Editing Martin Dunbar-Nasmith

{{Short description|Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1883–1965)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Sir Martin Dunbar-Nasmith
| image         = Captain M E Nasmith, Vc, Rn - 1918 Art.IWMART1335.jpg
| image_size    = 
| alt           = 
| caption       = Captain Martin Eric Nasmith by [[Ambrose McEvoy]]
| nickname      = 
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1883|04|01|df=yes}}
| birth_place   = [[Barnes, London|Barnes]], [[Surrey]], England
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1965|06|29|1883|04|01|df=yes}}
| death_place   = [[Elgin, Moray|Elgin]], [[Moray]], Scotland
| placeofburial = Elgin Cemetery, Linkwood Road, New Elgin
| allegiance    = United Kingdom
| branch        = [[Royal Navy]]
| serviceyears  = 1898–1946
| rank          = [[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]]
| unit          = 
| commands      = Flag Officer-In-Charge, London (1942–45)<br />[[Western Approaches Command]] (1939–41)<br />[[Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth|Plymouth Command]] (1938–41)<br />[[Commander-in-Chief, East Indies]] (1932–35)<br />{{HMS|Iron Duke|1912|6}} (1921–23)<br />{{HMS|Ambrose|1903|6}} (1917–18)<br />{{HMS|Vulcan|1889|6}} (1917)<br />{{HMS|J4||6}} (1916–17)<br />{{HMS|E11||6}} (1914–16)<br />{{HMS|Arrogant|1896|6}} (1912–14)<br />{{HMS|D4||6}} (1911–12)<br />{{HMS|C7||6}} (1907–08)<br />{{HMS|A4||6}} (1905)
| battles       = [[First World War]]<br />[[Russian Civil War]]<br />[[Second World War]]
* [[Operation Aerial]]
| awards        = [[Victoria Cross]]<br />[[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]<br />[[Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]<br />[[Order of St. Olav]] (Norway)<br />[[Polonia Restituta]] (Poland)<br />[[Legion of Honour]] (France)<br />[[Order of Orange Nassau]] (Netherlands)<br />[[Croix de guerre 1939–1945 (France)|Croix de Guerre]] (France)<br />[[Cross of Liberty (Estonia)|Cross of Liberty]] II/2 (Estonia)
| relations     = [[James Dunbar-Nasmith|Sir James Dunbar-Nasmith]] (son)<br />Rear Admiral [[David Dunbar-Nasmith]] (son)
| laterwork     = Vice Chairman [[Imperial War Graves Commission]] (1948–54)<br />[[Deputy Lieutenant]] and Vice-[[Lord Lieutenant]] [[Morayshire]]<br />[[Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom]] (1954–62)
}}
[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] '''Sir Martin Eric Dunbar-Nasmith''', {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|VC|KCB|KCMG}} (1 April 1883 – 29 June 1965) was a [[Royal Navy]] officer and a recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]], the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] forces. He was born '''Martin Eric Nasmith''', adding "Dunbar" to his surname in 1923.<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32787/pages/418 The London Gazette, 16 January 1923]</ref>

==Early life and education==
Nasmith was born on 1 April 1883 at 136 [[Castelnau, London|Castelnau]] in [[Barnes, London|Barnes]], which was then in the county of [[Surrey]] and is now in the [[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]].<ref name="Plaque">{{cite news | url=http://www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk/news/12891478.World_War_I_submariner_and_captain_of_HMS_Iron_Duke_honoured_with_blue_plaque/ | title=World War I submariner and captain of HMS Iron Duke honoured with blue plaque in Barnes | work=[[Richmond and Twickenham Times]] | date=16 April 2015 | accessdate=28 October 2015 | author=Proto, Laura}}</ref>

==Early career==
Educated at [[Eastman's Royal Naval Academy]] in [[Winchester]] and [[HMS Prince of Wales (1860)|HMS ''Britannia'']] at [[Dartmouth, Devon|Dartmouth]], Nasmith joined the Royal Navy in 1898.<ref name=odnb>[http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/95215 Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]</ref>

