Sydney Thornhill Winn

Lieutenant-Commander (retired) Sydney Thornhill Winn, D.S.O., Royal Navy (29 November, 1888 – 16 May, 1924) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Life & Career

The only son of surgeon A. W. Winn, R.N. was born in Boulogne.

Winn was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 October, 1911. In late 1912, he was appointed to Dolphin for instruction in submarines. As the war began, he was appointed to Blenheim and Dolphin for service in submarines. He was in B 11, under the command of Lt. Norman D. Holbrook when she torpedoed the elderly Turkish ironclad Mesûdiye in December, 1914. Winn was awarded a D.S.O. for his contribution to this success. On 26 July 1915 he was invalided for a stomach disease.

By November 1915, at least, Winn was being placed in command of small coastal boats. He would command at last five before March 1917, when his service became vague in his service record, as is too often the case for the Royal Navy's submariners.

Winn was placed on the Retired List as unfit due to myopia and astigmatism on 8 April, 1919 and was promoted to Lieutenant-Commander on 1 October, 1919.

He was admitted to Haslar Hospital in 1923 for general paralysis of [illeg]. He died at age 35 at Royal Naval Hospital, Great Yarmouth.

See Also

• Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Hugh S. Hornby	Captain of H.M.S. A 5 13 Nov, 1915 – 23 Dec, 1915	Succeeded by Vessel Decommissioned
Preceded by Clyfford H. Warren	Captain of H.M.S. C 1 1 Jan, 1916 – 25 Jun, 1916	Succeeded by Arthur L. Noakes
Preceded by Thomas C. A. H. Ouchterlony	Captain of H.M.S. B 7 25 Jun, 1916 – 4 Oct, 1916	Succeeded by Kenneth Michell
Preceded by Oswald E. Hallifax	Captain of H.M.S. B 5 4 Oct, 1916 – Dec, 1916	Succeeded by Maurice W. Bailward
Preceded by Richard D. Sandford	Captain of H.M.S. C 34 Dec, 1916 – 8 Mar, 1917	Succeeded by George A. C. Sharp