Victor Crutchley Admiral Sir Victor Alexander Charles Crutchley VC , KCB , DSC , DL , RN ( 1893 – 1986 ) was a British admiral in World War II and a hero of the First World War . He was a 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 . Beginnings . Crutchley was born on 2 November 1893 at 28 Lennox Gardens , Chelsea , London , the only son of Percy Edward ( 1855 – 1940 ) and the Hon . Frederica Louisa ( 1864 – 1932 ) , second daughter of Charles FitzRoy , 3rd Baron Southampton . His mother had been maid of honour to Queen Victoria . He was a godchild of Queen Victoria ( from whom he derived his first two names ) . He joined the Navy in 1906 and was educated at the Royal Naval College , Osborne . World War I . In September 1915 Crutchley was promoted to Lieutenant and posted to a battleship of the Grand Fleet , HMS " Centurion " . " Centurion " participated in the Battle of Jutland . After the battle Roger Keyes took command of " Centurion " and acquired a highly favorable impression of Crutchley . Keyes selected Crutchley for the Zeebrugge Raid of 23 April 1918 ; he was assigned by Keyes as First Lieutenant to Commander Alfred E . Godsal , also of " Centurion " , on the obsolete cruiser " Brilliant " . " Brilliant " and " Sirius " were to be sunk as blockships at Ostend . The Germans had moved a navigation buoy , and so the ships were beached in the wrong place under heavy fire . But Crutchley performed well and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross . Crutchley volunteered for the Second Ostend Raid on 9 May , and was posted to the cruiser " Vindictive " , again commanded by Godsal . When Godsal was killed and the navigating officer incapacitated , Crutchley took command . When a propellor was damaged on the quay preventing the vessel fully closing the canal , Crutchley ordered its scuttling and personally oversaw the evacuation under fire . Crutchley transferred to the damaged motor launch " ML 254 " . When its wounded captain Lieutenant Geoffrey Drummond collapsed , Crutchley took command . Crutchley oversaw bailing operations , standing in water up to his waist , until the destroyer " Warwick " , carrying Admiral Keyes , came to its aid . Although the second raid also failed fully to close the Bruges Canal to submarine traffic , Crutchley , Drummond and Bourke were awarded Victoria Cross es for the action . When there were more worthy recipients than VCs to award , the men were allowed to elect those to receive a VC . Crutchley was one of the last elected VCs . During the final months of the war , Crutchley served on HMS " Sikh " in the Dover Patrol , the Channel force commanded by Keyes . Inter war . In 1920 , Crutchley spent a tour of duty on board the minesweeper " Petersfield " on the South American and South Atlantic station . He then served on the royal yacht " Alexandra " in 1921 , the cadet - training dreadnought " Thunderer " in 1922 – 1924 , and the royal yacht " Victoria and Albert III " in 1924 . In 1924 he went to the Mediterranean Fleet for four years , serving under Roger Keyes , now Commander - in - Chief at Malta . Crutchley was on in 1924 – 1926 , and then on the light cruiser in 1926 - 1928 . Crutchley was a polo player , and was invited to play for Keyes ' polo team , the " Centurions " . At one point in 1927 , Crutchley played on the same team as Keyes , the Duke of York , and Louis Mountbatten . Crutchley was promoted to commander in 1928 . In 1930 , he married Joan Elisabeth Loveday of Pentillie Castle , Cornwall , the sister of Air Chief Marshal Alec Coryton . In August 1930 , Crutchley joined HMS " Diomede " in the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy where he served until 1933 . Serving as executive officer , Crutchley was present at the relief operation after the 1931 Hawke ' s Bay earthquake , and towards the end of his tour , when the captain was chronically ill , took command of " Diomede " until he was promoted to captain . He was posted home in 1933 . Crutchley was senior officer , 1st Minesweeper Flotilla ( 1st MSF ) from 1935 - 1936 aboard the minesweeper HMS " Halcyon " at Portland , Dorset . In November , 1935 Crutchley took the 1st MSF to join the Mediterranean Fleet in Alexandria , and cruised to Famagusta , Cyprus for 10 days during the winter . On 16 April 1936 , Crutchley was relieved by Captain W . P . C . Manwaring and appointed Captain , Fishery Protection and Minesweeping with overall command over the Royal Navy ' s Minesweeping and armed trawler fleet . On 1 May 1937 , Crutchley took command of HMS " Warspite " , which had been completely refitted in three years at Portsmouth . Due to acceptance trials " Warspite " was not