Eugene Esmonde
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Eugene Kingsmill Esmonde VC DSO (1 March 1909- 12 February 1942) was a distinguished pilot for the English Fleet Air Arm in World War II and a posthumous 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.
Life Prior to WWII
Esmonde was born in Thurgoland Wortley, Yorkshire where his father was in General Practice. Though by birth English, his parents were Irish and he returned to his family's ancestral home in Tipperary as a boy and was educated by the Jesuits, first at Wimbledon College in London and then at Clongowes Wood College in Co. Kildare.During the early 1930s he served first in the Royal Air Force and then the Fleet Air Arm, serving in the Mediterranean. Upon leaving the RAF he flew for Imperial Airways.
Early wartime career
At the start of the war he returned to the Fleet Air Arm with the rank of Lieutenant commander. His first posting HMS Courageous was sunk in September 1939. He returned to sea, after a period with shore stations, with HMS Victorious. It was on the night of the 24 May 1941 during the pursuit of the German battleship Bismarck, after the battle of the Denmark Strait in which HMS Hood had been sunk, that he led No. 825 Naval Air Squadron's 9 Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers in an attempt to stop the battleship. Flying off from Victorious the biplanes made a 120 mile flight in foul North Atlantic weather. In face of the conditions and the Bismarcks anti-aircraft fire the squadron achieved a single torpedo hit with little effect. Esmonde received the Distinguished Service Order for this action on the 11th February 1942.
By the time he received his award he had already been involved in another dramatic event. His squadron had been posted to HMS Ark Royal. She was torpedoed in November 1941. Attempts to tow her to Gibraltar were abandoned and on 14 November 1941 she sank. The Swordfish of the squadron had flown off before she sank taking some of the ship's crew with them.
VC
He won his VC when he led his squadron against elements of the German Fleet which made the "Channel Dash" (which they called Operation Cerberus) from safety in Brest to Denmark through the English Channel. He was by then 32 years old. On 12 February 1942 off the coast of England, Lieutenant Commander Esmonde led a detachment of six Fairey Swordfish in an attack on the two German battle cruisers, the Scharnhost and Gneisenau, and the cruiser Prinz Eugen, which had already managed to get from Brest without hindrance. At the time of receiving his orders the ships with a strong escort of surface craft were entering the Straits of Dover. He waited as long as he felt he could for confirmation of his fighter escort but took off without it. One of the squadrons (10 Supermarine Spitfires of No. 72 Squadron RAF ) met up with them but shortly after take off his flight and their escort were attacked by enemy fighters. Despite their planes having been damaged and their escort separated, the Swordfish continued onto the ships. The enemy destroyers were throwing up large amounts of anti-aircraft fire. Even after Lieutenant-Commander Esmonde's plane sustained a direct hit from anti-aircraft fire taking away most of the port wing he still continued the run-in towards his target taking his flight through the destroyer screen. He was still some 2,700 metres from his target when he was hit again his plane bursting into flames and crashing into the sea. The remaining aircraft continued the gallant attack, but all were shot down. Only 5 airmen survived and four of them were wounded. All were given medals. The four officers received the DSO, and the un-commissioned seaman was awarded the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal.
References
- British VCs of World War 2 (John Laffin, 1997)
- Eugene Esmonde, VC, DSO (Chaz Bowyer)
- Irish Winners of the Victoria Cross (Richard Doherty & David Truesdale, 2000)
- Monuments To Courage (David Harvey, 1999)
- The Register of the Victoria Cross (This England, 1997)
See also
Eugene Esmonde was the Great-Nephew of Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Esmonde.External links
- [Lieutenant Commander E. Esmonde] in The Art of War exhibition at the UK National Archives
- [Location of grave and VC medal] (Kent)
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