Stephen Beattie
Captain Stephen Halden Beattie VC (29 March 1908 – 20 April 1975) was a Welsh 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. Biography Beattie was born at Leighton, Montgomeryshire to Rev. Prebendary Ernest Halden Beattie, MC and Ethel Knowles. He was educated at Abberley Hall School in Worcester. He joined the Royal Navy in 1925 as a Special Entry Cadet. Then- Lt Cdr Beattie, a 33-year-old in command of the Royal Navy destroyer HMS ''Campbeltown'', the tactical lynchpin of the St Nazaire Raid in 1942, was awarded the VC, recognized as being: After grounding the ship, filled with hidden explosives which detonated the next day, successfully ruining Saint-Nazaire as a port for the Nazi Navy, Beattie was taken prisoner of war by the Germans. He spent the first part of his captivity in Frontstalag 133 at Rennes in France before being transferred to Marl ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire ( ) was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was named after its county town, Montgomery, Powys, Montgomery, which in turn was named after one of William the Conqueror's main counsellors, Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, Roger de Montgomerie, who was the 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. The area of what was Montgomeryshire, now constitutes the northern part of the Counties and county boroughs of Wales, county of Powys. The current area was 2,174 square km (839 square miles). The largest town was Newtown, Powys, Newtown, followed by Welshpool and Llanidloes. History The Treaty of Montgomery was signed on 29 September 1267, in the town of Montgomery, which had recently been established as an English incursion on the Welsh side of the border, to control a strategic border crossing. The surrounding region (on the Welsh side of the border) otherwise comprised the mediaeval ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early Middle Ages, medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Kingdom of France, France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the English Navy of the early 16th century; the oldest of the British Armed Forces, UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service. From the early 18th century until the World War II, Second World War, it was the world's most powerful navy. The Royal Navy played a key part in establishing and defending the British Empire, and four Imperial fortress colonies and a string of imperial bases and coaling stations secured the Royal Navy's ability to assert naval superior ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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British VCs Of World War 2
The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of armed forces of some Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories. It takes precedence over all other Orders, decorations and medals; it may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and to civilians under military command. The award was officially constituted when Queen Victoria issued a warrant under the Royal sign-manual on 29 January 1856 that was gazetted on 5 February 1856.The ''Gazette'' publishing the original Royal Warrant The order was backdated to 1854 to recognise acts of valour during the Crimean War. The first awards ceremony was held on 26 June 1857, where Queen Victoria invested 62 of the 111 Crimean recipients in a ceremony in Hyde Park.Ashcroft, Michael; Preface to Victoria Cross Heroes The Victoria Cross was awarded 182 times to 181 recipients for action in the Second World War. The war, also known as World War II (WWII), was ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Imperial War Museum
The Imperial War Museum (IWM), currently branded "Imperial War Museums", is a British national museum. It is headquartered in London, with five branches in England. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, it was intended to record the civil and military war effort and sacrifice of the United Kingdom and its Empire during the First World War. The museum's remit has since expanded to include all conflicts in which British or Commonwealth forces have been involved since 1914. As of 2012, the museum aims "to provide for, and to encourage, the study and understanding of the history of modern war and 'wartime experience'." Originally housed in the Crystal Palace at Sydenham Hill, the museum opened to the public in 1920. In 1924, it moved to space in the Imperial Institute in South Kensington and in 1936 it acquired a permanent home at the former Bethlem Royal Hospital in Southwark, which serves as its headquarters. The outbreak of the Second World War saw the museum expand bot ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Helston
Helston () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the The Lizard, Lizard Peninsula approximately east of Penzance and south-west of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 203 ''Land's End'' Helston is the most southerly town on the island of Great Britain and is around farther south than Penzance. The population in 2011 was 11,700. The population in 2022 was estimated to be 11,600 in the parish. The former stannary and market town, cattle market town is best known for the annual Furry Dance (known locally as the Flora Dance), said to originate from the Middle Ages, medieval period. However, the Furry Dance#Pageant, Hal-an-Tow is reputed to be of Celtic mythology, Celtic origin. The associated song and music, The Floral Dance, is known to have been written in 1911. In 2001, the town celebrated the 800th anniversary of the granting of its Charter. History The name comes from the Corn ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ethiopia
Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Kenya to the south, South Sudan to the west, and Sudan to the northwest. Ethiopia covers a land area of . , it has around 128 million inhabitants, making it the List of countries and dependencies by population, thirteenth-most populous country in the world, the List of African countries by population, second-most populous in Africa after Nigeria, and the most populous landlocked country on Earth. The national capital and largest city, Addis Ababa, lies several kilometres west of the East African Rift that splits the country into the African Plate, African and Somali Plate, Somali tectonic plates. Early modern human, Anatomically modern humans emerged from modern-day Ethiopia and set out for the Near East and elsewhere in the Middle Paleolithi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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HMS Birmingham (C19)
