Service Life:

Campaigns:

• The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.

Although many perished in times of national conflict and in the service of their country, many more survived including those interned as Prisoners of War. Stories of those who did survive are included as part of this site, especially those with high gallantry awards, those included against an external rolls of honour and those who had a distinguished career in wartime and military leaderhip.

Detail :

See also: VC Online

His Distinguished Service Order is published in the second supplement No. 29292 of the London Gazette 10th September, 1915. But his further gallantry is recorded in the London Gazette in November, 1919. It reads: -

"For most conspicuous gallantry, skill and devotion to duty on the occasion of the attack on Kronstadt Harbour on the 18th August, 1919. Commander Dobson organised and was in command of the Coastal Motor Boat Flotilla. He led the flotilla through the chain of forts to the entrance of the harbour. Coastal Motor Boat No. 31, from which he directed the general operations, then passed in, under a very heavy machine-gun fire, and torpedoed the Bolshevik Battleship "Andrei Pervozanni" subsequently returning through the heavy fire of the forts and batteries to the open sea".

This story is published across the newspapers, one appearing in the Leeds Mercury on the 13th November, 1919:- "A story of wonderful gallantry is set forth in "The London Gazette," where the announcement is made that the Victoria Cross has been awarded to Commander Claude Congreve Dobson, D.S.O., R.N., and Lieut. Gordon Charles Steele, R.N. On the occasion of the attack on Kronstadt Harbour on August 18th last, Commander Dobson led the Coastal Motor Boat Flotilla through the chain of forts to the entrance of the harbour. Coastal Motor Boat No. 31, from which he directed the general operations, then passed in, under very heavy machine gun fire, and torpedoed the Bolshevik battleship Andrei Pervozanni ... Lieut. Steele, second in command of H.M. Coastal Motor Boat No. 88, took the wheel after the commander had been shot, steadied the boot, lifted Lieut Dayrell-Reed (the commander) away from the steering and firing position, and torpedoed the Bolshevik battleship Andrei Pervonazzi at a hundred yards range. Then a difficult evolution was skilfully carried out, and the Petropavlovsk torpedoed. This left Lieut. Steele with only just room to turn in order to regain the entrance to the harbour, but he effected the movement with success, and firing his machine-guns along the wall on his way, passed under the line of forts through a heavy fire out of the harbour."

Claude died in 1940 of Cerebral Thrombosis at the Royal Naval Hospital at Chatham. It was reported in the Express and Echo 27th June, 1940: - "DEATH OF A V.C. - Rear Admiral Claude Congreve Dobson, V.C., D.S.O., died yesterday at Chatham Naval Hospital, aged 55, it was announced to-day. Rear Admiral Dobson commanded submarines during the last war. He won the D.S.O. for sinking a U-Boat in 1915. Later he joined the anti-submarine division at the Admiralty and afterwards the coastal motor boat service. On August 18th, 1919, he led a flotilla of eight of these boats in an attack on the Bolshevik fleet in Kronstadt Harbour, the flotilla fighting its way through the fire from a chain of forts. Once inside they torpedoed several of the Bolshevik warships. Commander Dobson, as he then was and Lieutenant-now Commander- C.C. Steele were awarded the V.C. for this exploit. Rear-Admiral Dobson retired in 1935." A similar article appeared in the Hull Daily Mail the next day.

Masonic :

The Secretary of Navy Lodge No. 2612 when referencing "F.W. Lumsden V.C., and E.G. Robinson, V.C., is cited to mention: "The Navy Lodge is equally proud of a third VC winner, Commander C C Dobson, VC, DSO, RN (later Rear Admiral), won for a daring attack in Kronstadt harbour in 1919. He was initiated in the Lodge in October 1925."

See also: MQ Magazine.
See also: UGLE Facebook Post 2017.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• The (UK) National Archives
• Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
• ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry

Additional Source:

• Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
• Researcher : Bruce Littley