Joe Baker-Cresswell
Encyclopedia
Captain
Addison Joe Baker-Cresswell DSO
RN
(born 2 February 1901, Mayfair
, London
, died Bamburgh
, Northumberland
4 March 1997), was a Royal Navy
officer, aide-de-camp
to King George VI
and High Sheriff of Northumberland
. He is noted prominently for his role as the commanding officer of HMS Bulldog during the capture of U-110
which an intact Enigma cipher machine
was seized.
Baker-Cresswell was the younger of the two sons of Major Addison Francis Baker-Cresswell (1874–1921), a Grenadier Guards
officer and a member of a landowning family from Northumberland
, and his wife Idonea Fitzherbert Widdrington. The elder brother, John Baker-Cresswell (1899–1920), was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy
who was drowned in an accident at Portsmouth
.
Baker-Cresswell was educated at Gresham's School
, Holt
, where he was a member of the Naval Section of the school's Officer Training Corps.
as a midshipman
in 1919. His first ship was the battlecruiser HMS Tiger
. He later served in the light cruiser HMS Castor
based at Queenstown
, Ireland
, and in the sloop HMS Veronica
, based in New Zealand
. In 1927 he joined the minelayer HMS Adventure
and the battleship HMS Nelson, then for three years was navigating officer on the battleship HMS Rodney. He was promoted commander in 1937.
When the Second World War began Baker-Cresswell was in Cairo
as a member of General Wavell
's staff. He was given his first commands in 1940, first the destroyer Arrow
and a few months later the destroyer Bulldog, based in Iceland
and leading the 3rd escort group.
On 9 May 1941, the 3rd escort group was attacked while escorting a merchant convoy in the Atlantic by the U-boat
U-110 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp
, who had sunk the liner Athenia
on the first day of the war. After Lemp had sunk two merchant ships and the corvette Aubretia had dropped ten depth charges on him, the U-boat surfaced and was boarded by a party from Bulldog and stripped of all its equipment, including U-110′s Enigma cipher machine
, code settings for high-security traffic, and code book for U-boat short-signal reports. Baker-Cresswell took U-110 in tow, but she sank within hours.
Baker-Cresswell was awarded the DSO
and promoted captain. King George VI
told him the capture of the U-110 cipher material had been "the most important single event in the whole war at sea".
Baker-Cresswell then joined the Joint Intelligence Staff in London
, before becoming training captain in command of the steam yacht Philante. In 1943 he was appointed chief of staff to the commander-in-chief, western approaches, Admiral Sir Max Horton
, then he went on to command the Royal Navy's East Indies escort force until 1945.
After the war, from 1946 to 1948, he commanded the cruiser HMS Gambia in the Far East. He was deputy director of Naval Intelligence, 1948 to 1951.
He retired in 1951, and was appointed aide-de-camp
to King George VI.
, managing his estate near Bamburgh
. He became a Justice of the Peace
and was High Sheriff of Northumberland
in 1962. He was also a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron
.
, New Zealand
. They had three children: two daughters, Jocelyn (born 1928) and Pamela (born 1931), and one son, Charles (born 1935).
, starring Matthew McConaughey
, Bill Paxton
, Harvey Keitel
, Thomas Kretschmann
, and Jon Bon Jovi
, was based on Baker-Cresswell's capture of the German Enigma machine
, with the action transferred to the Mediterranean and the heroes becoming Americans.
The film was raised at Prime Minister's Question Time where Tony Blair
agreed with questioner Brian Jenkins MP
that the film was "an affront" to British sailors.
On BBC Radio 4
's Today programme, Charles Baker-Cresswell commented. "It's a typical American approach. We've seen this time and time again."
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
Addison Joe Baker-Cresswell DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
RN
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(born 2 February 1901, Mayfair
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster.-History:Mayfair is named after the annual fortnight-long May Fair that took place on the site that is Shepherd Market today...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, died Bamburgh
Bamburgh
Bamburgh is a large village and civil parish on the coast of Northumberland, England. It has a population of 454.It is notable for two reasons: the imposing Bamburgh Castle, overlooking the beach, seat of the former Kings of Northumbria, and at present owned by the Armstrong family ; and its...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
4 March 1997), was a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
officer, aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
and High Sheriff of Northumberland
High Sheriff of Northumberland
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post...
