One of our feature articles in our new Midhurst Journal concerns Norman Holbrook who lived in Stedham for many years. Commander Holbrook was the first submariner to win the Victoria Cross during the First World War, and we are hugely grateful to Trevor Torkington of the Great War Group for contributing such a fascinating description of his achievements and the challenges he faced.
Holbrook joined the Royal Navy in 1903 and when war broke out was a 26-year-old lieutenant in command of an old and obsolete submarine called the B11. On 13 December 1914, Holbrook commanded the submarine through treacherous currents in the Dardanelles and dived under five rows of mines before torpedoing and sinking the Ottoman ironclad ship the Mesûdiye which was guarding the minefield.
If the journey to the target was difficult, the journey back was even more hair-raising, and Trevor has done a brilliant job in bringing the story to life.
The Great War Group is a registered charity and is for everyone who is interested in the First World War. They cover all of the nations involved in the conflict and all the locations where battle took place. The charity conducts research into the war and aims to educate and commemorate through its excellent quarterly magazine Salient Points and through conferences, annual tours and more recently through the YouTube Channel WWI TV. More information is available on the Great War Group website: https://greatwargroup.com/