Colin Maud

{{Short description|Royal Navy officer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}} {{Use British English|date=June 2017}} {{Infobox military person |name= Colin Douglas Maud |image=Colin Maud.png |image_size= |alt= |caption=In Courseulles with Free French Captain Massignie on Bastille Day, 14 July 1944 |birth_date= {{Birth date|1903|01|21|df=yes}} |death_date= {{death date and age|1980|4|22|1903|1|21|df=yes}} |birth_place= Beckenham, Kent, England |death_place= |burial_place= |nickname= "Mad" Maud |allegiance= {{flag|United Kingdom}} |branch= Royal Navy |service_years= 1921–1956 |rank= Commodore |service_number= |unit= |commands= Amphibious Warfare Centre (1954–56) 4th Minesweeping Flotilla (1951–53) {{HMS|Mull of Galloway|F26|6}} (1948–49) {{HMS|Berryhead|F18|6}} (1946–47) {{HMS|Cardigan Bay|K630|6}} (1945–46) {{HMS|Somali|F33|6}} (1942) {{HMS|Icarus|D03|6}} (1937–42) {{HMS|Sardonyx|1919|6}} (1935–37) {{HMS|H49||6}} (1931–32) |battles= Second World War * Norwegian campaign * Second Battle of Narvik * Operation Dynamo * Hunt for the ''Bismark'' * Operation Gauntlet * Operation Pedestal * Arctic convoys * Normandy landings * Battle of Walcheren Causeway |awards= Distinguished Service Order & Bar Distinguished Service Cross & Bar Mentioned in Despatches Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands) |relations= |other_work= }} Commodore '''Colin Douglas Maud''', DSO & Bar, DSC & Bar (21 January 1903 – 22 April 1980) was a Royal Navy officer who during the Second World War commanded the destroyers ''Somali'' and ''Icarus'' and acted as beach master of Juno Beach at the D-day landings.<ref>{{cite book |title=Destroyer Captain |last=Hill |first=Roger |year=2004 |publisher=Periscope Publishing Ltd |isbn=1-904381-25-1 |pages=213 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fYJioV_saO0C&q=%22Icarus%22+%2B%22colin+Maud%22&pg=PA213 }}</ref> With a heavy black beard, he "possessed the outward appearance of a latter-day buccaneer and was endowed with exceptional boldness and tenacity to go with it".<ref name="Aron1962"/><ref name="Dickens1974">{{cite book|author=Dickens, Peter |title=Narvik: battles in the fjords|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KGd1AAAAIAAJ|access-date=18 March 2012|year=1974|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=978-0-87021-852-1|page=105}}</ref> His blackthorn shillelagh and bulldog Winston provided an image when portrayed by Kenneth More in the film ''The Longest Day''. He was described as "one of the most popular officers in the British Navy".<ref name="Aron1962"/>

==Early life and education== Maud was born on 21 January 1903, christened Colin Douglas Monkman Maud (according to inscription on his silver christening mug which he gave to his young son, Ruan Maud before the Second World War), and educated at Edgeborough school, Guildford and Britannia Royal Naval College.<ref name=census>England and Wales census, 1911</ref>

==Royal Navy service==

===Early career=== Maud became a midshipman on 15 January 1921 and was appointed to {{HMS|Iron Duke|1912|2}} for 2 years.<ref name=NL>''Navy List'', British Admiralty, 1920–1956</ref> He was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1924 and completed his Greenwich Lieutenants' course and submarine courses before joining the submarine {{HMS|H26||2}} in 1925. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1925 and joined {{HMS|L25||2}} in April 1927. From 1927 to 1931 he served in the destroyer {{HMS|Wallace|1918|2}} and the submarine {{HMS|L21||2}}. He became the commanding officer of the submarine {{HMS|H49||2}} in April 1932.<ref name=NL/> He joined the W-class destroyer {{HMS|Woolston|1918|2}} in 1932 and by October of the same year was second-in-command of the destroyer {{HMS|Achates|H12|2}}. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in 1933.<ref name=NL/>

===Destroyer command=== Between July 1935 and early 1937 he commanded the 1919-vintage destroyer {{HMS|Sardonyx|1919|2}} before moving in May 1937 to the brand new destroyer ''Icarus'', which operated in the North Sea at the beginning of World War II.<ref name=NL/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/4412.html|title=Allied warships – HMS ''Icarus'' (D 03)|publisher=U-boat.net|access-date=2012-03-17}}</ref> On 29 November 1939, in company with the destroyers {{HMS|Kingston|F64|2}} and {{HMS|Kashmir|F12|2}}, ''Icarus'' depth charged and sank the {{GS|U-35|1936|6}}.<ref name=uboat/>

