ZEEBRUGGE RAID.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 126, 31 May 1939, Page 10

ZEEBRUGGE RAID.

HOW A V.C. WAS WON.

Lieutenant-Commander Percy Thompson Dean. V.C'.. R.X.V.R. (retired), who died in I-ondon in March, was awarded the Victoria Cross for conspicuous gallantry during the St. George's Day raid and victory at Zeebrugge (April 22-23, 1*918).

Wlien the war broke out, Dean, having' had an interest in the sea for many years, joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He carried out normal duties until he was selected to lie one of those" who were to be trained in secret for the Zeebrugge raid. His part was to be in command of Motor Launch 282, which wa<i detailed to • rescue the crews of the blockships after those ship* had been sunk. When the great day came Lieutenant Dean, as he was then, followed the blockships. and when the time arrived for him to carry out his orders and embark the crews lie ran alongside the Intrepid and the Iphigenia, and took off over 100 officers and men. During these operations he handled his boat in a most magnificent and heroic manner in spite of the constant and deadly fire which was being poured upon him by the Germans from machine and heavy guns at point-blank range.

Close Under Guns. Having accomplished the rescue of the crews, lie was navigating his motor launch out of the canal when he was told that there was an officer in the water. Immediately he turned his boat about, and, after searching for the officer, found him at last and hauled him aboard. He then proceeded out of the canal again, having during all the operations handled his motor launch as calmly as if he had Ix'cn engaged on a private manoeuvre. While he was navigating his ship three men were shot down at his side. Just as he had managed to clear the entrance to the canal the steering gear of his vessel broke down. It seemed for a moment as if all were lost, but Lieutenant Dean at once started manoeuvring his boat by the engines, and he escaped complete destruction by steering the vessel so close under the mole that the guns ill the batteries could not be depressed sufficiently to enable their fire to hit the boat. The whole of this operation was carried out under a constant fire from German machine guns at a few yards range. The notification of the award of the Victoria Cross to Lieutenant Dean was published in the "London Gazette" of July 22. 1918, when it was offieially stnted that "it was solely due to this officer's courage and daring that M.L. 282 succeeded in saving so many lives."

Giving a lantern lecture in January, 193fi, at. the Royal United Service Institution, at which member*; and supporters of the Marine Society and boys from the training ship Warspite were present, Lieutenant-Commander Dean pave an unassuming but vivid account of the raid. He crave interesting details of the operation* which were new to many. He said that when manoeuvring his motor launch by her engine* close to the mole after the steering gear had broken clown, lie looked up suddenly and saw the German guns and their crews just above him. He had half a dozen revolvers 011 the bridge, and as the launch moved past lie fired one revolver after another at the (ierman •runner*. The launch escaped destruction because he ordered a smoke l»omh to be dropped, thus enabling it to escape under cover of the smoke. Later he transferred the rescued men to the destroyer Warwick, and. he added, "We got buck having lost rather a lot of officers and 111011. but we had not left any behind in Zeebrugge,"