Editing Percy Dean

{{Short description|Recipient of the Victoria Cross}}
{{For|the Australian public servant|Percy Deane}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
 | name            = Percy Dean
 | image           = Group of Naval VC's - IWM Q66160.jpg
 | image_size      = 
 | image_upright   = 
 | alt             = 
 | caption         = Group of naval VC winners at Wellington Barracks hosted by King George V. Percy Dean is at left
 | office          = Member of Parliament for [[Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)|Blackburn]]
 | term_start      = 14 December 1918
 | term_end        = 26 October 1922
 | alongside       = [[Sir Henry Norman, 1st Baronet]]
 | monarch         = [[George V]]
 | predecessor     = [[Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden|Philip Snowden]]
 | successor       = [[Sydney Henn]]
 | birth_date      = {{Birth date|1877|07|20|df=yes}}
 | birth_place     = [[Blackburn]], [[Lancashire]], England
 | death_date      = {{Death date and age|1939|03|20|1877|07|20|df=yes}}
 | death_place     = [[London]], England
 | resting_place   = 
 | party           = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
 | spouse          = 
 | relations       = 
 | children        = 
<!-- Military service--> 
 | allegiance      = United Kingdom
 | branch          = [[Royal Navy]]
 | serviceyears    = 
 | rank            = [[Lieutenant Commander]]
 | unit            = 
 | commands        = 
 | battles         = [[First World War]]
 | mawards         = [[Victoria Cross]]<br/>[[Mentioned in Despatches]]
}}
'''Percy Thompson Dean''', [[Victoria Cross|VC]] (20 July 1877  – 20 March 1939)<ref name="Lieutenant Percy Thompson Dean">{{Lives of WWI | id= 7664317 | name= Percy Thompson Dean }}</ref> was a British businessman, politician, sailor, 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, and also a politician.

==Victoria Cross==
Dean was 40 years old and a [[lieutenant]] in the [[Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve]] during the [[First World War]] when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 22 and 23 April 1918 at [[Zeebrugge]], Belgium, after ''Intrepid'' and ''Iphigenia'' had been scuttled, their crews were taken off by Motor Launch 282 commanded by Lieutenant Dean. He embarked more than 100 officers and men under constant and deadly fire from heavy and machine-guns at point blank range. This complete, he was about to clear the canal when the steering gear broke down, so he manoeuvred on his engines and was actually clear of the entrance to the harbour when he was told there was an officer in the water. He immediately turned back and rescued him.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=30807|date=23 July 1918 |page=8586|supp=y }}</ref>

Dean later achieved the rank of [[lieutenant commander]].

==Post-war==
After the war, Dean was elected at the [[1918 United Kingdom general election|1918 general election]] as a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)|Blackburn]], serving until the [[1922 United Kingdom general election|1922 general election]]. He was chairman of the [[Moelferna and Dee Side Slate and Slab Quarries Company]] in Wales between the wars.<ref>{{cite book |title=Annual Register |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cyldAAAAIAAJ |year=1940 |publisher=J. Dodsley.}}</ref>

Dean was one of 100 VC recipients to form the VC Guard of Honour at the State Funeral for the [[The Unknown Warrior|Unknown Warrior ]] held on 11 November 1920. 

Dean's VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the [[Imperial War Museum]], London.

==Memorials==
On 23 April 2003, a [[List_of_Blackburn_historical_plaques|blue plaque]] was unveiled at Dean's former residence at 19 Gorse Street, Blackburn.<ref>{{cite news |title=Plaque to honour naval hero Percy |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/5906833.plaque-honour-naval-hero-percy/ |access-date=23 July 2024 |work=Lancashire Telegraph |date=16 April 2003 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Percy Dean Victoria Cross Plaque, Town Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire.jpg|thumb|A plaque commemorating Percy Dean VC at the Town Hall, Blackburn, Lancashire]]

In April 2018, a stone was unveiled outside Blackburn Town Hall to recognise Dean in a ceremony attended by Dean's family and local dignitaries.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Nadeem |first1=Alima |title=Stones laid to honour Blackburn Victoria Cross war heroes |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16178649.stones-laid-honour-blackburn-victoria-cross-war-heroes/ |access-date=23 July 2024 |work=Lancashire Telegraph |date=23 April 2018 |language=en}}</ref>


==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Hansard-contribs | lieut-colonel-percy-dean | Percy Dean }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090623050143/http://www.homeusers.prestel.co.uk/stewart/golders.htm Location of grave and VC medal] ''([[Golders Green]])''

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{{succession box
  | title  = [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)|Blackburn]]
  | with   = [[Sir Henry Norman, 1st Baronet|Sir Henry Norman]]
  | years  = [[1918 United Kingdom general election|1918]]–[[1922 United Kingdom general election|1922]]
  | before = [[Philip Snowden, 1st Viscount Snowden|Philip Snowden]]<br/>[[Sir Henry Norman, 1st Baronet|Sir Henry Norman]]
  | after  = [[Sir Henry Norman, 1st Baronet|Sir Henry Norman]]<br/>[[Sydney Henn]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Percy Thompson}}
[[Category:1877 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Blackburn]]
[[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]]
[[Category:UK MPs 1918–1922]]
[[Category:British World War I recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:Royal Navy recipients of the Victoria Cross]]
[[Category:People educated at Bromsgrove School]]
[[Category:Royal Navy officers of World War I]]
[[Category:Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Politics of Blackburn with Darwen]]
[[Category:19th-century Royal Navy personnel]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Lancashire]]