On 3 March 1940, in company with ''Express'', ''Impulsive'' and ''Esk'', Maud's ''Icarus'' laid a minefield, which claimed {{GS|U-44|1939|2}} ten days later.<ref name=uboat/> On 11 April 1940 ''Icarus'' captured the 8,514-ton German supply ship ''Alster'' and on 13 April took part in the Second Battle of Narvik. He received a clutch of awards during the summer of 1940: on 28 June 1940 the Distinguished Service Cross, on 11 July 1940 a bar to the same award, "for good services in the Royal Navy since the outbreak of War," and on 16 August 1940 a mention in despatches.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34885 |date=28 June 1940 |page=3999 |supp=y }}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34893 |date=9 July 1940 |page=4257 |supp=y }}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=34925 |date=16 August 1940 |page=5068 |supp=y }}</ref>

In early May 1941, Maud commanded ''Icarus'' during the hunt for ''Bismarck'', escorting the battle cruiser {{HMS|Hood|51|2}} and the battleship {{HMS|Prince of Wales|53|2}}. Poor weather meant that the destroyers were unable to keep up with the capital ships, and when ''Hood'' had been sunk, ''Icarus'' joined in the search for survivors, of which there were only three.

As commanding officer of ''Icarus'', Maud participated in the evacuation of Dunkirk, in a raid on Spitzbergen, in the Malta convoys and on numerous Atlantic and Russian convoys.

Maud took over as captain of the destroyer {{HMS|Somali|F33|2}} in September 1942 when her captain, Jack Eaton, was ill. While covering the return of the Russian convoy PQ-18, ''Somali'' was torpedoed by {{GS|U-703||2}} on 20 September. She was hit in her engine room and although taken under tow by {{HMS|Ashanti|F51|2}}, on 25 September heavy weather broke the destroyer's back and she sank. Maud was rescued by Leading Seaman William Goad, who dived into the freezing water with a rope, for which Goad was awarded the Albert Medal.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=35877 |date=22 January 1943 |page=493 |supp=y }}</ref> Of the 102 men on board, only 35 were rescued. Maud had spent an hour in the Arctic water and credited his survival to the fact that he had drunk a bottle of whisky after going overboard. As a result, he ordered men under his command to carry a bottle of whisky, which proved to be a popular order.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ddnf.org.uk/about/ron_paterson.php|title=The Reverend Ron Paterson MBE (1916–2009)|publisher=The D-Day and Normandy Fellowship|access-date=2012-03-17}}</ref> On 1 December 1942 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=35805 |date=27 November 1942 |page=5225 |supp=y }}</ref>

===Normandy beach master=== Appointed as principal beach master of Juno Beach during the Normandy landings in the rank of acting captain, Maud was responsible for marshalling troops, supplies and equipment through the beach zone, for evacuating casualties and prisoners of war, and for salvaging wrecks and clearing beach obstacles. For conducting these difficult duties under fire and for several weeks afterwards, he was awarded a bar to his Distinguished Service Order.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=36794 |date=10 November 1944 |page=5214 |supp=y }}</ref>

Eight days after the first landings, Charles de Gaulle and his entourage were met by Maud (who was incongruously wearing shorts) when they landed in France. While de Gaulle met Montgomery, Maud drove Admiral d'Argenlieu, General Kœnig, Gaston Palewski and Colonel Boislambert to Bayeux in his jeep to prepare for de Gaulle's entrance to the city. The preparations included Maud driving round the streets of Bayeux carrying a French Resistance leader shouting "General de Gaulle will speak at four o'clock on the Place du Chateau".<ref name="Aron1962">{{cite book|author=Aron, Robert |title=De Gaulle before Paris: the liberation of France, June–August, 1944|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F-UvAAAAIAAJ|access-date=18 March 2012|year=1962|publisher=Putnam|pages=67–69}}</ref>