On 8 May 1912, [[King George V]] was in [[HMY Victoria and Albert (1899)|HMY ''Victoria and Albert'']] in [[Weymouth, Dorset|Weymouth]] Bay to witness Fleet manoeuvres. Because of heavy fog, the programme was disrupted, and the King expressed the desire to dive in a submarine. He embarked on [[HMS D4|HM Submarine ''D4'']], under then [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] Nasmith's command, and (in the words of ''[[The Times]]'' of 10 May) "made a lengthy run in her when she was submerged." What made the occasion all the more remarkable was the presence on board of his second son, [[Prince Albert, Duke of York|Prince Albert]], who was to become [[King George VI]], of [[Winston Churchill]] ([[First Lord of the Admiralty]] and future [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|prime minister]]), and of then Captain [[Roger Keyes]], Inspecting Captain of Submarines, who was to become the first Director of Combined Operations (the [[Commandos]]) in the early part of the Second World War. A former prime minister, [[Arthur Balfour]], was also embarked, but the then prime minister, [[H. H. Asquith]], who had been with the King's party earlier in the day, had had to return to London on urgent business and did not dive in ''D4''. Nasmith's diary records that: "We remained under water for ten to 15 minutes, during which time he showed great interest in the proceedings, periscope in particular." A ''[[Navy News]]'' article from July 2012 by [[Commander]] William Corbett (at whose parents' wedding Nasmith had proposed the toast to the health of the bride and groom), records that Nasmith often wondered what would have happened to the course of 20th century history had he sunk that day, a not unreasonable thought, given that he had very nearly sunk in the Solent in 1905 whilst in command of [[HMS A4|HM Submarine ''A4'']].<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite journal|journal=Navy News|title=Martin Dunbar-Nasmith|date=July 2012|pages=42}}</ref>

==First World War==
Dunbar-Nasmith was 32 years old, and a [[lieutenant commander]] during the First World War, when the following actions took place for which he was awarded the VC.<ref name=lh>{{cite web|url=http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/NASMITH1.shtml |title=Nasmith, Sir Martin Eric Dunbar-|publisher=Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925215434/http://www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/locreg/NASMITH1.shtml|archive-date=25 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

{{blockquote|During the period 20 May – 8 June 1915 in the [[Sea of Marmara]], [[Dardanelles]], [[Turkey]], Lieutenant-Commander Nasmith, in command of [[HMS E11|H.M. Submarine E.11]], destroyed one large [[Ottoman Empire Navy|Turkish]] [[gunboat]], two transports, one ammunition ship, three store ships and four other vessels.

When he had safely passed the most difficult part of his homeward journey he received information that a cargo of coal was heading towards [[Istanbul]] from the [[Black Sea]]. Realising that coal was essential for the morale of the besieged city, Nasmith turned back.

When the coal-carrying ship came into sight of the docks, a welcoming committee of municipal grandees soon formed, along with a happy crowd – water, electricity and rail transport had all suffered due to a lack of coal. Hardly had the ship berthed than it mysteriously blew up before the eyes of the astounded crowd. Nasmith successfully slipped out again.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=29206|date=25 June 1915 |page=6166}}</ref>}}

Nasmith conducted combat operations in the Sea of Marmara for a three-month period. When his torpedoes ran low, he set them to float at the end of their run, so that he could recover them should they fail to hit a target. At one point, he captured a sailing [[dhow]], and lashed it to the conning tower of ''E11'' as camouflage, and went on to capture an ammunition ship using small arms. His penetration of the [[Golden Horn]] was the first time an enemy ship had done so in over 500 years. He also attacked a railway viaduct.<ref>Hough. ''The Great War at Sea: 1914–1918''. page 486</ref>

Nasmith's [[First lieutenant#Royal Navy|first lieutenant]], [[Guy D'Oyly-Hughes]], and second lieutenant, Robert Brown, were awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Cross]], and all the rest of the crew were awarded the [[Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Medal]].<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29206/pages/6166 The London Gazette, 26 June 1915]</ref> Nasmith was promoted to [[Commander (Royal Navy)|commander]] immediately<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29214/pages/6438 The London Gazette, 2 July 1915]</ref> and to [[Captain (Royal Navy)|captain]] a year later.<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29687/pages/7480 The London Gazette, 28 July 1916]</ref>

==Later naval career==
Later in the war, Nasmith was in charge of the [[British submarine flotilla in the Baltic|Seventh Submarine Flotilla]] in the [[Baltic Sea|Baltic]] and Senior Naval Officer at Reval (later [[Tallinn]]), and was appointed CB in 1920 for that service.<ref>[http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31811/supplements/2859 Supplement to the London Gazette, 5 March 1920]</ref> He was captain of {{HMS|Iron Duke|1912|6}} from 1921 to 1923.<ref name="Plaque"/>

