Neil Rutherford

Neil Rutherford
Born	15 May 1922
Died	24 September 1976 Penmaenmawr, Wales
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1936-1959
Rank	Lieutenant Commander
Commands held	HMS Spiteful Commander-in-chief, The Nore
Battles/wars	World War II East Indies Southwest Pacific Korean War
Awards	DSC

Lt Cmdr Neil Rutherford, DSC. Born 15 May 1922, died 24 September 1976. Cremated North Wales. He saw active service in the Second World War and in Korea. In 1958 he served with the Underwater Weapons Material Dept. He committed suicide in Penmaenmawr, Wales after murdering four people at a hotel.

Naval career

• Midshipman 01.01.1940
• Sub Lieutenant 01.11.1941
• Lieutenant 01.06.1943
• Lieutenant Commander 01.06.1951 (General List 01.01.1957) (retired 05.01.1959)
• DSC 10.07.1945 6 war patrols (3 East Indies, 3 Southwest Pacific)
• DSC 29.06.1951 Korea^[1]

Naval service

• Education: RN College (01.1936-12.1939)
• 01.01.1940 - 01.1941 HMS Glasgow (cruiser)
• 01.1941 - 05.1941 HMS Hero (destroyer)
• 05.1941 - 07.1941 HMS Valiant (battleship)
• 07.1941? - 09.1941? passage home SS Empress of Asia
• 09.1941 - 03.1942 Sub-Lieutenant's courses
• 03.1942 - 05.1942 submarine training course
• 20.05.1942 - 02.1943 HMS Tuna which was involved in Operation Frankton
• 02.1943 - 07.1943 HMS P 556 (submarine)
• 05.07.1943 - 01.1946 Commanding Officer HMS Spiteful patrolling the Pacific sinking Japanese shipping.
• 08.02.1946 - 08.1946 HMS Dolphin a shore-establishment depot for submarines. Part of Submarine Reserve Group K.
• 08.1946 - 09.1946 HMS Stygian (submarine)
• 10.1946 - 11.1946 HMS Ranee (Woolworth carrier)
• 01.1947 - 01.1948 specialist Torpedo & Anti-Submarine (TAS) course HMS Vernon
• 01.1948 - 09.1949 HMS Defiance a torpedo school.
• 09.1949 - 11.1949 passage to Far East [SS Devonshire]
• 11.1949 - 04.1952? HMS Black Swan (sloop) which was involved in the Yangtze Incident on 20 April 1949 (Korea; possibly POW))
• 30.04.1952 - (05.1953) staff TAS, HMS Montclare a Submarine Depot Ship and based at Rothesay with the 3rd Submarine flotilla.
• 05.1953 - 05.07.1954 Commander-in-chief, The Nore
• 05.07.1954 - (01.1956) staff, Flag Officer Commanding Reserve Fleet HMS Cleopatra
• (1958) Underwater Weapons Material Department (Bath), Admiralty HMS President

Family life

Commander Rutherford retired from the navy 5 January 1959. He was son of Neil Perry Rutherford and after his father's death, Neil took over the family firm as head of A. Rutherford and Co, until it was liquidated in the 1960s. By April 1975, he was working as a gardener/handyman at the Red Gables Hotel, Penmaenmawr, North Wales.

Married 7 August 1948 Joan Margery Colville-Hyde. Divorced 2 May 1972.

Death

Rutherford died at Red Gables Hotel, Penmaenmawr, Wales 24 September 1976. He was clutching a gun. Also killed by gunshot wounds were the hotel owner, Mrs Linda Simcox (52); ex merchant seaman Johnny Green (55); an antique dealer from Texas; Mrs Simcox's daughter, Lorna (24); and her husband, Alastair McIntyre (55). The hotel was ablaze when the police arrived.^[2][3]

Notes

1. ^ The Navy List
2. ^ Sunday People, 26 Sep 1976
3. ^ North Wales Weekly News, 30th September 1976

External links

• Rutherford family tree

Persondata
Name	Rutherford, Neil
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	15 May 1922
Place of birth
Date of death	24 September 1976
Place of death	Penmaenmawr, Wales