Cecil Robert McCrum, O.B.E.
Place of birth: Milford, County Armagh, Northern Ireland
Service: Royal Navy
Rank: Commander
Joined Hood First time: 6th January 1925 (Lieutenant Commander)
Left Hood First time: 12th January 1927 (Commander)
Joined Hood Second time: 9th March 1931 (Commander)
Left Hood Second time: 23rd August 1933 (Commander)
Biographical Information:
Cecil Robert McCrum was born in Milford, Northern Ireland in 1892. He was the only son of William and Maud Mc Crum of Milford House. His father William invented the penalty kick rule in football in 1889. His mother was born Maud Mary Squires, the daughter of Dr. W.W. Squires of Montreal Canada. She was one of the first female graduates of Toronto University. The Mc Crum family owned the linen manufacturing firm of McCrum Watson and Merrcer which supplied linen to the Titanic.
Cecil was called 'Patrick' by his family and 'George' by everyone else. He was educated at the Royal Naval Colleges Osbourne and Dartmouth and joined the Navy in 1905. He reached the rank of Captain RN on the Hood and would have gone on further had it not been for the Invergordon mutiny. In 1931 at the time of the mutiny he was second in command. The admiralty described him as 'the most brilliant officer of his year and possibly of his generation'. He was forced to resign by the admiralty because he sympathized with the crew during the mutiny.
He married Ivy Nicholson the second daughter of William and Ethel Nicholson of Bexhill-on-Sea. They had four sons - Patrick (born 1917 died 1922), Antony (born 1919 ) Michael (born 1924) and Robert. The three surviving sons went on to have highly distinguished careers in the Royal Navy with Michael also being a college master and Vice Chancellor.
History of ships served in and ratings held:
Date From | Date to | Ship | Rating | Source |
15th May 1905 | 14th January 1910 | Training Establishments | Naval Cadet | ADM196/54 |
15th January 1910 | 13th January 1911 | Superb | Midshipman | ADM196/54 |
14th January 1911 | 10th November 2011 | Bristol by CinC | Midshipman | ADM196/54 |
11th November 1911 | 14th January 1912 | Bellona lent by CinC | Midshipman | ADM196/54 |
15th January 1912 | 14th January 1913 | Temeraire | Acting Sub Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
15th January 1913 | 4th February 1913 | Temeraire | Sub Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
5th February 1913 | 7th October 1913 | Minerva for TBDs | Sub Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
8th October 1913 | 14th February 1914 | Hercules | Sub Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
15th February 1914 | 30th November 1915 | Hercules Reappointed addl on promotion | Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
1st December 1915 | 8th June 1916 | Vernon for Torpedo Course | Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
9th June 1916 | July 1916 | Valiant additional to complete Torpedo Course | Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
10th July 1916 | August 1916 | Vernon addl (T) | Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
August 1916 | November 1916 | Broke addl (T) for duty with 11th Flotilla on commissioning | Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
November 1916 | 6th November 1918 | Seymour (T) for duty with 11th Flotilla on transfer | Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
7th November 1918 | 16th January 1919 | Douglas (T) | Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
17th January 1919 | 14th February 1921 | Vernon (T) | Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
15th February 1921 | 14th February 1922 | Hawkins addl (T) & Hawkins as Fleet (T) Officer on recommissioning | Lieutenant | ADM196/54 |
15th February 1922 | 10th August 1923 | Lieutenant Commander | ADM196/54 | |
11th August 1923 | 15th August 1923 | Vernon addl | Lieutenant Commander | ADM196/54 |
16th August 1923 | 16th October 1923 | Queen Elizabeth (T) Tempy | Lieutenant Commander | ADM196/54 |
17th October 1923 | 5th January 1925 | Vernon (T) addl | Lieutenant Commander | ADM196/54 |
6th January 1925 | 30th December 1926 | Hood (T) and on recommissioning | Lieutenant Commander | ADM196/54 |
31st December 1926 | 12th January 1927 | Commander | ADM196/54 | |
13th January 1927 | 20th February 1927 | Victory for Unemployed Time | Commander | ADM196/54 |
21st February 1927 | 21st June 1927 | President addl for 4 months study in France | Commander | ADM196/54 |
22nd June 1927 | 3rd October 1927 | Victory for Unemployed Time | Commander | ADM196/54 |
4th October 1927 | 6th January 1929 | President for Staff Course | Commander | ADM196/54 |
7th January 1929 | 7th March 1929 | Victory additional for Senior Officers Technical Course (Part 2) | Commander | ADM196/54 |
8th March 1929 | 17th November 1929 | Queen Elizabeth additional and as Staff Officer (Operations) on joining | Commander | ADM196/54 |
18th November 1929 | 26th May 1930 | Warspite additional as Staff Officer (Operations) on transfer of Flag | Commander | ADM196/54 |