present at the Coronation Fleet Review of King George VI . Additional engineering work on the steering gear ( which still suffered from damage taken at Jutland ) and other equipment resulted in weekend leaves for the crew being curtailed , leading to very low morale . Comments appeared in British newspapers , which culminated in an anonymous letter from a crew member . This provoked an inquiry by the Admiralty . The inquiry led to the removal of three of Crutchley ' s officers , including his executive officer . Crutchley disagreed with the findings of the Inquiry , and made sure that the confidential report on his executive officer would lead to a promotion to captain . " Warspite " eventually proceeded to the Mediterranean Fleet to serve as the flagship of Admiral Dudley Pound , Commander - in - Chief . Crutchley served as Flag Captain to first Pound and then to Admiral Andrew Cunningham up to the outbreak of war . World War II . North Sea . After the outbreak of war on 3 September 1939 , " Warspite " was assigned to the Home Fleet . Due to the lack of anti - submarine precautions at the North Sea naval bases , it was some time before she reached Scapa Flow , the main fleet anchorage . Until the start of the Norwegian campaign on 9 April 1940 , action had been severely limited by the U - boat threat . A significant German naval presence in the North Sea saw the Home Fleet off the coast of Norway . The inconclusive first battle of Narvik was on 10 April . On 13 April , Crutchley commanded " Warspite " in the second battle of Narvik . She accompanied nine destroyers into Ofotfjord , where eight German destroyers were sunk or scuttled . " Warspite " ' s catapult plane even sank a U - boat . After this action , Crutchley was appointed Commodore , Royal Naval Barracks , Devonport , overseeing the preparation of crews for assignment to ships . While there he was greeted by a detachment of sailors who had served on " Warspite " at Narvik . South West Pacific Area . After the opening of hostilities with Japan , Crutchley was promoted to Rear - Admiral and lent to the Royal Australian Navy for service in the South West Pacific Area . On 13 June 1942 Crutchley succeeded Rear - Admiral John Crace in command of Task Force 44 , the Australian Squadron , based in Brisbane , Australia , the last Briton to do so . The Battle of Savo Island . During the landings on Guadalcanal , on 7 August 1942 , Crutchley commanded Task Force 62 . 2 , the covering force , with his flag in HMAS " Australia " . TF 62 . 2 included three Australian and five American cruisers , fifteen destroyers , and some minesweepers . He was under Admiral Richmond K . Turner USN , commander of the amphibious force . TF 62 . 2 was on constant alert , rendering support to the landings or fending off Japanese air attacks . On 8 August , Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher withdrew the aircraft carrier s that had provided air cover . Turner decided the amphibious force must also leave the next day . He summoned Crutchley and Vandegrift ( commander of the troops on Guadalcanal ) to an evening conference on his flagship . Crutchley took " Australia " to the amphibious anchorage , leaving five cruisers and six destroyers on guard to the west . That night a powerful Japanese cruiser force attacked . They caught TF 62 . 2 by surprise , and sank four Allied cruisers , including HMAS " Canberra " . In the wake of this disaster , Crutchley was heavily criticized - for leaving his command , and for an ineffective deployment which allowed the Japanese to get close without being picked up by radar . Crutchley nonetheless retained the confidence of his superiors . Crutchley remained with the RAN in the South West Pacific , commanding TF 44 ( redesignated TF 74 in 1943 ) for another 23 months . His command of the Australian Squadron ended on 13 June 1944 . In September 1944 Crutchley received the American Legion of Merit in the degree of Chief Commander . Later years . Crutchley ' s final command was Flag Officer Commanding Gibraltar after the war . He retired in 1947 . In 1949 he was promoted to Admiral . Crutchley enjoyed a long retirement at Mappercombe Manor , near Bridport in Dorset . In 1955 he was appointed High Sheriff of Dorset and in 1957 Deputy Lieutenant for Dorset . He was one of the last surviving admirals from World War II when he died in 1986 at the age of 92 . In 1945 Crutchley had bought two paintings ( " Capriccio : The Lagoon , Venice " and " La Torre di Marghera " ) by the landscape artist Bernardo Bellotto ; these were given to the nation in lieu of tax and presented to the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery in 1988 .