. He is noted prominently for his role as the commanding officer of HMS Bulldog during the capture of U-110
Action of 9 May 1941
The Action of 9 May 1941 also known as the Capture of U-110 and Operation Pimrose was a minor naval engagement in the Atlantic ocean in which two Royal Naval destroyers , HMS Broadway and the British corvette forced the German U-boat submarine U-110 to the surface by depth charges. It was then...
which an intact Enigma cipher machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
was seized.
Background and early life
Grenadier Guards
The Grenadier Guards is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It is the most senior regiment of the Guards Division and, as such, is the most senior regiment of infantry. It is not, however, the most senior regiment of the Army, this position being attributed to the Life Guards...
officer and a member of a landowning family from Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, and his wife Idonea Fitzherbert Widdrington. The elder brother, John Baker-Cresswell (1899–1920), was a lieutenant in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
who was drowned in an accident at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
.
Baker-Cresswell was educated at Gresham's School
Gresham's School
Gresham’s School is an independent coeducational boarding school in Holt in North Norfolk, England, a member of the HMC.The school was founded in 1555 by Sir John Gresham as a free grammar school for forty boys, following King Henry VIII's dissolution of the Augustinian priory at Beeston Regis...
, Holt
Holt, Norfolk
Holt is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is north of the city of Norwich, west of Cromer and east of King's Lynn. The town is on the route of the A148 King's Lynn to Cromer road. The nearest railway station is in the town of Sheringham where access to the...
, where he was a member of the Naval Section of the school's Officer Training Corps.
Naval career
He joined the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as a midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in 1919. His first ship was the battlecruiser HMS Tiger
HMS Tiger (1913)
The 11th HMS Tiger was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy, built by John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland, and launched in 1913. Tiger was the most heavily armoured battlecruiser of the Royal Navy at the start of the First World War although she was still being finished when the war began...
. He later served in the light cruiser HMS Castor
HMS Castor (1915)
HMS Castor was one of the Cambrian subclass of the C-class of light cruisers. Her sister ships were HMS Cambrian, HMS Canterbury, and HMS Constance...
based at Queenstown
Cobh
Cobh is a seaport town on the south coast of County Cork, Ireland. Cobh is on the south side of Great Island in Cork Harbour. Facing the town are Spike Island and Haulbowline Island...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and in the sloop HMS Veronica
HMS Veronica
HMS Veronica was an Acacia-class sloop of the Royal Navy, built by Dunlop Bremner & Company, Port Glasgow. She was laid down in January 1915, launched on 27 May 1915 and completed in August 1915...
, based in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. In 1927 he joined the minelayer HMS Adventure
HMS Adventure (M23)
HMS Adventure, pennant number M23, was a minelaying cruiser of the Royal Navy built in the 1920s that saw service during the Second World War. Her commander between 1928 and 1929 was the future First Sea Lord John H. D...
and the battleship HMS Nelson, then for three years was navigating officer on the battleship HMS Rodney. He was promoted commander in 1937.
When the Second World War began Baker-Cresswell was in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
as a member of General Wavell
Archibald Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell
Field Marshal Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell GCB, GCSI, GCIE, CMG, MC, PC was a British field marshal and the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East during the Second World War. He led British forces to victory over the Italians, only to be defeated by the German army...
's staff. He was given his first commands in 1940, first the destroyer Arrow
HMS Arrow (H42)
HMS Arrow was an A class destroyer of the Royal Navy. She served during the Second World War before being damaged while fighting a fire on an ammunition ship and written off in 1943.-Construction and commissioning:...
and a few months later the destroyer Bulldog, based in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
and leading the 3rd escort group.
On 9 May 1941, the 3rd escort group was attacked while escorting a merchant convoy in the Atlantic by the U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
U-110 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp
Fritz-Julius Lemp
Fritz-Julius Lemp was a Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and commander of , and . He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
, who had sunk the liner Athenia
SS Athenia
The S.S. Athenia was the first British ship to be sunk by Nazi Germany in World War II.-Description:Athenia was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Ltd., and was launched at Govan, Scotland in 1923. She was built for Anchor-Donaldson Ltd.'s route between Britain and Canada...
on the first day of the war. After Lemp had sunk two merchant ships and the corvette Aubretia had dropped ten depth charges on him, the U-boat surfaced and was boarded by a party from Bulldog and stripped of all its equipment, including U-110′s Enigma cipher machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
, code settings for high-security traffic, and code book for U-boat short-signal reports. Baker-Cresswell took U-110 in tow, but she sank within hours.
