Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR

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dfrighini
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Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR

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Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR

I’m currently researching my family history, and in-particular my Great Uncle Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR and his sister (who was my Great Grandmother) Dorothy G M F Creighton.


Regarding Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR, I know he served during both world wars in the Royal Navy and was present at the Battle of Jutland on the battle cruiser New Zeeland (serving as navigation officer), providing an account (questionable) of the sinking other British battle cruisers.

During the interwar wars he captained the British battleship Royal Sovereign and was promoted to Rear Admiral on the 11th February 1934, retiring from active service the following day.

In World War II served as a convoy commodore, and was sunk (Acoceta) in September 1941 by U203 whilst leading convoy HG-73.

Post World War II he wrote a book about his war time experiences called Convoy Commodore. He died in circa 1963.


Regarding my Great Grand Mother Dorothy G M F Creighton, information regarding her life is sketchy at best, but we do know she was in Russian during the revolution and civil war working as a governess in Pskov (for a member of the Duma) and escaped on the SS Czar (circa 1919/1920). Post Russia she married (James Glen) and travelled to America where my Great Grandfather was born.


Basically I looking to find out as much information as possible about these two subjects, especially Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton’s career and any information possible (including passenger lists) about the ship my Great Grandmother escaped from Russia on (SS Czar, also spelt Tsar). I currently live in Moscow (although I’m British), and have tried researching thing from the Russian end, however there is very little information as this was (best described) a chaotic period in Russian history.

I have some copied documents and some family album photographs (of Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton) which I’d be happy to share via e-mail.

I appreciate any and all objective information, many thanks in advance.
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Re: Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR

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Image

Photography from family album, Peter Glen (my Grandfather) with Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton (Great Uncle) on the Royal Sovereign, Malta, circa late 1920.
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Re: Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR

Post by Kyler »

Thanks for sharing some of your family history on the forum. You sure have some great history.

I am sure if you have more pictures of your Great Uncle aboard any RN ships, the members would enjoy them.

It seems to me that the personal pictures taken by crew, family, and the public are always more interesting
than the official pictures taken aboard.

If you are looking for different avenue's of research I would suggest looking at the ships that served in the convoy
your Great Uncle commanded. Some of the ships may have veteran groups that you could possibly gain some
information from. Even the crews of the small transport ships were pretty tight nit, and hold reunions & other
activities.
"It was a perfect attack, Right Height, Right Range, Right cloud cover, Right speed,
Wrong f@%king ship!" Commander Stewart-Moore (HMS Ark Royal)
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Re: Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR

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Kyler wrote:Thanks for sharing some of your family history on the forum. You sure have some great history.

I am sure if you have more pictures of your Great Uncle aboard any RN ships, the members would enjoy them.

It seems to me that the personal pictures taken by crew, family, and the public are always more interesting
than the official pictures taken aboard.

If you are looking for different avenue's of research I would suggest looking at the ships that served in the convoy
your Great Uncle commanded. Some of the ships may have veteran groups that you could possibly gain some
information from. Even the crews of the small transport ships were pretty tight nit, and hold reunions & other
activities.
Thank you for responding, yes I agree with you sentiments regarding family album photographs, they usually provide a unique and interesting perspective, often forgotten in the annuals of history. Also thank you for you advice, these are certainly avenues I'd consider pursuing, I imagine this will take some letter writing.

I've got some more photographs with my Great Uncle and Grandfather, but not on the Royal Sovereign. My grandmother, who is still alive, has a huge chest full of photographs, which need to be digitized, there probably plenty of pictures, hopefully in time I'll be able to get these online. )))
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Re: Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR

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Information found online about Convoy HG-73, 17th September - 1st October 1941

The route of the HG series of convoys from Gibraltar to Liverpool took them within range of Luftwaffe FW 200 ('Condor') aircraft acting both in a reconnaissance role, able to guide U-boats operating out of the French Atlantic ports onto the convoys, and as effective bombers against shipping. Despite the difficulties most convoys completed successfully, but of the 570 merchant ships which took part in the 28 separate convoys in 1941 on this homebound route 25 were lost, together with a further 5 stragglers. Experience in the other direction (designated OG) could be a little different because Germany was denied the intelligence information on sailings available from agents in Spain for the homebound stretch - 1004 ships took part in 30 OG convoys in 1941, with 21 lost in convoy, though a further 34 losses were classified as stragglers. 1941 was by far the most dangerous year for convoys on this route in either direction.

Convoy HG 73 saw the heaviest losses of all. A total of 25 merchant ships formed the convoy from Gibraltar on 17 September, together with an unusually strong escort including a destroyer and Fighter Catapult ship, although as usual most escorts were Flower class corvettes. Hastily brought together for the task, the escorts' lack of training as a team was subsequently blamed by C-in-C Western Approaches, Admiral Noble, for their lack of success. In retrospect, though, the convoy was unlucky to have been subject to concerted attack from three of the most able U-boat commanders of the war. The convoy seems to have been spotted by a FW 200 off Cape St Vincent and shadowed by U-371 and a group of three Italian submarines for several days whilst a U-boat pack was assembled. On 24 September a FW 200 established contact and guided U-124 and U-203 to the location. U-201 and U-205 joined later although U-205 was attacked on 27 September and damaged, and was unable to press home any effective attack. The other U-boats withdrew after expending all their torpedoes.

http://www.amhinja.demon.co.uk/archive/HG73.htm
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Re: Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR

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Information from uboat.net regarding convoy HG-73

http://www.uboat.net/ops/convoys/convoy ... nvoy=HG-73
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Re: Rear Admiral Kenneth Everard Lane Creighton RNR

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Information regarding MV Avoceta from uboat.net

http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/1137.html
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