Norman Douglas Holbrook

Norman Douglas Holbrook
Born	9 July 1888 Southsea, Hampshire
Died	3 July 1976 (aged 87) Midhurst, Sussex
Buried at	St James Old Churchyard, Stedham, West Sussex
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Rank	Commander
Commands held	HMS B11
Battles/wars	World War I World War II
Awards	Victoria Cross Légion d'honneur (France)

Commander Norman Douglas Holbrook VC (9 July 1888 – 3 July 1976) was an English recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Holbrook was the first submariner to be awarded the VC and it was the first naval VC gazetted in the First World War.^[1]

Holbrook was born 9 July 1888 in Southsea, Hampshire. He was educated at Portsmouth Grammar School.^{[citation needed]} He was 26 years old, a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy during the First World War and served on board HMS Britannia, Dartmouth. He later achieved the rank of Commander.

On 13 December 1914 in the Dardanelles, Turkey, he performed a deed for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross:

Lieutenant Holbrook was in command of the submarine B11, an old and obsolete craft built in 1905. Notwithstanding the difficulties of a treacherous current in the Straits, he dived under five rows of mines and torpedoed and sank the Turkish battleship Mesudiye, which was guarding the mine-field. He then succeeded in bringing the B11 back to the Mediterranean, in spite of being attacked by gun fire and torpedo boats. When they got back to safety the B11 had been submerged for 9 hours.

Death and legacy

A scale model of the B11 in Holbrook

Holbrook died on 3 July 1976 at Midhurst, Sussex. He was buried at St James Old Churchyard, Stedham, West Sussex.

Holbrook is probably the only VC recipient to have a town and (until May 2004) a local government area named for him. On 24 August 1915, amid a wave of anti-German feeling related to the First World War, the name of the New South Wales Eastern Riverina town of Germanton was changed to Holbrook to honour the recent VC recipient. He subsequently visited the town on three occasions. His widow, Mrs Gundula Holbrook, donated his medal to the Council of the Shire of Holbrook in 1982. In 1995 she made a substantial donation towards the establishment of a submariners' memorial in the town, and in 1997 visited the town to unveil it. A bronze statue of Holbrook stands in Germanton Park, Holbrook.

Holbrook's medal was donated to the Council of the Shire of Holbrook, New South Wales in 1982. It subsequently passed to Greater Hume Shire Council upon the amalgamation of several Riverina shires in May 2004. Holbrook’s medal group, including his Victoria Cross, went on display at the Australian War Memorial on 11 December 2009. His medals are on loan from the Greater Hume Shire Council.^[2][3] A replica may be seen at the Submarine Museum, Holbrook.

Holbrook Road in Portsmouth is named after him.

See also

• Holbrook, New South Wales

References

1. ^ "First Naval V.C. The Exploit Of Submarine B 11" (News, from the London Gazette). The Times (London). Wednesday, 23 December 1914. Issue 40733, col C, p. 8.
2. ^ "Media alert—Holbrook VC Unveiled" (pdf). Australian War Memorial. 9 December 2009. http://www.awm.gov.au/media/releases/download.asp?Media_Release_ID=316. 
3. ^ "Media release—Holbrook VC Unveiled" (pdf). Australian War Memorial. 11 December 2009. http://www.awm.gov.au/media/releases/download.asp?Media_Release_ID=317. 

• Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
• The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
• VCs of the First World War - 1914 (Gerald Gliddon, 1994)
• VCs of the First World War - The Naval VCs (Stephen Snelling, 2002)
• Naval Correspondent. "British Submarine's Exploit. A Turkish Battleship Torpedoed., B 11 Submerged Nine Hours." (News). The Times (London). Tuesday, 15 December 1914. Issue 40726, col B, p. 8. Includes biographical information.
• "White Flag Treachery. How Commander Holbrook, V.C., Was Wounded." (News). The Times (London). Friday, 3 September 1915. Issue 40950, col A, p. 8.
• "The Prize Court. Lieut. Holbrook's Exploit In The Dardanelles." (Law). The Times (London). Friday, 25 July 1916. Issue 41228, col C, p. 4.
• "Commander N. D. Holbrook, VC A celebrated naval exploit" (Obituaries). The Times (London). Monday, 5 July 1976. Issue 59747, col F, p. 14.
• "Commander Norman Holbrook" (Obituaries). The Times (London). Monday, 12 July 1976. Issue 59753, col G, p. 14.

External links

• Holbrook and Submarines - The Connection - online version of booklet published by The Submarine Museum on Holbrook and his act of gallantry. Includes list of crew members and copious other information.
• Submarine Town - Naval Historical Society of Australia page
• Musings on Holbrook (or Germanton) - Internet Family History Association of Australia page
• Location of grave and VC medal (West Sussex)
• Notes on the town and the several memorials with images
• ÇANAKKALE GEÇİLMEZ page(in Turkish) about the action and the battleship sunk in the action (with images)
• Greater Hume Shire Council

Persondata
Name	Holbrook, Norman Douglas
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	9 July 1888
Place of birth	Southsea, Hampshire
Date of death	3 July 1976
Place of death	Midhurst, Sussex