===Walcheren=== Maud was appointed as the deputy commander of the Flushing assault force, during the Allied attack on Walcheren Island.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.combinedops.com/Walcheren.htm|title=Operation Infatuate – Walcheren 1–8 November 1944|publisher=Combined Operations|access-date=2012-03-17}}</ref> On 11 December 1945 he was mentioned in despatches "for distinguished service during the War in Europe".<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=37380 |date=7 December 1945 |page=5993 |supp=y }}</ref>

===Later career=== {{HMS|Cardigan Bay|K630|2}}, a new Bay-class anti-aircraft frigate, had been intended for the British Pacific Fleet. Maud commanded her from June 1945, taking her through her workup in Scotland but when Japan surrendered, she was sent instead to the Mediterranean Fleet. Maud left her there in October 1946 to take command of {{HMS|Berryhead|F18|2}}, a reserve depot ship in Plymouth.<ref name=CBsoc>{{cite web|url=http://www.hmscardiganbayassociation.co.uk/Page3.html|title=The Med Fleet 1945–1948|publisher=HMS Cardigan Bay Association|access-date=2012-03-27|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216032829/http://www.hmscardiganbayassociation.co.uk/Page3.html|archive-date=16 February 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Maud was promoted to captain on 30 June 1947.<ref name=uboat/> On 25 November 1947 he was granted permission to wear the insignias of a Commander of the Order of Orange-Nassau, which had been conferred upon him by the Queen of the Netherlands in recognition of "services rendered to the Royal Netherlands Navy during the war".<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=38132 |date=21 November 1947 |page=5596 |supp=y }}</ref> From 1948 to 1949 he commanded {{HMS|Mull of Galloway|F26|2}} as Senior Officer, Reserve Forces, Clyde area.<ref name=NL/> From April 1949 – May 1951 he was deputy to Rear Admiral James Jefford, serving as the second-in-command of the Royal Pakistan Navy.<ref name=NL/><ref name=obit>''The Times'' (London, England), Friday 16 May 1980; p.17; Issue 60626. "Obituary: Captain Colin Maud".</ref> From 1951 to 1953 he commanded the 4th Minesweeping Flotilla at Harwich, before moving to the Amphibious Warfare HQ as Director Amphibious Warfare (Material). His last appointment in the Royal Navy was as Commandant of the Amphibious Warfare Centre at Fremington, Devon, in the rank of commodore, second class.<ref name=NL/> He retired from the Royal Navy in 1956.<ref name=uboat>{{cite web|url=https://uboat.net/allies/commanders/1652.html|title=Allied Commanders – Colin Douglas Maud DSO, DSC, RN|publisher=U-boat.net|access-date=2012-03-17}}</ref>

==''The Longest Day''== {{external media | width = 210px | float = right | video1 = {{YouTube|p34WLzBJnII|Clip of ''The Longest Day'' featuring Kenneth More as Colin Maud}}}}In the 1962 movie ''The Longest Day'' he was played by Kenneth More (who also served as a British naval officer in the Second World War).<ref>{{cite book |title=Daniel Blum's Screen World 1963 |last=Blum |first=Daniel |year=1963 |publisher=Biblo & Tannen Publishers |isbn=0-8196-0304-X |pages=84 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cACWfwSzaCMC&q=%22Colin+Maud%22%2B%22Kenneth+More%22&pg=PA84 }}</ref> Winnie, his dog, was a German Shepherd, and Werner Pluskat already had a dog of the same breed in the film, but Darryl F. Zanuck "improved upon history" by making Winnie an English Bulldog.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Oulahan |first1=Richard |year=1962 |title=The Longest Headache |journal=Life |volume=53 |issue=15 |publisher=Time Inc | issn =0024-3019 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fVUEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22colin+maud%22+%2B+winnie&pg=RA1-PA118 |access-date=2012-03-17 }}</ref> Maud acted as a technical adviser on the film and provided More with the same shillelagh he had carried on D-Day.

==Family== Maud married, first, in 1926 Elizabeth (Betty) Gibson, with whom he had a son Ruan Maud and, secondly, Valerie Compston (''née'' Bocquet), the ex-wife of Vice Admiral Sir Peter Compston, in 1967.<ref name=engaged>''The Times'' (London, England), Saturday 24 June 1967; p.12; Issue 56976. "Marriages".</ref>

==Death== Maud died in 1980 aged 77.<ref name=obit/>

==References== {{reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maud, Colin}} Category:Royal Navy officers of World War II Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Category:Commanders of the Order of Orange-Nassau Category:1903 births Category:1980 deaths