Early Life :

Family :

Education & Career :

He trained in HMS Worcester.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

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

The Allied intervention was a multi-national military expedition launched in 1918 during the Russian Civil War and World War I. With the end of the Great War, the Allies, fearful of Bolshevism, openly intervened in the Russian Civil War, giving support to the pro-Tsarist, anti-Bolshevik White forces. However, opposition for the ongoing campaign became widespread, due to a combination of a lack of public support and war weariness; divided objectives and a lack of an overarching strategy also hampered the effort. These factors, together with the evacuation of the Czechoslovak legion and the deteriorating situation compelled the Allies to withdraw from North Russia and Siberia in 1920.

Detail :

Kronstadt is an island 19 miles west of St Petersburg where the Russian Baltic Fleet was based. On August 17th 1919 Archibald was in command of CMB88 at Kronstadt, where they were the recipients of casual fire on their way towards the harbour, but once the recently formed RAF arrived to clear the harbour entrance for them, the Russians seriously opened fire on them. The 3rd boat to enter the harbour was CMB88 and was under very heavy attack from all sides. Lieutenant Gordon Steele, the second in command, realised that Archibald had been hit in the head and was slumped over the wheel, so he took over the command and the raid was successful. Archibald was taken on board HMS Delhi where he died the next day on August 18th, and was buried in Koivisto General Cemetery, then part of Finland, now Russia. He was awarded the Victory Medal and the British War Medal. Gordon Steele was awarded the VC for this encounter.

As well as the West Parley Memorial, he is commemorated on the Archangel Memorial, on the Memorial inside Portsmouth Cathedral and in the Masonic archives.

Archibald Dayrell-Read

The KING has been graciously pleased to approve of the award of the Victoria Cross to the undermentioned Officers: Lieutenant Gordon Charles Steele, R.N. For most. conspicuous gallantry, skill and devotion to duty on the occasion of the attack on Kronstadt Harbour on the 18th August, 1919.

Lieutenant Steele was second-in-command of H.M. Coastal Motor Boat No. 88. After this boat had entered the harbour the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Dayrell-Reed, was shot through the head and the boat thrown off her course. Lieutenant Steele took the wheel, steadied the boat, lifted Lieutenant Dayrell-Reed away from the steering and firing position and torpedoed the Bolshevik battleship Andrei Pervozanni at a hundred yards range. He had then a difficult manoeuvre to perform to get a clear view of the battleship Petropavlovsk, which was overlapped by the Andrei Pervozanni and obscured by smoke coming from that ship. The evolution, however, was skilfully carried out, and the Petropavlovsk torpedoed. This left Lieutenant. 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. http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=127817 In the raid on Kronstadt harbour on August 18, 1919, he [Dobson] led the C.M.B. flottilla which sank three large ships (two battleships and a submarine depot ship) and damaged other units. The flotilla consisted of eight 55-ft. boats, and was attached to the First Cruiser Squadron under Rear-Admiral W. H. Cowan and the Second Destroyer Flotilla under Captain Colin Maclean, which had for some time been operating in the Baltic. Having lost the cruiser Oleg in June, 1919, by torpedo attack from a coastal motor-boat commanded by Lieutenant A. W. S. Agar, V.C., the Bolshevists did not risk a ship outside harbour. A bold operation therefore seemed called for if the C.M.B.s were to justify their presence. Of the eight craft which entered the harbour of Kronstadt three were sunk and their com- manding officers taken prisoner; while in another the captain was killed and his second- in-command, Lieutenant Gordon Steele (after- wards Captain-Superintendent of the Worcester), carried on, torpedoed two ships, and gained the V.C. Commander Dobson was in C.M.B. No. 31 BD, to which had been allotted the torpedoing of the battleship Andrei Pervozvanni; this was duly done. The operation was admirably conceived and as admirably executed, and probably was unique in regard to the amount of damage inflicted in relation to the small cost of the units actually engaged. SEE ALSO BRADE

Masonic :

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