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Commander Roy BACCHUS RN DSO
HMS Grampus, Royal Navy Date of birth: 24th April 1883 Date of death: 23rd June 1951 Died aged 68 Unknown
Roy Bacchus was born at Betchworth in Surrey on the 24th of April 1883 the youngest son of Colonel Robert Sidney Bacchus, an officer in the 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment (Militia) and Jesse Norah (nee Hatfeild) Bacchus of Little Winters, Uplyme in Devon. He was christened at St Michael's Church Betchworth on the 11th of June 1883. He left Hazelwood School in July 1894 for the Britannia Naval College at Dartmouth where he passed out in 19th place and was granted the rank of Cadet on the 15th of January 1899. He was promoted to Midshipman on the 15th of June 1899 and to Sub Lieutenant in on the 15th of January 1903. On the 9th of September 1904 he was posted to HMS ”Implacable” and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 30th of June 1905. In late 1907 he was serving on board HMS Ocean and was promoted to Lieutenant Commander on the 30th of June 1913. He was married to Gertrude M (nee Fienberg) of South Africa in 1910 and they had a son Graham. He was given command of HMS Grampus and served at Gallipoli during the landings there in April 1915, being mainly engaged in mine sweeping in the Dardanelle Straits. He was mentioned in Vice Admiral John M Roebuck’s despatches of the 1st of July 1915 which described how HMS Grampus carried out minesweeping activities on the 25th and 26th of April “in a most satisfactory manner under heavy fire”. On the 6th of August 1915 HMS Grampus landed the 11th Battalion Manchester Regiment at Suvla Bay during the landings there. He was later given command of HMS Napier of the 12th Flotilla Grand Fleet and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order which was announced by the Admiralty on the 14th of March 1916 for services in the East Mediterranean in December 1915; he was mentioned in the Admiralty’s despatches on the same date. He was promoted to Commander on the 31st of December 1917. He was placed on the retired list at his own request on the 21st of June 1922 and was granted the rank of Captain in the Royal Naval Reserve. He lived at 1 Tynemouth Place, Tynemouth in Northumberland. He was later recalled during the Second World War and served as Inspector of HM Coastguard South West. He was invalided out of the service and retired in 1943. He lived at Collaton Way at Paignton in Devon and died at Torbay Hospital, Torquay.

Went on to Britannia Naval Coll