Colin Maud

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. 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". 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".

Royal Navy service

Early career Maud became a midshipman on 15 January 1921 and was appointed to for 2 years. He was promoted to sub-lieutenant in 1924 and completed his Greenwich Lieutenants' course and submarine courses before joining the submarine in 1925. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1925 and joined in April 1927. From 1927 to 1931 he served in the destroyer and the submarine . He became the commanding officer of the submarine in April 1932. On 29 November 1939, in company with the destroyers and , Icarus depth charged and sank the .

In early May 1941, Maud commanded Icarus during the hunt for Bismarck, escorting the battle cruiser and the battleship . 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 in September 1942 when her captain, Jack Eaton, was ill. While covering the return of the Russian convoy PQ-18, Somali was torpedoed by on 20 September. She was hit in her engine room and although taken under tow by , 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. 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. On 1 December 1942 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.

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.

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".

Walcheren Maud was appointed as the deputy commander of the Flushing assault force, during the Allied attack on Walcheren Island. On 11 December 1945 he was mentioned in despatches "for distinguished service during the War in Europe".

Later career , 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 , a reserve depot ship in Plymouth. Maud was promoted to captain on 30 June 1947. From 1948 to 1949 he commanded as Senior Officer, Reserve Forces, Clyde area. 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.

The Longest Day 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). 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. 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.

Death Maud died in 1980 aged 77.