Rupert Lonsdale
Encyclopedia
Rupert Philip Lonsdale was a British submarine commander, prisoner of war and Anglican clergyman. He was forced to surrender his boat in World War II
after he had succeeded in rescuing her and her crew from the sea bed after she struck a mine. He was honourably acquitted at the inevitable court-martial after spending five years as a prisoner of war. After the war he took holy orders serving in several Anglican parishes and in 1952 volunteered to go as a District Chaplain to Kenya to help find a peaceful solution to the Mau Mau Uprising
.
and RNC Osborne
. He began in the submarine branch of the service in 1927 and within four years was first lieutenant of XI, a large experimental submersible. With four 5.2-inch guns and displacing 2,780 tons this was by far the biggest craft before the advent of nuclear vessels.
In 1934 he passed the demanding submarine command qualifying course, and his first command was H44
, a legacy of World War I
, of 440 tons, with four torpedo tubes and a machine-gun. Lonsdale was promoted lieutenant-commander in May 1936 and in 1937 he took over the newer Swordfish
for a year.
, which he commissioned in May 1939. The ship's company "one of the biggest collections of scallywags that the Submarine Service ever put together" were confronted by a slight quiet man who was considered "Too much of a gentleman to be a good submarine captain". However in a very short time, by no perceptible means, Lonsdale had gained the complete respect, faith and confidence of his crew. After missions in the China Sea, at Aden
, on the North Atlantic and North Sea
Patrol, the submarine’s last mission was to cross the Skagerrak
and lay a minefield in the Kattegat
- an almost impossible task for a submarine as large as Seal. Lonsdale's superior, Captain Bethall, failed to persuade Admiral Horton
to reconsider his orders and the ship sailed on 29 April. She was held in check by German anti-submarine trawlers in the area, but managed to lay her mines. She was hunted by two German search flotillas and took evasive action to escape the area when she went into an uncharted minefield. A German mine exploded while she was on the sea bed, damaging her stern and filling her hull. The attempt to resurface had to wait several hours until it was dark. However, in spite of three attempts, the damaged submarine failed to lift from the seabed and air quality deteriorated significantly. Throughout the incident the crew were impressed by the quiet resolution and faith of their captain. As a devout Christian, Lonsdale summoned his ship's company to prayer, and led them in the Lord's Prayer
. After taking several last desperate measures, he made another attempt and the submarine finally lifted. Once on the surface he tried to make for the nearby Swedish coast and the crew destroyed the secret Asdic equipment and confidential papers. The stricken submarine was spotted and attacked by enemy aircraft. Lonsdale sent his crew below, and under intense fire tried to hold the aircraft off with Lewis gun
s until these jammed. The submarine was without motive power, unable to dive and without any defences and there was no realistic alternative but to surrender. Various action were taken towards scuttling the boat but it managed to stay afloat.
who had adopted the crew. Once he wrote Within the last few days I have had a talk with each one of my crew who are in this camp. Despite a hard winter, enforced idleness, and the unnatural life led by any prisoner they all look fit; I cannot emphasis this too much; they really do look well. which is great credit to them and I would be grateful if you could let their next of kin know as you kindly did before. He worked hard to maintain morale and used his limited ration of mail on behalf of his crew members.
After the war, Lonsdale was mentioned in despatches in June 1945 for his services as a POW, promoted to commander and placed on the retired list at his own request. His last command was the new Pyrrhus, which he brought up from Glanton before joining an operational flotilla at Portsmouth in January 1946. However he had to face the court-martial for the loss of his ship during the war and "his modesty was such that he had not begun to realise that there was even the slightest possibility of his being considered not as a coward but as a hero". Lonsdale was tried at Portsmouth, on 10 April 1946, and it took the court just over half an hour to acquit him with an honourable discharge.
in 1946 to prepare for his ordination and became a priest in 1949. His first curacy was with a mission church at Rowner, near HMS Dolphin, the submarine base at Gosport
, followed by becoming vicar of Morden-with-Almer in Dorset in 1951. In 1953 he started a five year tour in the White Highlands
of Kenya
as a district chaplain. He volunteered for this mission because he thought that his five years as a prisoner of war should help him to befriend the Mau Mau rebels, and at one point he offered to live in the bush as a hostage, to demonstrate Britain's benevolent intentions.
-with-Titchwell
on the north Norfolk coast. Lonsdale retired to Hampshire, but held several part-time chaplaincies for the Anglican Church's European diocese based on Gibraltar
. This led to a three-year stay in Tenerife (1970–73) before he returned to England for some time in the clergy hospice at College of St Mark at Audley End. Lonsdale died at Bournemouth, Dorset.
Women's Royal Naval Service officer, who also supported him in Kenya but she died in 1986. Finally he married Ethne Irwin in Malta
in 1989. She survived him as did his son John Lonsdale, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge
, who has specialised in East African history.
