Peter Gerald Charles Dickens
Encyclopedia
Captain
Peter Gerald Charles Dickens DSO
, MBE
, DSC
, RN
(6 April 1917 – 25 May 1987) was a Royal Navy
officer during World War II
and a great-grandson of novelist
Charles Dickens
.
Sir Gerald Charles Dickens
and Kathlen Pearl Birch, Peter Dickens was born in Fulham
in London
in 1917. Dickens joined the Royal Navy
as a Naval Cadet in September 1934, being promoted to Midshipman
in May 1935 when he was serving aboard HMS Nelson in the Home Fleet. Dickens was Acting Sub-Lieutenant
in September 1937 and Sub-Lieutenant in May 1938 while serving aboard the Royal Yacht HMY Victoria and Albert III
in Portsmouth
. In 1940 he took part in the evacuation from Dunkirk.
From June 1942 Dickens was the Commanding Officer of HM MTB
234 and the Senior Officer of 21st MTB Flotilla when, in August 1942, he was awarded the MBE
for saving his mined ship through damage control, and the Distinguished Service Cross
in December 1942 for attacks on enemy shipping. In July 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
for skillful and daring attacks "in enemy coastal waters".
Dickens was the Commanding Officer of HMS Blencathra from April 1944 to July 1945 before being transferred to the Staff of RN College, Eaton
and later at RN College, Dartmouth
, where he served from July 1945 to 1948. In May 1953 Dickens was the Commanding Officer of HMS Gabbard
, and from 1953 to April 1954 of HMS Scorpion
. From April 1955 to January 1956 he was based at HMS President
, a shore establishment, before being appointed Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff (Plans), Allied Forces Mediterranean (NATO) at Malta
from October 1956 to January 1957.
He was a Staff Officer for NATO based at İzmir
from 1958 to 1959, and from 1959 to 1961 was the Commanding Officer of HMS Delight
. Dickens was Captain of Chatham Dockyard
and Queen's Harbour Master and Chief Staff Officer to Rear Admiral
Beloe between March 1961 to February 1964, and served as Naval Aide-de-camp
to Queen Elizabeth II
from July 1964 to January 1965.
Peter Dickens was the President of the Dickens Fellowship
, a worldwide association of people who share an interest in the life and works of Charles Dickens, and was President of the Coastal Forces Association. He is the grandfather of the actor Harry Lloyd
and Uncle to the actor/performer Gerald Charles Dickens
.
Dickens died in 1987 at Tunbridge Wells in Kent
.
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Peter Gerald Charles Dickens 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...
, MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DSC
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
, 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...
(6 April 1917 – 25 May 1987) 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 during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and a great-grandson of novelist
English novel
The English novel is an important part of English literature.-Early novels in English:A number of works of literature have each been claimed as the first novel in English. See the article First novel in English.-Romantic novel:...
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
.
Naval career
The son of AdmiralAdmiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir Gerald Charles Dickens
Gerald Charles Dickens
Admiral Sir Gerald Louis Charles Dickens, KCVO, CB, CMG, RN, was a senior Royal Navy officer and the grandson of Victorian novelist Charles Dickens.-Early career:...
and Kathlen Pearl Birch, Peter Dickens was born in Fulham
Fulham
Fulham is an area of southwest London in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, SW6 located south west of Charing Cross. It lies on the left bank of the Thames, between Putney and Chelsea. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London...
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...
in 1917. Dickens joined 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...
as a Naval Cadet in September 1934, being promoted to 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 May 1935 when he was serving aboard HMS Nelson in the Home Fleet. Dickens was Acting Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
in September 1937 and Sub-Lieutenant in May 1938 while serving aboard the Royal Yacht HMY Victoria and Albert III
HMY Victoria and Albert III
HMY Victoria and Albert III a Royal Yacht of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. The yacht was designed by the Chief Constructor of the Royal Navy Sir William White. She was launched in 1899 but was not ready for service until 1901...
in 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...
. In 1940 he took part in the evacuation from Dunkirk.
From June 1942 Dickens was the Commanding Officer of HM MTB
Motor Torpedo Boat
Motor Torpedo Boat was the name given to fast torpedo boats by the Royal Navy, and the Royal Canadian Navy.The capitalised term is generally used for the Royal Navy boats and abbreviated to "MTB"...
234 and the Senior Officer of 21st MTB Flotilla when, in August 1942, he was awarded the MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for saving his mined ship through damage control, and the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
in December 1942 for attacks on enemy shipping. In July 1943 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order
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...
for skillful and daring attacks "in enemy coastal waters".
