Ronald Niel Stuart Ronald Niel Stuart VC DSO RD RNR ( 26 August 1886 – 8 February 1954 ) was a British Merchant Navy commodore and Royal Navy captain who was highly commended following extensive and distinguished service at sea over a period of more than thirty - five years . During World War I he received the Victoria Cross , the Distinguished Service Order , the French Croix de Guerre avec Palmes and the United States ' Navy Cross for a series of daring operations he conducted while serving in the Royal Navy during the War at Sea . Stuart ' s Victoria Cross was awarded following a ballot by the men under his command . This unusual method of selection was used after the Admiralty board was unable to choose which members of the crew deserved the honour after a desperate engagement between a Q - ship and a German submarine off the Irish coast . His later career included command of the liner RMS " Empress of Britain " and the management of the London office of a major transatlantic shipping company . Following his retirement in 1951 , Stuart moved into his sister ' s cottage in Kent and died three years later . A sometimes irascible man , he was reportedly embarrassed by any fuss surrounding his celebrity and was known to exclaim " Mush ! " at any demonstration of strong emotion . Early life . Ronald Niel Stuart was born in 1886 in Liverpool to Neil Stuart and Mary Harrison , both from experienced seafaring families . Neil Sr . had been born on Prince Edward Island in Canada and had met and married Mary in Montreal . She was the daughter of a master mariner from Australia . In the 1880s the family moved to Liverpool , where Stuart was born as the youngest of six children . Neil worked in the city as a dock superintendent and owner of a wholesale tea shop before dying suddenly whilst preparing for a return to the Merchant Navy . Stuart was by this time a stocky , blonde , blue - eyed man described as " powerful " but " very bleak and penetrating " . He was initially educated at Shaw Street College , but following his father ' s death was forced to leave and take a job as a clerk in an office . Stuart ' s son commented that " He hated it [ the job ] . He hated Liverpool " . In 1902 , Stuart decided to leave the city and find work in a different environment . He took an apprenticeship with the shipping company Steele & Co and was sent to learn his trade on the sailing barque " Kirkhill " . In 1905 the " Kirkhill " was wrecked on a rock near the Falkland Islands . Stuart survived the sinking and returned to England to continue his training . He was posted to a new ship upon his return but she too was wrecked by a cyclone off the Florida coast . Eventually , after several years service he achieved his mariner ' s qualifications and gained a job with the Allan Line as a junior officer . He then served in a variety of sailing and steam ships traveling across most of the world . In 1910 , the Allan Line was taken over by the Canadian Pacific Line and he continued working with the company ' s new owners as a junior ship ' s officer . First World War . At the outbreak of World War I Stuart was called up to service , as an officer in the Royal Naval Reserve . He was originally posted as a junior officer on board the old and obsolete destroyer HMS " Opossum " in Plymouth . This ship was used for harbour patrols and intercepting neutral merchant ships and other work Stuart considered tedious . He became increasingly impatient with the life and repeatedly applied to his senior officers with requests for transfer ; at one point he even requested that he be commissioned into the army . All of these were turned down , with increasing levels of hostility from his commanders , one of whom was reported to have told him to " Go to hell ! And shut the door behind you ! " HMS " Farnborough " . In the spring of 1916 he was transferred as first lieutenant to a Q - ship under Gordon Campbell . A Q - ship was a merchant ship with hidden weaponry , commanded secretly by the navy and manned by a Royal Navy crew . When attacked by a submarine , the Q - ship would feign damage until the enemy was close enough to engage and then reveal its weapons to counter - attack . Campbell , a major proponent of Q - ship strategy , was impressed with Stuart ' s stubborn refusal to accept the two years of rejection and brought him in to replace an officer whose nerves had cracked under the strain of Q - ship operations . Stuart ' s experience in merchant shipping proved invaluable to his work and he soon had the crew of Q5 ( also known as HMS " Farnborough " ) disciplined and the ship well maintained and run . Campbell himself was very pleased with his executive officer , declaring him " on the top line " . Stuart and Campbell would later fall out over Stuart ' s belief that Campbell was exaggerating the danger of Q - ship service , Stuart comparing his own life favourably with service in the trenches . His first year of Q - ship service was frustrating for Stuart and the crew . Although , prior to his attachment to the ship , " Farnborough " had succeeded in sinking an enemy submarine ( the " U - 68 " in March 1916 ) , there had been no successes since . In February 1917 , Campbell decided that in order to properly invite an attack , the " Farnborough " would have to actually be torpedoed before combat and then engage the submarine as she closed to finish the job with shellfire . On 17 February this theory was proven correct off Southern Ireland when the lone " Farnborough " was struck by a torpedo fired at extreme range . Campbell intentionally failed to evade the missile and the ship took the blow in the hold , causing some minor injuries to the crew but serious damage to the ship . The crew were well rehearsed and the " panic party " took to their boats with a great show of alarm and disorder whilst the gun crews manned positions on their hidden weapons . When four lifeboats had been released and the ship had settled in the water and was clearly sinking , the submarine " U - 83 " pulled up just ten yards ( 9m ) from the wreck . A hail of shot was then unleashed by the " Farnborough ' s " remaining crew from their six - pounder gun and several machine gun s into the stationary submarine . The very first shot decapitated the German captain Bruno Hoppe and the U - boat was rapidly reduced to a battered wreck . Eight German sailors escaped the submarine before it sank but only two could be pulled from the water , one of whom subsequently died from his wounds . The " Farnborough " too was sinking from her torpedo damage . Realising this , Campbell left the men in the boats , destroyed all confidential papers and radioed for help . His unorthodox message read : " Q5 slowly sinking respectfully wishes you goodbye " . This message reached nearby naval shipping , and within an hour the destroyers HMS " Narwhal " and HMS " Buttercup " arrived and began to tow the stricken ship back to land . During the night a depth charge accidentally exploded on board " Farnborough " and the tow was dropped . Campbell ordered the twelve men remaining aboard into a lifeboat and attempted to take a final survey of his vessel , only to be driven back by another exploding depth charge . On returning to the rail he discovered that Stuart had disobeyed his order and remained on board , to make sure his captain disembarked safely . The tow was later reattached and the battered " Farnborough " beached at Mill Cove , in no fit state to return to sea . Campbell was awarded the Victoria Cross in recognition of his service in the action and £1 , 000 of prize money was shared among the crew . Stuart and Engineer - Lieutenant Len Loveless were both presented with the Distinguished Service Order . HMS " Pargust " . Following the action Stuart remained with Campbell and Loveless as Inspectors of Shipping , choosing those vessels they believed to be best suited to Q - ship work for naval service . After some time ashore all three returned to sea in a vessel they had personally chosen , an old , battered tramp steamer named SS " Vittoria " . Renaming it HMS " Pargust " , they armed their vessel with a 4 " gun , two twelve pounders , two machine guns , torpedo tubes and depth charges . Thus armed the " Pargust " departed on her first patrol to the same grounds where " U - 83 " had been sunk , in the waters south of Ireland . For the first few days her duties consisted only of rescuing survivors from sunken cargo ships but with increasing German activity , an attack was expected at any moment . On 7 June 1917 , " Pargust " was suddenly struck by a torpedo fired at very close range from an unseen German submarine . Unlike the " Farnborough " action , the damage done to the " Pargust " was immense . The ship was holed close to the waterline , and its cover was almost blown when one of the twelve pounder gun ports was blasted free from its mounting ; it was only the quick thinking of sailor William Williams , who took the full weight of the gun port on himself , that prevented the gun being exposed . One petty officer was killed and a number wounded . By this stage in the war , the German submarine authorities had become aware of the existence of Q - ships and Captain Ernst Rosenow of the UC - 29 was taking no risks with his target , remaining at 400 yards ( 366m ) distance watching the staged panicked evacuation of the ship . While the hidden gun crews watched the enemy approach the lifeboats , the officer in charge of the boats , Lieutenant Francis Hereford , realised that the submarine would follow his movements , as its commander assumed him to be the captain . Hereford therefore ordered his men to row back towards the ship , thus luring the enemy into range . This made the submarine commander believe that the ship ’ s crew were planning to regain their vessel and he immediately closed to just 50 yards ( 46m ) , surfaced and began angrily semaphoring to the " survivors " in the boats . This was exactly what the gun crews had been waiting for and a volley of fire was directed at the U - boat . Numerous holes were blown in the conning tower and the submarine desperately attempted to flee on the surface before slowing down and heeling over , trailing oil . The gun crews then stopped firing only for the submarine to suddenly restart its engines and attempt to escape . In a final barrage of fire the submarine was hit fatally , a large explosion blowing the vessel in two . Rosenow and 22 of his crew were killed , whilst two survivors were rescued by the panic party . The wrecked " Pargust " was taken in tow by HMS " Crocus " , USS " Cushing " and HMS " Zinnia " and reached Queenstown barely afloat nearly two days later . The port ' s admiral congratulated the crew personally on their arrival . As before , the crew were awarded £1 , 000 prize money and several awards were promised . Unusually , the Admiralty were unable to decide who amongst the ship ' s crew should receive the Victoria Cross as all were deemed to have participated in the action with equal valour . It was thus decided for the first time , under article 13 of the Victoria Cross ' s royal warrant , that one officer and one enlisted man would be granted the award following a ballot by the ship ' s company . After the vote , from which Campbell abstained , the Victoria Crosses were awarded to Stuart and William Williams . Fourteen other crew members were awarded medals , including DSOs for Campbell and Hereford . In addition , every sailor had his participation in the action and subsequent ballot noted on his service records . Due to the official secrecy surrounding the activities of the Q - ships , Stuart ' s and Williams ' s Victoria Crosses were announced without fanfare or explanation of their actions ; even the " Pargust ' s " name was omitted from the citation . The full account of the action was not published until after the armistice in November 1918 . Stuart was noted as the first Anglo - Canadian to receive the Victoria Cross and his obituary later stated that in the action , " his gallantry stood out " . The medal was presented to him