BRADWELL TURNER

[UserRemovedAccount]

HELP!!!!
I am carrying out some research into Old Blues in the Services. I believe that BRADWELL TURNER, who was a LIEUTENANT in the navy (either RN or RNVR, not sure which) in 1939-40 may have been an OLD BLUE.
I would be most grateful to know whether this name rings a bell with anyone. Any information on him, his time at Housie (if he was, indeed, an Old Blue), his wartime career or subsequent post-war career would be most welcome.

[sejintenej]

from: http://www.oldblues.com/oldbluesnews.htm

A writer in The Times on 9 April disputed the familiar claim that it was Lt-Cdr Bradwell Turner (MB 17-20) who gave the shout of 'The Navy's here' during the boarding of the Altmark in 1940, crediting instead Able Seaman James Harper, who was awarded the DSM for his actions that day. Is anyone in a position to decide this question?

[UserRemovedAccount]

There are a few articles on Google.co.uk if you put BRADWELL TURNER in speech marks. For the pages that don't load: go back to the search results and click the [Cached] link under the search result.

Thanks very much for the helpful replies concerning Bradwell Turner and the Altmark. It is my fault, but I should have made it clear that the story about Turner and "The Navy's Here!" was my start point, and it is a vague recollection of having read his obituary some years ago which mentioned that the originator of that famous remark was an Old Blue that led me to enquire whether anyone on the CH Forum , despite the gap in time, might have any recollections of him or his time at Housie. However, I see from sejintenej that he was in Maine B from 1917-20, which is a very helpful piece of info, but places him rather earlier than I had expected, so the chances of any personal reminiscences are pretty remote!

Thanks again,

[Rex]

Bradwell Turner died on 21 March 1990. An obituary appears on page 130 of The Blue for Lent Term that year. Unfortunately it's based solely on a piece in the Sunday Telegraph and offers no information on his CH career.

[Rex]

Here's a transcript anyway.


____________________
Cdr. B. T. Turner
CVO DSO OBE
____________________

Bradwell Turner (MB 17-20) died on 21 March at the age of 82. The following is extracted from an obituary in The Sunday Telegraph.

Commander Bradwell Turner, who has died aged 82, was celebrated as the officer who led the destroyer Cossack's boarding party in the "Altmark Affair" in February 1940 - one of the legendary incidents of the WW2.

At that time the German tanker Altmark had on board her some 300 British merchant seamen, captured when their ships were sunk by the raiding German battleship Admiral Graf Spee. Altmark's captain was trying to use the shelter of neutral Norwegian waters to make his escape back to Germany.

One attempt by the British to intercept Altmark on 16 February had been thwarted by Norwegian ships, and Altmark took refuge in a narrow fjord. That afternoon Captain Philip Vian of the Cossack, demanded of the Norwegians that the British prisoners be handed over to him.

The Norwegians replied that they had examined Altmark and found no British prisoners. Vian withdrew to seek instructions.

Orders

Winston Churchill, who was then First Lord of the Admiralty, ordered Vain to pursue Altmark, and, if necessary, to resist any interference by the Norwegians. Cossack entered the fjord that night, where Altmark tried to ram her and then herself ran aground.

As the two ships came together, Turner - with the leap that made him famous - landed on Altmark's upper deck, followed by the rest of the boarding party.

After a brief struggle, in which six Germans were killed, and six wounded, and others fled across the frozen ice to the shore, Altmark was captured and her holds were opened.

Turner shouted down: "Any British there?" and was answered by a tremendous yell of: "Yes, we're all BRITISH!"

Turner's response became a legend. "Come up then," he said, "the Navy's here!" It was, as Turner recalled many times in later years, a great moment. He himself was awarded the DSO.

CH

Bradwell Talbot Turner was born on 7 April 1907 and educated at Christ's Hospital. He joined the Navy as a cadet in 1921, going to Osborne and Dartmouth.

Turner specialised as a signals officer, and was Flag Lieutenant to Adml D'Oyly-Lion [seemingly a misprint for "D'Oyly-Lyon"] commanding the first cruiser squadron in the Mediterranean from 1935 to 1937 before joining the new destroyer Cossack as her First Lieutenant.

Later he went to the Admiralty where he was involved in planning communications and Anglo-American cooperation for the D-Day Normandy landings, for which he was made an Officer of the American Legion of Merit.

In 1945 he was executive officer of the cruiser Cumberland on the South African station, when he contracted polio. He was an invalid for two years, and was left with one permanently lame leg.

But he commanded the destroyer Whirlwind from 1947 to 1948 and held appointments at HMS Sea Eagle, the shore station in Northern Ireland, in the Admiralty, and with Nato in Washington.

Last appointment

His last appointment from 1954 to 1957 was Naval Attaché in Oslo. Realising that he had no hope of further promotion, because of his disability, he read law by correspondence course, and was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple in 1956.

He never practised at the Bar, but worked for Marconi until 1972. He became a JP in Chelmsford in 1962 and chairman of the bench 12 years later.