Baker-Cresswell was awarded the DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
and promoted captain. King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
told him the capture of the U-110 cipher material had been "the most important single event in the whole war at sea".
Baker-Cresswell then joined the Joint Intelligence Staff in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, before becoming training captain in command of the steam yacht Philante. In 1943 he was appointed chief of staff to the commander-in-chief, western approaches, Admiral Sir Max Horton
Max Kennedy Horton
Admiral Sir Max Kennedy Horton, GCB, DSO and two bars was a British submariner in World War I and commander-in-chief of the Western Approaches in the latter half of World War II, responsible for British participation in the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.-First World War:Horton joined...
, then he went on to command the Royal Navy's East Indies escort force until 1945.
After the war, from 1946 to 1948, he commanded the cruiser HMS Gambia in the Far East. He was deputy director of Naval Intelligence, 1948 to 1951.
He retired in 1951, and was appointed aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to King George VI.
Retirement
In retirement, Baker-Cresswell settled at Budle Hall in his native NorthumberlandNorthumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, managing his estate near Bamburgh
Bamburgh
Bamburgh is a large village and civil parish on the coast of Northumberland, England. It has a population of 454.It is notable for two reasons: the imposing Bamburgh Castle, overlooking the beach, seat of the former Kings of Northumbria, and at present owned by the Armstrong family ; and its...
. He became a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and was High Sheriff of Northumberland
High Sheriff of Northumberland
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post...
in 1962. He was also a member of the Royal Yacht Squadron
Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron is the most prestigious yacht club in the United Kingdom and arguably the world. Its clubhouse is located in Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom...
.
Family
On 24 August 1926, Baker-Cresswell married Rona Eileen Vaile, the daughter of H. E. Vaile, of Glade Hall, Epsom, AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. They had three children: two daughters, Jocelyn (born 1928) and Pamela (born 1931), and one son, Charles (born 1935).
U-571 movie
The movie U-571U-571 (film)
U-571 is a 2000 film directed by Jonathan Mostow, and starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Thomas Kretschmann, Jon Bon Jovi, Jack Noseworthy, Will Estes, and Tom Guiry...
, starring Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey is an American actor.After a series of minor roles in the early 1990s, McConaughey gained notice for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused . He then appeared in films such as A Time to Kill, Contact, U-571, Tiptoes, Sahara, and We Are Marshall...
, Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton
William "Bill" Paxton is an American actor and film director. He gained popularity after starring roles in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Aliens, True Lies, and Titanic...
, Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel is an American actor. Some of his most notable starring roles were in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets and Taxi Driver, Ridley Scott's The Duellists and Thelma and Louise, Ettore Scola's That Night in Varennes, Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Jane Campion's The...
, Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann
Thomas Kretschmann is a German actor best known for playing Leutnant Hans Von Witzland in the 1993 film Stalingrad, Hauptmann Wilm Hosenfeld in The Pianist, Hermann Fegelein in Der Untergang, and Captain Englehorn in the 2005 remake of King Kong.-Early life:Kretschmann was born in Dessau, former...
, and Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi
Jon Bon Jovi is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the founder, occasional rhythm guitarist, and lead singer of rock band Bon Jovi, which was named after him...
, was based on Baker-Cresswell's capture of the German Enigma machine
Enigma machine
An Enigma machine is any of a family of related electro-mechanical rotor cipher machines used for the encryption and decryption of secret messages. Enigma was invented by German engineer Arthur Scherbius at the end of World War I...
, with the action transferred to the Mediterranean and the heroes becoming Americans.
The film was raised at Prime Minister's Question Time where Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
agreed with questioner Brian Jenkins MP
Brian Jenkins (politician)
Brian David Jenkins is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Tamworth from 1997 until 2010, and has lived in the constituency for over 50 years...
that the film was "an affront" to British sailors.
On BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's Today programme, Charles Baker-Cresswell commented. "It's a typical American approach. We've seen this time and time again."