In 1960 C.E.T. Warren and James Benson asked Rupert Lonsdale for his help with their book about the loss of Seal, Will Not We Fear: The Story of His Majesty's Submarine "Seal" and of Lieutenant-Commander Rupert Lonsdale (1961). He eventually agreed, provided that he was allowed to write a foreword making it clear that he would never have suggested that the book be written, that he was a reluctant contributor, and then only in the trust that it might help some readers to find faith in God. Afterwards he said "Now that the tale is written I recoil all the more from any publicity, but the one reason for my co-operation remains." The book includes a simple but eloquent tribute from him to his ship's company and the authors prefaced his foreword with the first seven verses of Psalm
XLVI from which they drew their title. As Sainsbury wrote,
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...
after he had succeeded in rescuing her and her crew from the sea bed after she struck a mine. He was honourably acquitted at the inevitable court-martial after spending five years as a prisoner of war. After the war he took holy orders serving in several Anglican parishes and in 1952 volunteered to go as a District Chaplain to Kenya to help find a peaceful solution to the Mau Mau Uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
.
Early life
Lonsdale was born at Dublin and educated at St. Cyprian's School, EastbourneEastbourne
Eastbourne is a large town and borough in East Sussex, on the south coast of England between Brighton and Hastings. The town is situated at the eastern end of the chalk South Downs alongside the high cliff at Beachy Head...
and RNC Osborne
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
. He began in the submarine branch of the service in 1927 and within four years was first lieutenant of XI, a large experimental submersible. With four 5.2-inch guns and displacing 2,780 tons this was by far the biggest craft before the advent of nuclear vessels.
In 1934 he passed the demanding submarine command qualifying course, and his first command was H44
HMS H44
HMS H44 was an H-class submarine of the Royal Navy. She was built by Armstrong Whitworth and launched on 17 February 1919. She served in the Second World War.She was sold in 1944 and was broken up at Troon in February 1945....
, a legacy of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, of 440 tons, with four torpedo tubes and a machine-gun. Lonsdale was promoted lieutenant-commander in May 1936 and in 1937 he took over the newer Swordfish
HMS Swordfish (61S)
HMS Swordfish was a group one British S class submarine that was sunk on a combat patrol in the English Channel in November 1940 during the Second World War....
for a year.
HMS Seal
Lonsdale's next command on 1 November 1938 was SealHMS Seal (N37)
HMS Seal was one of six ships of the Grampus-class mine-laying submarines of the Royal Navy. She served in the Second World War and was captured by the Kriegsmarine and taken into German service as U-B...
, which he commissioned in May 1939. The ship's company "one of the biggest collections of scallywags that the Submarine Service ever put together" were confronted by a slight quiet man who was considered "Too much of a gentleman to be a good submarine captain". However in a very short time, by no perceptible means, Lonsdale had gained the complete respect, faith and confidence of his crew. After missions in the China Sea, at Aden
Aden
Aden is a seaport city in Yemen, located by the eastern approach to the Red Sea , some 170 kilometres east of Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000. Aden's ancient, natural harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano which now forms a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a...
, on the North Atlantic and North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
Patrol, the submarine’s last mission was to cross the Skagerrak
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
and lay a minefield in the Kattegat
Kattegat
The Kattegat , or Kattegatt is a sea area bounded by the Jutland peninsula and the Straits islands of Denmark on the west and south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden on the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Øresund and the Danish...
- an almost impossible task for a submarine as large as Seal. Lonsdale's superior, Captain Bethall, failed to persuade Admiral 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...
to reconsider his orders and the ship sailed on 29 April. She was held in check by German anti-submarine trawlers in the area, but managed to lay her mines. She was hunted by two German search flotillas and took evasive action to escape the area when she went into an uncharted minefield. A German mine exploded while she was on the sea bed, damaging her stern and filling her hull. The attempt to resurface had to wait several hours until it was dark. However, in spite of three attempts, the damaged submarine failed to lift from the seabed and air quality deteriorated significantly. Throughout the incident the crew were impressed by the quiet resolution and faith of their captain. As a devout Christian, Lonsdale summoned his ship's company to prayer, and led them in the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
. After taking several last desperate measures, he made another attempt and the submarine finally lifted. Once on the surface he tried to make for the nearby Swedish coast and the crew destroyed the secret Asdic equipment and confidential papers. The stricken submarine was spotted and attacked by enemy aircraft. Lonsdale sent his crew below, and under intense fire tried to hold the aircraft off with Lewis gun
Lewis Gun
The Lewis Gun is a World War I–era light machine gun of American design that was perfected and widely used by the British Empire. It was first used in combat in World War I, and continued in service with a number of armed forces through to the end of the Korean War...
s until these jammed. The submarine was without motive power, unable to dive and without any defences and there was no realistic alternative but to surrender. Various action were taken towards scuttling the boat but it managed to stay afloat.
Prisoner of War
Early on 5 May 1940, his 35th birthday, Lonsdale swam to a seaplane and into captivity. He had done all that could be done but he never forgave himself. Later it was revealed that Horton had sent two signal in response to his surfacing signal giving his intention to make for Sweden - "Understood and agreed with. Best of luck. Well done", followed by "Safety of personnel should be your first consideration after destruction of Asdics". These were not received because the ciphers were destroyed, but they would have helped him justify his actions to himself. He was mentioned in despatches four days later for his previous patrol work. During his five long years of imprisonment, Lonsdale enjoyed the respect of his captors and found increasing comfort in his Christianity. He maintained contact with the village of SealSeal, Kent
Seal is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located in the valley between the North Downs and the Greensand ridge to the north east of Sevenoaks town....
who had adopted the crew. Once he wrote Within the last few days I have had a talk with each one of my crew who are in this camp. Despite a hard winter, enforced idleness, and the unnatural life led by any prisoner they all look fit; I cannot emphasis this too much; they really do look well. which is great credit to them and I would be grateful if you could let their next of kin know as you kindly did before. He worked hard to maintain morale and used his limited ration of mail on behalf of his crew members.
After the war, Lonsdale was mentioned in despatches in June 1945 for his services as a POW, promoted to commander and placed on the retired list at his own request. His last command was the new Pyrrhus, which he brought up from Glanton before joining an operational flotilla at Portsmouth in January 1946. However he had to face the court-martial for the loss of his ship during the war and "his modesty was such that he had not begun to realise that there was even the slightest possibility of his being considered not as a coward but as a hero". Lonsdale was tried at Portsmouth, on 10 April 1946, and it took the court just over half an hour to acquit him with an honourable discharge.
Kenya
Lonsdale went to Ridley Hall in CambridgeCambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
in 1946 to prepare for his ordination and became a priest in 1949. His first curacy was with a mission church at Rowner, near HMS Dolphin, the submarine base at Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
, followed by becoming vicar of Morden-with-Almer in Dorset in 1951. In 1953 he started a five year tour in the White Highlands
White Highlands
The term White Highlands describes an area in the central uplands of Kenya, so-called because, during the period of British Colonialism, white immigrants settled there in considerable numbers. The main motivation was to take advantage of the good soils and growing conditions, as well as the cool...
of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
as a district chaplain. He volunteered for this mission because he thought that his five years as a prisoner of war should help him to befriend the Mau Mau rebels, and at one point he offered to live in the bush as a hostage, to demonstrate Britain's benevolent intentions.
England
In 1958 he returned to England to be vicar of Bentworth-with-Shaldon in Hampshire but then in 1960 returned out of affection to Kenya for another tour of duty. He became a canon emeritus, and his last full-time incumbency was from 1965 to 1970 as vicar of ThornhamThornham, Norfolk
Thornham is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the north Norfolk coast some north-east of the seaside resort of Hunstanton, north of the town of King's Lynn and north-west of the city of Norwich....
-with-Titchwell
Titchwell
Titchwell is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is situated on the north Norfolk coast some west of the village of Brancaster, north-east of the seaside resort of Hunstanton, north of the town of King's Lynn and north-west of the city of Norwich.The civil parish has...
on the north Norfolk coast. Lonsdale retired to Hampshire, but held several part-time chaplaincies for the Anglican Church's European diocese based on Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. This led to a three-year stay in Tenerife (1970–73) before he returned to England for some time in the clergy hospice at College of St Mark at Audley End. Lonsdale died at Bournemouth, Dorset.
Personal life
Lonsdale’s personal life was riven with tragedy. His first wife Christina Lyall whom he married in 1935 died in 1937 in childbirth. After the war he married Kathleen Deal, whom he took out to Kenya, but she died in 1961. Next he married Ursula Sansum, a former WRNSWomen's Royal Naval Service
The Women's Royal Naval Service was the women's branch of the Royal Navy.Members included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics...
Women's Royal Naval Service officer, who also supported him in Kenya but she died in 1986. Finally he married Ethne Irwin in 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...
in 1989. She survived him as did his son John Lonsdale, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
, who has specialised in East African history.
In 1960 C.E.T. Warren and James Benson asked Rupert Lonsdale for his help with their book about the loss of Seal, Will Not We Fear: The Story of His Majesty's Submarine "Seal" and of Lieutenant-Commander Rupert Lonsdale (1961). He eventually agreed, provided that he was allowed to write a foreword making it clear that he would never have suggested that the book be written, that he was a reluctant contributor, and then only in the trust that it might help some readers to find faith in God. Afterwards he said "Now that the tale is written I recoil all the more from any publicity, but the one reason for my co-operation remains." The book includes a simple but eloquent tribute from him to his ship's company and the authors prefaced his foreword with the first seven verses of Psalm
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
XLVI from which they drew their title. As Sainsbury wrote,