Surgeon Lieutenant Geoffrey Raymond Edward MAXTED MB ChB RNVR
HMS Glasgow, Royal Navy

Date of birth: 24th October 1914
Date of death: 3rd December 1940

Killed in action aged 26
Commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial Panel 44 Column 2
He was born at Rock Ferry on the 24th of October 1914 the younger son of Edward Bradford Maxted, consulting chemist, and Frida (nee Zutz) of 38 Walliscote Road, Weston-super-Mare and later of 9 Alexandra Road, Clifton in Bristol.

He was educated at the Junior King's School from September 1922 and at the King’s School Canterbury from January 1929 to December 1931 where he was in Holme House and was a member of the PT squad. He matriculated for the University of Bristol in September 1931 and he studied medicine there from the 3rd of October 1933 until he graduated MB ChB in 1938. On leaving university he was appointed as a Resident House Surgeon at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

On the outbreak of war he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, being commissioned as a temporary Surgeon Lieutenant on the 10th of January 1940, and was posted to the light cruiser HMS Glasgow where he was known by the nickname of “Bunny”.

On the 3rd of December 1940 HMS Glasgow (C21) was laying at anchor in Suda Bay off the coast of Crete when she came under attack from Italian torpedo bombers. The aircraft launched their weapons from a range of 3,000 yards and she was hit by two torpedoes, one in the chain locker and the other causing damage to four of her screws, which resulted in extensive flooding and some fires towards the rear of the ship. Geoffrey Maxted and Marine Albert Harold Bragg were killed during the attack with seven ratings being wounded. He was buried at sea the following day. On the 5th of December she made her way to Alexandria at 18 knots where she underwent repairs which took until February of the following year to complete.

His father received the following telegram dated the 5th of December 1940: -

"From Admiralty. Deeply regret to inform your son Surgeon Lieutenant G.R.E. Maxted has been killed on active service."

He is commemorated on the war memorial at St Paul’s Churchyard, Clifton.
Holme House

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