Hardiker One Name Study

Percy DEAN (1877-1939)

Percy Thompson DEAN was born on 20 July 1877 in Blackburn, Lancashire, England. 1,2 He had the title 'Lieutenant-Commander'. He was a Slate Merchant. In 1881 he was resident in Blackburn, He married Mabel Margaret RATCLIFFE in 1906 in Chorlton, Lancashire, England. 3 He married Jean Marie KLEIN in 1908 in Croydon, Surrey, England. 4 In 1918 he was a Member of Parliament for Blackburn. He married Marian Rebecca COLE on 25 May 1927 in Kensington and Chelsea, London, England. 5 He died on 20 March 1939 in London, England. 1 He was buried on 22 March 1939 in Golders Green Crematorium. 6

 

Recipient of the Victoria Cross

Awarded the. Victoria Cross for conspicuous gallantry during the St. George's Day raid and victory at Zeebrugge (April 22-23, 1918).

 

Times Obituary:

HUGGING THE MOLE AT ZEEBRUGGE

Lieutenant-Commander Percy Thompson Dean, V.C., R.N.V.R. (retired), who was awarded the. Victoria Cross for conspicuous gallantry during the St. George's Day raid and victory at Zeebrugge (April 22-23, 1918) died at his London home, Avenue Close, Avenue Road, N.W., yesterday, He was to have given a lecture at Orpington to-day.

Born in 1877, Percy Thompson Dean was in business before the War. When hostilities broke out, having had an interest in the sea for many years, he joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. He carried out normal duties until he was selected to be one of those who were to be trained in secret for the raid of April, 1918. His part was to be in command of Motor Launch 282, which was detailed to rescue the crews of the blockships after those ships had been sunk. When the great day came Lieutenant Dean, as he was then, followed the blockships, and when the time arrived for him to carry out his orders and embark the crews he ran alongside the Intrepid and the lphigenia, and took off over 100 officers and men. During those operations he handled his boat in a most magnificent and heroic manner in spite of the constant and deadly fire which was being poured upon him by the Germans from machine and heavy guns at point-blank range.

Having accomplished the rescue of the crews, he was navigating his motor-launch out of the canal when he was told that there was an officer in the water. Immediately he turned his boat about, and after searching for the officer found him at last and hauled him aboard. He then proceeded out of the canal again, having during all the operations handled his motor-launch as calmly as if he had been engaged on a private manoeuvre. While he was navigating his ship three men were shot down at his side. Just as he had managed to clear the entrance to the canal the steering gear of his vessel broke down. It seemed for a moment as if all were lost, but Lieutenant Dean at once started manoeuvring his boat by the engines, and he escaped complete destruction by steering the vessel so close under the mole that the guns in the batteries could not be depressed sufficiently to enable their fire to hit the boat. The whole of this operation was carried out under a constant fire from German machine-guns at a few yards range. The notification of the award of the Victoria Cross to Lieutenant Dean was published in the London Gazette of July 22, 1918, when it was officially stated that " it was solely due to this officer's courage and daring that M.L. 282 succeeded in saving so many lives."

Giving a lantern lecture in January, 1936, at the Royal United Service Institution, at which members and supporters of the Marine Society and boys from the training ship War- spite were present, Lieutenant-Commander Dean gave an unassuming, but most vivid account of the raid. He gave interesting details of the operations which were new to many. When manoeuvring his motor-launch by her engines close to the Mole after the steering gear had broken down, he said that looking up suddenly he saw the German guns and their crews just above him. He had half-a-dozen revolvers on the bridge, and as the launch moved past he fired one revolver after another at the German gunners. The launch escaped destruction because he ordered a smoke bomb to be dropped, thus enabling it to escape under cover of the smoke. Later he transferred the rescued men to the destroyer Warwick, and, he added, " We got back having lost rather a lot of officers and men, but we had not left any behind in Zeebrugge."

After the Armistice Lieutenant-Commander Dean returned to his business interests as a slate merchant. He was managing director of Messrs. John Dean, Limited, of Blackburn; of Messrs. Forrest and Crabtree, Limited, of Blackburn: and of the Moelferna and Deeside Slate and Slab Quarries, Limited; and he was chairman of Messrs. Dean, Waddington, and Co., Limited. From 1919 to 1922 he sat as Coalition Unionist M.P. for Blackburn.

In 1927 he married Mrs. M. R. Hardicker, widow of Lieutenant-Colonel J. 0. Hardicker.

The funeral will take place at Golders Green to-morrow at 2 p.m., and there will be a memorial service at St. Silas's Church, Blackburn, at the same time.

 

Mabel Margaret RATCLIFFE was born in 1876 (approx.). She died in 1907 in Blackburn. 7 She and Percy Thompson DEAN had the following children:

 

John Ratcliffe DEAN (1906-1991). John was born on 31 December 1906 in Blackburn. 8 He died in July 1991 in Southampton, Hampshire, England.

 

Jean Marie KLEIN and Percy Thompson DEAN had the following children:

 

Ellen DEAN ( - )

 

Marian Rebecca COLE was born in 1882 (approx.) in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. She married James Ogden HARDICKER in 1900 in St John's Church, Blackpool. 9 In 1901 she was resident in Levenshulme, Lancashire, England, Overdale, Grange Ave. In 1911 she was resident in Chorlton, Overdale Grange Avenue Levenshulme. In 1919 she was resident in South Kensington, London, 20 Elvaston Place. In 1944 she was resident in Westminster, London, England,

 

Times Forthcoming Marrages notice

The Times: 4 May 1927 Page 19

A marriage has been arranged, and will take place very shortly, between Lieutenant-Commander Percy T Dean V.V., late R.N.V.R., and Mrs M R Hardicker, widow of Lieutenant-Colonel J O Hardicker.

Times Wedding Notice

The Times: 26 May 1927: page 1

DEAN : HARDIKER

On May 25, 1927, In London. Lieut-Commander P T Dean V.C. (late) R.N.V.R., to Mrs M R Hardiker, widow of Lt.-Colonet J O Hardiker.

Sources

1Times Online 21 Mar 1939 page 18.
21877 Jul-Aug-Sep Blackburn 8e 489.
31906 Jan-Feb-Mar Chorlton 8c 893.
41908 Oct-Nov-Dec Croydon 2a 649.
51927 Apr-May-Jun Kensington 1a 468.
6Times Online: 23 Mar 1939 page 18.
71907 Jan-Feb-Mar Blackburn 8e 273.
81907 Jan-Feb-Mar Blackburn 8e 339.
91900 Apr-May-Jun Fylde 8e 1282.