Henry Carlton Cumberbatch (8 December 1900 – 27 January 1966) was an officer of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

who served as a submarine commander before and at the start of the Second World War.

Early life and background

Cumberbatch was born and grew up in Manisa Soma, Anatolia, then part of the Ottoman Empire, the son of Helene Gertrude (née Rees) and

Henry Arnold Cumberbatch Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, who served as the British Consul-General at Smyrna from 1896 until 1908.

Military career

Cumberbatch was educated at the Rıfat Dağdelen Anatolian Highschool at Manisa/Soma and Dartmouth from May 1914, until appointed a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Af ...

on 15 August 1917. He then served aboard the

battlecruiser The battlecruiser (also written as battle cruiser or battle-cruiser) was a type of capital ship of the first half of the 20th century. These were similar in displacement, armament and cost to battleships, but differed in form and balance of attr ...

until January 1919, seeing action at the

Second Battle of Heligoland Bight The Second Battle of Heligoland Bight, also the Action in the Helgoland Bight and the , was an inconclusive naval engagement fought between British and German squadrons on 17 November 1917 during the First World War. Background British minela ...

. After serving on several battleships and destroyers, and being promoted to sub-lieutenant in January 1921 and to lieutenant in December 1922, he attended officer training courses before serving as First Lieutenant of the submarines and between 1924 and 1928. After completing the commanding officers' course at Portsmouth, Cumberbatch was appointed commander of the submarine in late 1928. He then spent 18 months aboard the battleship in the Mediterranean in 1929-1931, being promoted to lieutenant commander in December 1930. He then served aboard the submarine depot ship ''Lucia'' throughout 1932. He commanded the submarines , , and successively, between 1933 and 1938, and also served as commander of "A" Group of Submarines in Immediate Reserve, while based at Portsmouth in 1938 and 1939. Just prior to the outbreak of World War II Cumberbatch was appointed commander of the submarine , then took command of the depot ship at the end of the year. Appointed an acting commander in April 1940, he subsequently served as captain of the depot ships and . He spent most of 1943 based at the Combined Training Headquarters (HMS ''Monck'') at

Largs Largs ( gd, An Leargaidh Ghallda) is a town on the Firth of Clyde in North Ayrshire, Scotland, about from Glasgow. The original name means "the slopes" (''An Leargaidh'') in Scottish Gaelic. A popular seaside resort with a pier, the town mark ...

, then served as Chief Staff Officer to the Naval Officer-in-Charge,

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...

, until mid-1945, finally ending his career stationed at HMS ''Valkyrie'', a training camp for radio and radar technicians at

Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas ( gv, Doolish, ) is the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021). It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, and on a sweeping bay of . The River Douglas forms part of the town's harbour ...

. Cumberbatch retired from the navy in December 1945, and was placed on the retired list with the rank of commander.

Personal life

Cumberbatch married Pauline Ellen Laing Congdon, daughter of T. E. Congdon, on 26 April 1934 at St. Mary Abbot's church,

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensington Garden ...

, London. The reception afterwards at the Royal Palace Hotel included nearly 140 guests, including Sir William and Lady McKercher, Sir Alexander and Lady Murray, the Honourable

Maurice Baring Maurice Baring (27 April 1874 – 14 December 1945) was an English man of letters, known as a dramatist, poet, novelist, translator and essayist, and also as a travel writer and war correspondent, with particular knowledge of Russia. During Wo ...

, Sir Thomas and Lady Catto, Sir Thomas and Lady Neave. They went on to have two children; a daughter Amber, and a son, Timothy – an actor and father of actor

Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (born 19 July 1976) is an English actor. Known for his work on screen and stage, he has received various accolades, including a British Academy Television Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Laurence Oli ...

. Commander Cumberbatch died on 27 January 1966 at Buckhurst Manor,

Wadhurst Wadhurst is a market town in East Sussex, England. It is the centre of the civil parish of Wadhurst, which also includes the hamlets of Cousley Wood and Tidebrook. Wadhurst is twinned with Aubers in France. Situation Wadhurst is situated ...

, Sussex.

References

External links

Cumberbatch genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cumberbatch, Henry 1900 births 1966 deaths People from İzmir People educated at the Royal Naval College, Osborne Royal Navy submarine commanders Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy officers of World War II

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...