Turner was a tall, dignified man, a perfectionist who loved things to be "just so". The Navy had been his life, and remained his main interest.

He kept in touch with old naval friends, and in 1980 he attended a "Forty Years On" reunion of old Cossack shipmates from the Altmark days.

He was appointed OBE in 1951 and CVO in 1955.

In 1937 he married Molly, daughter of Prof. W. Nixon; they had three daughters.

[UserRemovedAccount]

I am deeply grateful to all those who have provided me with so much very helpful information and so quickly on Bradwell Turner. The contributions illustrate not only the interest Old Blues take in their fellows and their careers, but also the value of the CH Forum.

For your information, the reason for the request is that I have started work on a booklet on Old Blues in the Armed Forces 1556-2006, which will be basically a series of potted biographies of those who have come to public notice, such as Colborne (only OB field marshall), Cavagnari (who died in Kabul in the 19th century), Elstob (our only VC), a number who flew in the Battle of Britain, etc, etc. The booklet will not, however, only be about the bold and the great, but will also cover examples of those who served with honour and devotion, albeit without reaching the highest rank or earning the highest award. Examples will include Shaw, who as a PoW persuaded his German escorts to surrender themselves to the Allies, Donaldson who broke the world air speed record, Turner whose "the navy's here!" lifted the spririts of a somewhat disheartened nation, and so on. If some of you hear echoes of "...and some there be who have no memorial..." you would not be far wrong.

The booklet will be some 50 pages long and highly illustrated in the style of the one I did for the Barnes Wallis celebrations in 2003, and which seemed to be quite well received.

Thanks again and watch the CH Forum for more requests for help!

[Rex]

David - a very good idea, and I look forward to reading it.

One correction, though: Wilfrith Elstob wasn't our only VC, though he's by far our best known. There have been at least two others:

Edward Felix Baxter (CH 1896-1901)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Felix_Baxter

and, further back,
Henry William Pitcher (CH 1848-56)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_William_Pitcher
(but the photo here is of someone else, not Pitcher)

I wrote an article on Pitcher (the most strenuous piece of research I ever did for The Blue - even managed to find an error in his citation), a shortened version of which was published in the Michaelmas 2003 edition, page 75.

And I expect you know this, but just for the record: one of our two known George Crosses was awarded to a serving RAF officer (the future Air Vice Marshal Sir Laurence Sinclair (MA 1919-24)) for his heroism when an RAF bomber crashed on take-off.

[UserRemovedAccount]

Rex,
Many thanks for your help. You are quite right that the picture of Pitcher (I almost wrote "Pitcher's picture," but thought it sounded a bit disrespectful!) looks very misplaced and cannot be of the man.

I would be grateful if you could tell me who the other GC is, please?

Incidentally, I see that Bradwell Turner was awarded the CVO. This is, of course, in the direct gift of the Sovereign - any idea why Turner received it?

Have you read "The Upside of Trouble" by Anthony Shaw (PeA 1935(?)-41). My review of the book is in the forthcoming "Old Blue". It is an excellent read.

As a matter of interest the current Old Blue score on top brass is: Generals - 1; Lieutenant-Generals - 1; Major-Generals - 7; Rear Admirals - 3; and Air Commodores - 3. Most are now retired, but the current NATO commander in Afghanistan is an Old Blue.

Do you have a copy of my booklet on Sir Barnes Wallis and the RAF Foundationers' Trust?

David

[sejintenej]

<b>Henry William Pitcher (CH 1848-56)</b>

Is that a typo or did Pitcher live to the age of 108? (ie he died in 1956).

He could not have got a VC from the dates I originally understood!

[UserRemovedAccount]

Is that a typo or did Pitcher live to the age of 108? (ie he died in 1956).

I see no problem over the dates. The VC was inaugurated in 1856 and Lieutenant Pitcher of the 4th Punjab Infantry was 22 years old when he won the VC on 30 October 1863 in North-West India. This ties-in with his leaving CH in 1856.

[Rex]

The guy in the photo is E H Pitcher, a Naval VC of WWI. There's an authentic photo of H W Pitcher in The Register of the Victoria Cross: a pale man with a moustache, a high forehead and extravagant side-whiskers.

Our other GC was an engineer in the Bengal Public Works Department, Charles William Tandy Green (double-barrelled name) who was in Ward 11 and Col A 1898-1904 and foiled an attempt on the life of the Governor of Bengal in 1934. This of course was seven years before the George Cross was instituted; Tandy Green was originally awarded one of the medals that were later exchanged for GCs - an Empire Gallantry Medal I think.

No idea about Bradwell Turner's CVO, I'm afraid - and no, I don't have a copy of your BNW/RAF booklet, and haven't yet read Anthony Shaw's book, though this link about it will be added to the Old Blues links page in the next update:
http://www.countrybookshop.co.uk/books/ ... 1857769821

[UserRemovedAccount]

and no, I don’t have a copy of your BNW/RAF booklet

I will send you a copy. Is your postal address still as in "Who's Blue 1997"?

David

[Rex]

David, that's very kind of you - thanks.

I'll send you a PM with my current address.