HMS ''Birmingham'' was a member of the first group of five ships of the light cruisers. Early career ''Birmingham'' initially joined the 5th Cruiser Squadron on the China Station in January 1938. On the outbreak of World War II in September 1939, she left for Malta for a refit before joining the Home Fleet in March–April 1940. ''Birmingham'' was a unit of the 18th Cruiser Squadron of the Home Fleet, initially used to patrol off the coast of Norway to prevent German fishing vessels operating in this area. In mid-April ''Birmingham'', and escorted a troop convoy to Norway. On 26 April she shelled and sank the after ''Schiff 37'' rammed and damaged the destroyer off Norway. In May, ''Birmingham'', in company with ''Manchester'', evacuated 1,500 troops from Åndalsnes. She returned to the UK and was in refit between September–December 1940. From January until April 1941 ''Birmingham'' escorted troop convoys to the Middle East, around the Cape of Good Hope. In May she re ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf
The Senior Naval Officer, Persian Gulf, was a Royal Navy command appointment who was responsible for administering the Persian Gulf Station military formation including its establishments and naval forces known as the Persian Gulf Squadron later called the Persian Gulf Division. Initially located at Basidu, Qeshm Island, Qishm Island, in Persia (c. 1823–1850–1935), then Hengam Island, Henjam Island in Persia (1911–1935), and finally Juffair, Ras Al-Jufair, Bahrain (1935–1972). The Persian Gulf Station encompassed the Persian Gulf and Straits of Hormuz. History British naval presence in the Persian Gulf began in the early nineteenth century with temporary naval forces assembled for specific operations until the establishment of a more constant naval force presence called the Persian Gulf Squadron later the Persian Gulf Division. The ''Senior Naval Office Persian Gulf'' gradually became an important position throughout the twentieth century by supporting Britain's strateg ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Légion D'honneur
The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was originally established in 1802 by Napoleon, Napoleon Bonaparte, and it has been retained (with occasional slight alterations) by all later French governments and regimes. The order's motto is ' ("Honour and Fatherland"); its Seat (legal entity), seat is the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur next to the Musée d'Orsay, on the left bank of the Seine in Paris. Since 1 February 2023, the Order's grand chancellor has been retired General François Lecointre, who succeeded fellow retired General Benoît Puga in office. The order is divided into five degrees of increasing distinction: ' (Knight), ' (Officer), ' (Commander (order), Commander), ' (Grand Officer) and ' (Grand Cross). History Consulate During the French Revolution, all ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Mentioned In Despatches
To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy is described. In some countries, a service member's name must be mentioned in dispatches as a condition for receiving certain decorations. Being mentioned in dispatches entitles a recipient to wear a small metallic device, but does not include an entitlement to post-nominals. United Kingdom, British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations United Kingdom Servicemen and women of the United Kingdom or the Commonwealth who are mentioned in despatches are not awarded a medal for their actions, but receive a certificate and wear an oak leaf device on the ribbon of the appropriate campaign medal. A smaller version of the oak leaf device is attached to the ribbon when worn alone. Prior to 2014, only one device could be worn on a ribb ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Lübeck
Lübeck (; or ; Latin: ), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Lübeck (), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 220,000 inhabitants, it is the second-largest city on the German Baltic Sea, Baltic coast and the second-largest city in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, after its capital of Kiel. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 36th-largest city in Germany. The city lies in the Holsatian part of Schleswig-Holstein, on the mouth of the Trave, which flows into the Bay of Lübeck in the borough of Travemünde, and on the Trave's tributary Wakenitz. The island with the historic old town and the districts north of the Trave are also located in the historical region of Wagria. Lübeck is the southwesternmost city on the Baltic Sea, and the closest point of access to the Baltic from Hamburg. The city lies in the Northern Low Saxon, Holsatian dialect area of Low German. The name ''Lübeck'' ultimately stems from the Slavic languages, Slavic root (' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Marlag Und Milag Nord
Marlag und Milag Nord was a Second World War German prisoner-of-war camp complex for men of the British and Canadian Merchant Navy and Royal Navy. It was located around the village of Westertimke, about north-east of Bremen, though in some sources the camp's location is given as Tarmstedt, a larger village about to the west. There were also American merchant seamen detained here as well as some U.S. Navy personnel. Status of merchant seamen Of more than 5,000 Allied merchant seamen captured by the Germans during the war, most were held at ''Marlag-Milag''. As civilian non-combatants, according to Section XI, Article 6, of the 1907 Hague Conventions, merchant seamen "...are not made prisoners of war, on condition that they make a formal promise in writing, not to undertake, while hostilities last, any service connected with the operations of the war." The Germans, however, always treated Merchant Navy seamen as POWs (as did the British from 1942). In 1943 the Germans suggested ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |