Anthony Miers
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Rear Admiral Sir Anthony Cecil Capel Miers VC, KBE, CB, DSO & Bar (11 November 1906 - 30 June 1985) was a Royal Navy officer, who served in the submarine service during World War II. He was a Scottish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was also a controversial figure, and was involved in two incidents alleged to be war crimes while commanding HMS Torbay.
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[edit] Early life
Born in 1906, the son of an Army officer killed in First World War, Miers joined the Navy as a special entry cadet, and volunteered for the submarine service in 1929. An aggressive and successful submarine commander, Miers was an exacting leader, demanding the highest standards from himself and those around him. Described as “an explosive character”, he was fiery-tempered and prone to speaking his mind, which did little to endear him to his superiors. However, they recognized his talent, and he made steady progress in his career.
[edit] Service History
In 1941 he was given command of HM Submarine Torbay. He sailed on his first offensive patrol in March 1941 to hunt for the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, then continued to Gibraltar, then Alexandria, to join 1st Flotilla. His first patrol from Alexandria in July 1941 saw both incidents which gave rise to the accusation of war crimes. Allegedly, Miers machine-gunned several shipwrecked German soldiers who had jumped overboard when their Kaikis were sunk by the Torbay.
A patrol in March 1942 saw incident which earned him the V.C.
The citation read
Lieutenant Commander Anthony Cecil Chapel Miers DSO Royal Navy Whilst on patrol in HM Submarine Torbay off the Greek coast on the 4th March 1942. Lieutenant Commander Miers sighted a northbound convoy of four troopships entering the South Corfu Channel and since they had been too far distant for him to attack initially, he decided to follow in the hope of catching them in Corfu Harbour. During the night 4/5 March, Torbay approached undetected up the channel and remained on the surface charging her battery. Unfortunately the convoy passed straight through the channel but on the morning of the 5th March, in glassy sea conditions, Miers successfully attacked two store ships present in the roadstead and then brought Torbay safely back to the open sea. The submarine endured 40 depth charges and had been in closely patrolled enemy waters for seventeen hours.[1]
[edit] Later life
Later Sir Anthony, he continued to serve in the Royal Navy, and achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in 1956. He died in 1985 and is buried at Tomnahurich Cemetery, Inverness, Scotland. Roman Catholic Section. Headstone.
Photo of his medal collection at the Imperial War Museum.
[edit] The medal
His Victoria Cross is displayed at the Imperial War Museum (London, England).
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- British VCs of World War 2 (John Laffin, 1997)
- Monuments to Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
- Scotland's Forgotten Valour (Graham Ross, 1995)
- Antoni Chmielowski
- Graeme Cooke Silent Marauders : British Submarines in Two World Wars (1976) ISBN 0 246 10784 7
[edit] External links
- Location of grave and VC medal (Highland, Scotland)
- War crimes details
