospital, South Bank on 23 November, 1918, the day after his most recent command, the submarine G 11 was run aground and was lost under the command of George Fagan Bradshaw, who had replaced him.[4]
See Also
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by John F. Hutchings |
Captain of H.M.S. C 34 29 Aug, 1916[5] – Dec, 1916[6] |
Succeeded by Sydney T. Winn |
| Preceded by Guy D'Oyly-Hughes |
Captain of H.M.S. C 3 23 Mar, 1918[7] – 23 Apr, 1918[8] |
Succeeded by Vessel Lost |
| Preceded by Walter A. C. Dickson |
Captain of H.M.S. C 30 25 Aug, 1918[9] – Sep, 1918[10] |
Succeeded by Theodore F. A. Voysey |
| Preceded by Charles G. N. Graham |
Captain of H.M.S. G 11 12 Oct, 1918[11] – 22 Nov, 1918[12] |
Succeeded by George F. Bradshaw |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 68b.
- ↑ Sandford Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/78. f. 77.
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 304.
- ↑ Sandford Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/78. f. 77.
- ↑ Sandford Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/78. f. 77.
- ↑ Sandford Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/78. f. 77.
- ↑ Sandford Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/78. f. 77.
- ↑ Hepper. British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era: 1860-1919. pp. 128, 129.
- ↑ Sandford Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/78. f. 77.
- ↑ Sandford Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/78. f. 77.
- ↑ Sandford Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/78. f. 77.
- ↑ Sandford Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/53/78. f. 77.