27th May 1930 | 8th March 1931 | Queen Elizabeth additional as Staff Officer | Commander | ADM196/54 |
9th March 1931 | 23rd August 1933 | Hood Victory addl for Hood and Hood on recommissioning and as [illegible] | Commander | ADM196/54 |
24th August 1933 | 20th May 1934 | Revenge additional as Staff Officer (Operations) and as interpreter in French | Commander | ADM196/54 |
21st May 1934 | November 1934 | Resolution addl as Staff Officer (Operations) and as Interpreter in French & Revenge ditto on transfer | Commander | ADM196/54 |
16th September 1934 | 14th November 1934 | Half Pay for 2 months at own request | Commander | ADM196/54 |
15th November 1934 | 21st January 1936 | President additional for duty inside Admiralty Department of the Director of Torpedoes and Mining vice De'Ath | Commander | ADM196/54 |
17th February 1936 | 3rd June 1936 | Danae in command | Commander | ADM196/54 |
4th June 1936 | 15th September 1937 | Drake additional for special service | Commander | ADM196/54 |
16th September 1937 | 11th October 1937 | Barham additional for service on the Staff Commanding in Chief Mediterranean temporary as liaison officer with French Commander in Chief and as interpreter in French. | Commander | ADM196/54 |
12th October 1937 | 15th December 1937 | Drake additional for special service | Commander | ADM196/54 |
16th December 1937 | 26th June 1942 | Drake appointed port interpreter - French (Higher Standard) | Commander | ADM196/54 |
27th June 1942 | 23rd July 1942 | Drake additional in continuation as Staff Officer (Operations) on Staff of Commander in Chief Plymouth and as Interpreter in French | Commander | ADM196/54 |
24th July 1942 | 30th August 1942 | Drake Placed on Retired list (age) with rank of Captain (to continue to serve in rank of Commander while in present appointment) | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
31st August 1942 | 18th January 1943 | Excellent additional for special service (To continue in acting rank of Captain.) Also serving as Maintenance Captain and as Interpreter in French | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
19th January 1943 | 28th February 1943 | President additional for duty outside Admiralty with DN ex F as Maintenance Captain To continue to serve in the rank of Captain while holding this Appointment | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
1st March 1943 | 23rd July 1943 | Excellent II additional for Special Service as Maintenance Captain Special list 29/3/1943 To continue to serve in Acting rank of Captain | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
24th July 1943 | 31st October 1943 | Excellent II additional for Special Service as Chief Staff Officer to Submarine Force Commander To continue to serve in Acting rank of Captain. (CW Secret List 27/8/1943) | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
1st November 1943 | 20th February 1944 | Odyssey additional in continuation | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
21st February 1944 | 28th July 1944 | Odyssey and for duty on Staff of the Naval Forces Commander Force "G" as Maintenance Captain. To continue to serve in Acting rank of Captain while holding this appointment. (CW Special List 25/2/1944) | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
29th July 1944 | 14th September 1944 | Attack additional as Maintenance Captain, Landing Craft, Portland. To continue to serve in acting ranki of Captain whilst holding this appointment. | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
15th September 1944 | 30th June 1945 | Drake additional for duty on Staff of Commander in Chief Plymouth as Chief Staff Officer Plymouth. a To continue to serve in acting rank of Captain whilst holding these appointments. | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
1st July 1945 | 24th September 1945 | Forte in Command vice Hughes and as Assistant District Shipyard Controller (Falmouth District) To continue to serve in acting rank of Captain while holding this appointment. | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
25th September 1945 | 31st May 1946 | President additional for duty inside Admiralty as Naval Assistant to to Vice Chief of the Naval Staff To continue to serve in acting rank of Captain whilst holding these appointments. | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
1st June 1946 | 11th June 1946 | Pembroke I additional (NTJ) (To continue to serve in acting rank of Captain while holding this appointment.) | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
12th June 1946 | Released reverted to retired list | Captain (Retired) | ADM196/54 |
Additional Photographs
None at this time.
No known memorials
Sources
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
'Register of Deaths of Naval Ratings' (data extracted by Director of Naval Personnel (Disclosure Cell), Navy Command HQ, 2009)
Bridget McCrum (additional information, November 2012)
Paul McManus (biography, Jan 2005)
Anita White (photo), April 2021
ADM196/54 (Service record)