He was appointed [[Commandant]] of the [[Britannia Royal Naval College|Royal Naval College, Dartmouth]], in 1926 and then became [[Commodore Submarine Service|Rear Admiral Submarines]] in 1929.<ref name=lh/> He became [[Commander-in-Chief, East Indies]] in 1932 and [[Second Sea Lord|Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel]] in 1935.<ref name=lh/> He was [[Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth]] from 1938 and then Commander-in-Chief of [[Western Approaches Command|Plymouth and Western Approaches Command]] from the outbreak of war in September 1939.<ref name=lh/> He served as Flag Officer-in-Charge, [[London]] from 1942<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205160975|title = Vc Admiral Inspects Sailors Repairing London Houses. 26 July 1945, Great Smith Street, Westminster. Rear Admiral Sir Martin e Dunbar-Nasmith, Vc, KCB, Flag Officer in Charge, London, Inspected Work of Naval Bomb Damage Repair Parties}}</ref> and retired in 1946.<ref name=lh/> Before retiring in 1946 Nasmith moved to [[Rothes]] living out the remainder of his days in the town.<ref name=tribute>{{cite news|url=https://insidemoray.com/2015/06/special-tribute-to-vc-hero-who-made-his-home-in-moray/|title=Special tribute to VC hero who made his home in Moray|newspaper=Inside Moray|date=2 June 2015|access-date=20 September 2022}}</ref>

In retirement he became Vice Chairman of the [[Imperial War Graves Commission]].<ref name=lh/> He was also appointed [[Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom]], a ceremonial position.<ref>{{London Gazette | issue=37155 |page=3409| date=  29 June 1945}}</ref>

He died in Rothes in 1965, aged 83.<ref name=tribute/>

==Family==
In 1920 he married Beatrix Justina Dunbar-Dunbar-Rivers; they had two sons (Rear-Admiral [[David Dunbar-Nasmith]] and the architect Professor Sir [[James Dunbar-Nasmith]]) and a daughter.<ref name=odnb/>

==Legacy==
On 11 April 2015, a [[blue plaque]] was unveiled at his birthplace in Barnes.<ref name="Plaque"/>

On 25 June 2015, the Rothes community hosted a ceremony for the unveiling of a commemorative Victoria Cross paving stone at Rothes's war memorial.<ref name=tribute/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Commons category|Martin Dunbar-Nasmith}}
* {{cite book|last=Hough|first=Richard|title=The Great War at Sea: 1914–1918|year=2001|publisher=Birlinn|isbn=1841580538|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/greatwaratsea00houg}}

==Further reading==
*''Dardanelles Patrol: the Story of Submarine E-11'' (Peter Shankland & Anthony Hunter, 1964)

==External links==
*[http://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersD6.html Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20041225165055/http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/grampian.htm Location of grave and VC medal] ''(Grampian)''
*[http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whowaswho/U47868 NASMITH, Admiral Sir Martin (Eric) Dunbar-], Who Was Who, A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2007

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Henry Grace (Royal Navy officer)|Henry Grace]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Commodore Submarine Service|Rear-Admiral Submarines]]|years=1929–1931}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Charles Little (Royal Navy officer)|Charles Little]]}}
|-
{{succession box | title=[[East Indies Station|Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station]] | before=[[Eric Fullerton|Sir Eric Fullerton]] | after=[[Frank Forrester Rose|Sir Frank Rose]]|years=1932–1934}}
|-
{{succession box | title=[[Second Sea Lord]] | before=[[Dudley Pound|Sir Dudley Pound]] | after=[[Charles Little (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Charles Little]]| years=1935–1938}}
|-
{{succession box | title=[[Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth]] | years=1938–1941 | before=[[Reginald Plunkett|Sir Reginald Plunkett]]| after=[[Charles Forbes (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Charles Forbes]]}}
|-
{{s-hon}}
{{succession box | title=[[Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom]] | before=[[Montague Browning|Sir Montague Browning]] | after=[[John Edelsten|Sir John Edelsten]] | years=1945–1962}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunbar-Nasmith, Martin}}
[[Category:1883 births]]
[[Category:1965 deaths]]
[[Category:19th-century Royal Navy personnel]]
[[Category:British Gallipoli campaign recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Royal Navy admirals of World War II]]
[[Category:Royal Navy submarine commanders]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Lords of the Admiralty]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta]]
[[Category:Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:People from Barnes, London]]
[[Category:Royal Navy officers of World War I]]
[[Category:Deputy lieutenants of Moray]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Orange-Nassau]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Croix de Guerre (France)]]
[[Category:People educated at Eastman's Royal Naval Academy]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]]