Norman Vere Grace

Captain Norman Vere Grace, D.L. (31 July, 1894 – 20 February, 1975) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

The son of Edward Mills Grace, Esq., a coroner, physician and surgeon.

Upon passing out of the Training Establishment on 15 January, 1912, Midshipman Grace was appointed to the battleship Orion, where he remained until 13 July 1914, having been promoted to the rank of Acting Sub-Lieutenant on 15 May 1914. He then served in the pre-dreadnought H.M.S. Implacable until she paid off on 19 April, 1916, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 December, 1915. He obtained his watchkeeping certificate on 15 May 1916 while in a brief appointment in the destroyer Foyle.

Grace left Foyle on 29 June for an appointment in another, more modern destroyer, the Laforey Class destroyer Lawford, which was part of the Harwich Force's Ninth Destroyer Flotilla. He stayed in Lawford until March 1917, and participated in her in the Battle of Dover Strait on the night of October 26-27 1916, under the command of Arthur A. Scott.

Grace served in the new "R" Class destroyer Sybille from March 1917 through 8 May 1918, still being under Commander Scott in this posting. The new ship was part of the Tenth Destroyer Flotilla, but this was also a component of the Harwich Force.

In May 1918, Grace left Sybille and went to the torpedo training school H.M.S. Vernon to take the Long Torpedo Course. He was to specialize in the

Grace was awarded the Ogilvy Medal for the year 1919 for placing first in examinations to qualify as Lieutenant (T).

He was appointed as torpedo officer in the battleship Ajax, vice Stephenson, in October, 1921. This would last until he was sent to undertake a two year staff position at Vernon in September 1922, during which he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 December, 1923.

From 1924 to 1929, Grace served as torpedo officer in Queen Elizabeth and in the battlecruiser Hood, with some time in between spent with the Stores Department. Grace was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1929.

He commanded the sloop Grimsby from c. March 1934.

Grace was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1937.

World War II

On 2 January 1946 Grace was appointed Aide-de-Camp to the King in succession to Captain D. N.C. Tufnell.

He was placed on the Retired List on 5 July, 1946.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Artifacts

The editor possesses several of Vere's items.

• Navigation workbook dated March 1911. 55 pages filled in, with celestial charts, etc.
• Midshipman's Sketch Book. H.M.S. Orion, 1913-14. Heavy on steam plant. Color diagrams in spectacular condition. 82 of 140 pages used.
• Midshipman's Sketch Book. Hydraulics. H.M.S. Orion, 1913-14. Color diagrams in spectacular condition. Loose drawings within. 40 of 140 pages used.
• S. 323 Signal Log, mostly blank but others containing pasted-in diagrams and text on 4.5 foot Mark III FA, 2m FT 23, 9 foot FT 24, 15 foot FT 25 rangefinders. No names. Last page on Ross telescopes 5-21. I presume this is Grace's.

Bibliography

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Gervase B. Middleton	Deputy Director of Torpedoes and Mining 9 May, 1938 – 17 Aug, 1940	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by George K. Whitmy-Smith	Captain of H.M.S. Adventure 18 Aug, 1940 – 12 Aug, 1942	Succeeded by Ronald G. Bowes-Lyon
Preceded by Richard G. Onslow	Commanding Officer, H.M.S. Osprey 7 Dec, 1943 – 14 Jan, 1944	Succeeded by John A. Binnie
Preceded by Henry J. Egerton	Captain of H.M.S. Berwick Jan, 1944 – 10 Aug, 1944	Succeeded by Stephen H. T. Arliss
Preceded by Harold E. Morse	Captain of H.M.S. Vernon 21 Sep, 1944 – early 1946	Succeeded by John Hughes-Hallett