Captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Bernard Peter de Neumann
GM (18 September 1917 – 16 September 1972) was a British
Merchant Navy officer and convicted
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
(by the
French Vichy Government).
De Neumann's action-packed seagoing career included being sunk twice in the space of one month, being charged and convicted of
piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
by the
Vichy French
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its t ...
, and being known as
"The Man From Timbuctoo".
World War II
De Neumann displayed exemplary courage during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
being awarded both the
George Medal
The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circ ...
and the
Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea for removing a 250 kilogram bomb from deep in the engine-room of SS ''Tewkesbury'' and dropping it over his ship's side during a
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...
attack off
Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...
on 1 March 1941.
SS ''Tewkesbury'' was torpedoed and sunk by gunfire from
''U-69'' on 21 May 1941. All of the crew survived and escaped in two boats; de Neumann's lifeboat was picked up by the American freighter SS ''Exhibitor''. He was later transferred to HMS ''Cilicia''. (SS ''Tewkesburys other lifeboat was rescued by SS ''Antinous'' after 13 days.)
HMS ''Cilicia'' arrived at Freetown on 17 June 1941, and de Neumann volunteered as Second Officer aboard the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
prize vessel SS ''Criton'' (captured from the
Vichy French
Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its t ...
). SS ''Criton'' sailed from
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational an ...
for the UK on 19 June 1941, but was intercepted by two Vichy France warships, ''Air France IV'' and ''Edith Germaine'', on 21 June and sunk by gunfire. ''Critons crew were escorted under armed guard to
Conakry
Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its ...
, where the executive officers were tried and found guilty of piracy by a Vichy French naval
court-martial
A court-martial or 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 mem ...
and imprisoned in
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou;
Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label= Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrat ...
.
They managed to escape, and walked up the
Niger River
The Niger River ( ; ) is the main river of West Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. It runs in a crescent shape through Mali ...
before they were recaptured and returned to Timbuktu. De Neumann was eventually released at the end of December 1942, and arrived back in the UK aboard the
armed merchant cruiser
An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...
HMS ''Asturias'' in mid-January 1943.
De Neumann received the
George Medal
The George Medal (GM), instituted on 24 September 1940 by King George VI,''British Gallantry Medals'' (Abbott and Tamplin), p. 138 is a decoration of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, awarded for gallantry, typically by civilians, or in circ ...
from
King George VI
George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...
for his bravery while aboard SS ''Tewkesbury'' in mid-February 1943.
In 1945 he captained the ex-Luftwaffe Flak Ship ''Hilde'' on a voyage to Leningrad, as part of the division of German ships amongst the Allies, returning overland by train and ferry to the UK. He then captained the ''Empire Maymorn'' on her delivery to Georgetown, British Guiana, returning to the UK as Captain of the ''Ariguani'', which had formerly been HMS ''Ariguani'', the very first Fighter Catapult Ship and a forerunner of the Catapult Armed Merchantmen. From 1947 to 1953, he captained .
Port of London Authority
De Neumann began developing thoughts on the potential for a port-control system while he was captain of HMRC ''Vigilant''. These ideas followed on from considering such incidents as the accidental ramming of the submarine by HMS ''Divina'' in 1950, the Norwegian vessel ''Baalbek''s collision with the
Nore Army Fort in 1953, and the disastrous
North Sea flood that resulted in the flooding of
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a town, civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, near Southend-on-Sea, in the Castle Point district, in the county of Essex, England. It has an area of and a population of 38,170.Office for National Statistics. ( ...
,
Foulness and the
East Coast in 1953. In these and other situations, rescue and intelligence gathering were severely hampered by a lack of centralised command and control, which led to a lack of situational awareness.
In 1953, de Neumann resigned his command of HMRC ''Vigilant'' following the
Spithead Review and transferred to the
Port of London Authority
The Port of London Authority (PLA) is a self-funding public trust established on 31 March 1909 in accordance with the Port of London Act 1908 to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and it ...
. He then put in place a feasibility study of a port-control system which he oversaw throughout its development and ultimate installation at
Gravesend
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Rochester, it is th ...
, which was completed in 1960.
He served as
Harbourmaster
A harbourmaster (or harbormaster, see spelling differences) is an official responsible for enforcing the regulations of a particular harbour or port, in order to ensure the safety of navigation, the security of the harbour and the correct opera ...
, and, after his health deteriorated owing to his earlier imprisonment in West Africa,
Dockmaster
A dockmaster is a person in charge of a dock
A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near ...
at
Tilbury
Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an anc ...
.
Commendations
De Neumann was commended for his handling of the rescue attempt following the sinking of the
Tug
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
''Sunfish'' under
Tower Bridge
Tower Bridge is a Grade I listed combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894, designed by Horace Jones and engineered by John Wolfe Barry with the help of Henry Marc Brunel. It crosses the River Thames close ...
on 12 March 1960. The ''Sunfish'' was aft and the ''Sun VI'' forward of the
Ellerman Lines' ''Palermo'', dragging through Tower Bridge inward bound in the
Upper Pool, when the ''Sunfish'' was dragged on the Northern Buttress of the bridge. Her stern struck, rolling her over, and she sank with the loss of her Chief Engineer. She was raised the next day, refurbished, and returned to service.
Another commendation came for his part in rescuing the crew of the Tug ''Kenia'' when she sank in the New Lock bellmouth, Tilbury Dock, on 25 August 1964. The ''Crested Cock'' and the ''Kenia'' were undocking the ''Maashaven'' from Tilbury Dock New Entrance. The ship started her swing to starboard in the Bellmouth and the ''Kenia'' was on the port bow when coming around, the ''Maashaven'' went ahead and pinned her to the upper dock head before she cleared the ship's bow. The ''Kenia'' was cut from the deck to the
keel
The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element on a vessel. On some sailboats, it may have a hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose, as well. As the laying down of the keel is the initial step in the construction of a ship, in B ...
in the after end of the engine room starboard side. A line was passed to the pier head and secured, and all crew rapidly taken ashore, before she sank. ''Kenia'' was raised by the PLA Salvage Department and scrapped.
He was also commended for his valiant attempt at
saving the life of a crane driver injured when his crane toppled across the open hold of a ship in Tilbury Dock on 10 March 1966. The crane driver died before he could be released.
Death
Never far from the action, just a few days before his death, he was involved in another incident with a toppled crane at Tilbury. This time the driver survived. De Neumann was killed in an accident at Tilbury Docks on 16 September 1972 just 2 days before his 55th birthday. His ashes were scattered on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...
in
Gravesend Reach.
Museum pieces
Three items Capt de Neumann brought home from Timbuktu were on loan to the
Imperial War Museum in London and displayed in the Survival at Sea Exhibition.
They were:
*A copy of the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
, with a diary of the movements the prisoners made whilst in captivity
*A
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
label from a parcel addressed to Peter de Neumann in Timbuctoo
* The tumbler he made from the bottom of a
Perrier water bottle by half-filling it with water, binding
paraffin-soaked twine around it at the water level, and igniting it, making the glass crack at the water-line
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neumann, Peter De
1917 births
1972 deaths
Military personnel from Essex
British Merchant Navy officers
British Merchant Navy personnel of World War II
Transport pioneers
Recipients of the George Medal
Royal Navy officers of World War II
Accidental deaths in England
People from Hadleigh, Essex