in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace by King George V on 23 July 1917 . HMS " Tamarisk " . In addition to receiving the Victoria Cross , Stuart was promoted to lieutenant commander and given his own command , HMS " Tamarisk " . " Tamarisk " was a small sloop built in 1916 which was capable of being disguised as a merchant vessel and used as a Q - ship , designated Q11 . A few months after assuming command , on 15 October 1917 , Stuart was on hand to rescue the United States Navy destroyer USS " Cassin " after she was torpedoed by " U - 61 " in heavy weather . Along with one crewmember killed and nine wounded , the " Cassin " had lost her entire stern including the rudder and was in danger of sinking . The dead crew member was Osmond Ingram , who had died throwing burning munitions overboard and was later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . Twenty miles from the Irish coast and in total darkness , the " Tamarisk " not only found the crippled ship but was able to come alongside in high seas and a strong gale and pass across a tow line . Twice during the night the tow broke and twice it was reconnected as the battle to save the ship continued . The next morning several trawlers came to the aid of the Q - ship and together they enabled the " Cassin " to make port , saving the ship and her crew . Ten years after the " Cassin ' s " rescue the US Navy awarded Stuart the Navy Cross in recognition of his part in the operation ; it was a rare presentation to a sailor of a foreign navy and the only occasion in which the recipient also possessed the Victoria Cross . The remainder of the war was quiet for Stuart , achieving no further successes against submarines . Upon the armistice the full details of his Victoria Cross action were revealed and , in 1919 , he was mentioned in despatches in recognition of the service he had performed during the Q - ship operations . As further recognition of his overall efforts against the German submarine campaign , the French government presented him with the Croix de Guerre . In 1919 , Stuart returned to Canadian Pacific , his maritime reputation on both sides of the Atlantic greatly enhanced by his war record . In the same year he met and married his wife Evelyn , with whom he would have three sons and two daughters . Return to the Merchant Navy . After post - war service on a succession of merchant ships , Stuart was provided with his first merchant command , the steam freighter SS " Brandon " , in 1927 . After a short period in charge he was again promoted and transferred , taking up the role of Staff Captain on the liner RMS " Empress of Australia " . Ships ' Captain . Just a year later he again moved , becoming full captain on the 15 , 000 ton liner SS " Minnedosa " – an older ship which transported immigrants to Canada . Stuart was one of a number of Royal Naval Reserve officers employed by Canadian Pacific , part of a deliberate recruitment policy by the company . In 1929 , he was given his biggest command yet as he took over the newly completed 20 , 000 ton ocean liner SS " Duchess of York " . He commanded her for five years along her route from Liverpool to Saint John , New Brunswick stopping at Belfast and Greenock . He also briefly commanded her on the New York to Bermuda route . It was during this period , in 1929 , that he was awarded the Decoration for Officers of the Royal Naval Reserve ( RD ) in honour of his long service and in 1935 he was made a full Naval Reserve Captain . He maintained his connection with the RNR throughout his life , becoming Honorary President of the RNR Officer ' s Club and a part - time naval " aide - de - camp " to King George VI in 1941 – a position he held part - time throughout World War II . A special warrant was written in 1927 which allowed him to fly the Blue Ensign from any ship , mercantile or military , which he commanded . In 1931 , whilst he was in command of the " Duchess of York " , his wife suddenly died in Toxteth . This event is said to have changed Stuart ' s demeanour and plunged him into a depression . He never again took time off work and left his children to the sole care and maintenance of his four maiden sisters in England . In 1934 he took over his last and most important seagoing role as Commodore of the CPS fleet and was placed in command of the 42 , 000 ton liner RMS " Empress of Britain " on her transatlantic route . After three years in command of this giant ship on her England to Quebec route , Stuart was given a desk job managing the company ' s assets in Montreal . In 1937 , he was promoted to company superintendent , a role followed by the job of general manager at Canadian Pacific ' s London office . He retained this job for 13 years , including through the difficult experiences of World War II when London ' s dockyards were badly damaged by the London Blitz . Two of his sons served in the war ; one in the Royal Navy and the other in the Royal Canadian Navy . Both were decorated for bravery whilst fighting in the Battle of the Atlantic against the resurgent German submarine fleet . One was presented with the Distinguished Service Cross , whilst the other was Mentioned in Despatches . Retirement . Retiring in 1951 , Stuart retreated to his sisters ' cottage in Charing , Kent , and spent his days reading , walking , observing nature and visiting the cinema , where he was reportedly notorious for " jeering embarrassingly loudly at falsely heroic , sentimental or emotional passages " and shouting " Mush ! " at parts of movies he did not approve . He died aged 67 at the cottage on 8 February 1954 and was buried in local Charing Cemetery . For many years his gravestone was in a poor state of repair , but successful attempts have been made by memorial organisations to replace it with a standard white Commonwealth War Grave headstone . Following his death , ' Stuart Close ' in Lee - on - Solent was named for him and his medals were collected and donated on permanent loan to the National Maritime Museum , where they are on display .