Lieutenant Commander Alastair Campbell Gillespie Mars, DSO,

DSC DSC or Dsc may refer to: Education * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dyal Sin ...

and Bar (1 January 1915 – 12 March 1985) was a

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 ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

submarine commander. In 1952, he was court martialled and dismissed from the service under controversial circumstances and pursued a career as an author.

Early career

Mars joined the

as a

cadet A cadet is a student or trainee within various organisations, primarily in military contexts where individuals undergo training to become commissioned officers. However, several civilian organisations, including civil aviation groups, maritime ...

in 1932, and was assigned to the cruiser . Promoted to

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

in 1933, he was further promoted to acting sub-lieutenant in January 1936. In December he was appointed to the submarine HMS ''Grampus'' which was then building, and in April 1937 to HMS Swordfish. He was promoted to lieutenant on his assignment to HMS ''Medway'', the submarine depot ship of the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China, was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 1 ...

. In April 1938 he has appointed to HMS ''Regulus''.

World War II

After spending a short period on HMS ''H44'', in November 1941, Mars was appointed as commanding officer of HMS ''Unbroken'', which he served on until June 1943 on operations in the Mediterranean. During operation Pedestal in August 1942 ''Unbroken'' torpedoed and severely damaged the two Italian cruisers

Bolzano Bolzano ( ; ; or ) is the capital city of South Tyrol (officially the province of Bolzano), Northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third largest in historical Tyrol. The ...

and Muzio Attendolo. From August 1943 until December 1943, he was a staff officer at HMS ''Dolphin'' submarine base in Portsmouth. In December 1943, he was placed in command of HMS ''Thule'' in the Far East, remaining there until November 1945.

Postwar

After the war Mars was posted 1946 to HMS ''Dolphin'' but was eventually assigned to a post in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, where Mars' pay of 39 Pounds per week as a lieutenant commander proved inadequate to support him, his wife and his two children. The Royal Navy spent four years arguing over an extra living allowance before it was paid. With a sick wife, he was then assigned to Hong Kong where he was unable to afford even the single hotel room he rented. Becoming ill himself and heavily in debt, he returned to the United Kingdom and hospital. On his discharge he requested leave to try to put his finances in order but this was refused. He was ordered to report to Portsmouth but he wrote from his home in London to the Navy refusing to do so and requesting his retirement. He commented in his letter that "I do not wish to plague My Lords with a mass of detail mainly repugnant to them. It should be sufficient to say that I have lost faith in the present governmental hierarchy and all that goes with it". Mars entered politics as a parliamentary candidate for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

at the 1950 General Election. He contested the constituency of Windsor, but finished third. Mars was arrested and

court martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the mili ...

led for insubordination and

absence without leave Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or Military base, post without permission (a Pass (military), pass, Shore leave, liberty or Leave (U.S. military), leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with u ...

, which resulted in his dismissal from the Royal Navy in June 1952. The controversy over his dismissal was the subject of a parliamentary question the following month, when the future prime minister

James Callaghan Leonard James Callaghan, Baron Callaghan of Cardiff ( ; 27 March 191226 March 2005) was a British statesman and Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 and Leader of the L ...

asked the then

First Lord of the Admiralty First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the title of the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible f ...

whether Mars would receive his pension.

Author

Following his dismissal from the Royal Navy, Mars became a successful author, publishing several autobiographical works and novels. He died in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

in 1985.

Bibliography

*''Unbroken, the story of a submarine'', autobiographical published 1953 (some editions titled as ''Unbroken, the true story of a submarine'') *''Court Martial'', autobiographical published 1954 *''Arctic submarine'', novel published 1955 *''HMS Thule Intercepts'', autobiographical published 1956 *''Submarine at bay'', novel published 1956 *''Atomic submarine. A story of tomorrow'', novel published 1957 *''Fire in anger'', novel published 1958 *''Mediterranean wolfpack'', novel published 1960 *''Deep escape'', novel published 1962 *''Submarine attack'', novel published 1965 *''Three great sea stories : Malta convoy, Tinkerbelle, Unbroken'', with Peter Shankland and Anthony Hunter, published 1968 *''British Submarines at War, 1939–1945'', published 1971

Notes

References

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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mars, Alastair Campbell Gillespie 1915 births 1985 deaths Royal Navy officers of World War II Royal Navy officers who were court-martialled British autobiographers Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Royal Navy submarine commanders Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) 20th-century British novelists 20th-century British historians Liberal Party (UK) parliamentary candidates British male novelists 20th-century British male writers Writers from St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Emigrants from the Dominion of Newfoundland to the United Kingdom Newfoundland military personnel of World War II