Dickens was the Commanding Officer of HMS Blencathra from April 1944 to July 1945 before being transferred to the Staff of RN College, Eaton
Eaton Hall (Cheshire)
Eaton Hall is the country house of the Duke of Westminster. It is set within a large estate south of the village of Eccleston, in Cheshire, England . The house is surrounded by formal gardens, parkland, farmland and woodland. The estate covers an area of about .The first substantial house was...
and later at RN College, Dartmouth
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
, where he served from July 1945 to 1948. In May 1953 Dickens was the Commanding Officer of HMS Gabbard
HMS Gabbard (D47)
HMS Gabbard was a Battle-class destroyer of the Royal Navy . She was named in honour of the Battle of the Gabbard, which occurred in 1653, and which resulted in an English victory over the Dutch Fleet. Gabbard was built by Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson Limited on the Tyne...
, and from 1953 to April 1954 of HMS Scorpion
HMS Scorpion (D64)
HMS Scorpion was a Weapon-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy.Originally named HMS Centaur, the ship was renamed Tomahawk and finally Scorpion before her launch....
. From April 1955 to January 1956 he was based at HMS President
HMS President (shore establishment)
HMS President is a stone frigate, or shore establishment of the Royal Naval Reserve; on the northern bank of the River Thames near Tower Bridge in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.-Present day:...
, a shore establishment, before being appointed Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff (Plans), Allied Forces Mediterranean (NATO) at Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
from October 1956 to January 1957.
He was a Staff Officer for NATO based at İzmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
from 1958 to 1959, and from 1959 to 1961 was the Commanding Officer of HMS Delight
HMS Delight (D119)
HMS Delight was a Daring-class destroyer of the British Royal Navy, launched in 1950 and broken up at Inverkeithing in 1971.-External links:*...
. Dickens was Captain of Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
and Queen's Harbour Master and Chief Staff Officer to Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Beloe between March 1961 to February 1964, and served as Naval 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 Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
from July 1964 to January 1965.
Peter Dickens was the President of the Dickens Fellowship
Dickens Fellowship
The Dickens Fellowship was founded in 1902, and is an international association of people from all walks of life who share an interest in the life and works of Victorian era novelist Charles Dickens....
, a worldwide association of people who share an interest in the life and works of Charles Dickens, and was President of the Coastal Forces Association. He is the grandfather of the actor Harry Lloyd
Harry Lloyd
Harry Lloyd is an English actor. He played Will Scarlet in the first two seasons of the BBC drama Robin Hood which began in 2006...
and Uncle to the actor/performer Gerald Charles Dickens
Gerald Charles Dickens (actor)
Gerald Rhoderick Charles Dickens is a British actor and performer known in the United Kingdom and the United States for his one man shows based on the novels of his great great grandfather, Charles Dickens...
.
Dickens died in 1987 at Tunbridge Wells in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Publications
- 'HMS Hesperus' Profile Publications (1972)
- 'Night action : MTB Flotilla at War' Bantam Books (1974) ISBN 0553147641
- 'Narvik : Battles in the Fjords' Classics of Naval Literature. U.S. Naval Institute (1974) ISBN 1-55750-744-9.
- 'SAS : the jungle frontier : 22 Special Air Service Regiment in the Borneo Campaign, 1963-1966' (1983)
Honours and awards
- 19 July 1940 - Mentioned in DispatchesMentioned in DispatchesA soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
- Lieutenant Peter Gerald Charles Dickens, Royal Navy - for naval operations off the coast of Norway. - 11 June 1942 - Mentioned in DispatchesMentioned in DispatchesA soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
- Lieutenant Peter Gerald Charles Dickens, Royal Navy - As Celebration of His Majesty's Birthday, for outstanding zeal, patience and cheerfulness, and for never failing to set an example of wholehearted devotion to duty, without which the high tradition of the Royal Navy could not be upheld. - 11 August 1942 - Member of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
Lieutenant Peter Gerald Charles Dickens, Royal Navy - For bravery and devotion to duty. - 29 December 1942 - Distinguished Service CrossDistinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
- Lieutenant Peter Gerald Charles Dickens, M.B.E., Royal Navy - For courage and skill in attacks on enemy shipping off the French coast. - 13 April 1943 - Mentioned in DispatchesMentioned in DispatchesA soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
- Lieutenant Peter Gerald Charles Dickens, M.B.E., D.S.C., Royal Navy - For good services in action against the enemy off the Dutch Coast. - 22 June 1943 - Mentioned in DispatchesMentioned in DispatchesA soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
- Lieutenant Peter Gerald Charles Dickens, M.B.E., D.S.C., Royal Navy - For bravery and skill in a successful attack of enemy shipping, while serving in light coastal forces. - 13 July 1943 - Companion of the Distinguished Service OrderDistinguished Service OrderThe 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...
- Lieutenant Peter Gerald Charles Dickens, M.B.E., D.S.C., Royal Navy - For skill and daring in many successful attacks on enemy forces, made in enemy waters, whils serving in light coastal craft.