John Gregory Crace

Vice Admiral Sir John Gregory Crace KBE, CB (February 6, 1887-May 11, 1968) was an Australian who came to prominence as an officer of the British Royal Navy (RN). Crace nevertheless spent a great deal of his career with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). He commanded the Australian-United States Support Force (Task Force 44) at the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942.

Crace was born to Kate Marion Crace and Edward Kendall Crace at Gungahlin (which was later part of the ACT, but was in NSW at the time). He was educated at The Kings School in Parramatta, before completing school in the UK in October 1899. Crace then enlisted in the RN. His first posting was with the training ship HMS "Britannia", in May 1902. After being trained as a torpedo officer, Crace served on the battlecruiser HMAS "Australia" throughout the First World War.

He travelled back and forth to Australia during the interwar years, and served in a series of sea and shore positions before being assigned command of the Australian Squadron in September 1939. Upon his arrival in Sydney, Crace grew increasing dismayed at the state of the RAN fleet and attempted to resign.Fact|date=February 2007 However, after war with Japan broke out, Crace was appointed commander of the Allied Naval Squadron, ANZAC Force.

During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Crace narrowly escaped a Japanese air raid while patrolling south of New Guinea. He returned to Britain in June 1942 as a Vice Admiral, commanding the Chatham Dockyard. Crace was placed on the retired list in 1945, but remained in command at Chatham until July 1946.

Crace died in Hampshire, England in 1968.

Further reading

*Tucker, Spencer C., ed. "Who's Who in Twentieth-Century Warfare". London: Routledge (UK), 2001. ISBN 0-415-23497-2

References

*Parrish, Thomas and S. L. A. Marshall, ed. "The Simon and Schuster Encyclopedia of World War II", New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978.
*Keegan, John, ed. "The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of World War II". New York: Rand McNally & Company, 1977.

External links

* [http://www.awm.gov.au/people/151.asp Who's Who in Australian Military History: Vice Admiral John Gregory Crace, KBE]
* [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130580b.htm Australian Dictionary of Biography: Crace, Sir John Gregory (Jack) (1887 - 1968)]
* [http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma_new/locreg/CRACE.shtml Liddell Heart Centre for Military Archives]
* [http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersC2.html Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945: L.G.E. Crabbe to W.N. Custance]