Henry Alexander Stuart-Menteth

Commander Henry Alexander Stuart-Menteth, (26 August 1912 – 14 May 2000) was a British naval officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Second World War where he assisted in the sinking of two U-boats and helped capture Enigma code fragments, which enabled Bletchley Park to decipher the code. He commanded six ships during his career. He married in 1952, having two sons and a daughter, and seven grandchildren in turn.

Stuart-Menteth was born as one of four. He joined a navy cadet force in Devon, serving on several ships. After his promotion course, he served both abroad and in the United Kingdom. He joined shortly before the Second World War. His ship was torpedoed after a raid on a German-held port in April 1940. He was kept in a hospital by the Germans, and was listed at home as killed in action. When the British liberated the area, he was freed. On his next ship, , he helped capture Enigma code fragments, which enabled Bletchley Park to decipher the code. In the same year he was given his first command. He was mentioned in despatches in 1942, while working on after the ship sunk a U-boat, and a Distinguished Service Cross for sinking another U-boat. Stuart-Menteth was entrusted to the Royal Australian Navy in 1949, where he commanded two destroyers. He ran the Scottish Corps of Commissionaires for 20 years after his 1958 retirement.

Early life

Henry Alexander Stuart-Menteth, often abbreviated to Alex Stuart-Menteth, was born on 26 August 1912 in Merstham, Surrey. He was the son of Walter Stuart-Menteth and Violet Stuart-Menteth (née Lafone), one of four: Walter Granville Stuart-Menteth (1906 – 1970), Frances Bevyl Stuart-Menteth (1907 – 1957), and Lucy Violet Stuart-Menteth (1911 – ). In 1926, he became a cadet in Dartmouth, Devon.

Naval career Alex Stuart-Menteth served on the destroyers in the Mediterranean in 1934 and 1935, in the home fleet in 1935 and 1936, the minesweeper in the reserve fleet in 1935, and in 1935 serving in China. on 2 June 1943 as "Lieutenant-Commander Henry Alexander Stuart-Menteth, Royal Navy"; after commanding Aldenham in a disastrous mission in the Aegean Sea. In late 1943, Stuart-Menteth took command of , and partook in training officers of landing craft. His last command in the war was , with which he assisted in the sinking of , for which he was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross.

After the war

After World War II on 13 February 1946 Stuart-Menteth became first lieutenant on , followed by on 4 September 1946, before being entrusted to the Royal Australian Navy in 1949. There he commanded his last two ships, the destroyers and . He went on to work with Lord Mountbatten in Malta, and in 1958 he retired, moving to Scotland. He did, however, operate the Scottish Corps of Commissionaires for close to 20 years, and was chairman of the Edinburgh World Wildlife Fund for 10 years.

Personal life Stuart-Menteth met Penelope Giles in 1952 in Australia, the couple married, having a daughter and two sons: Andrew Alexander (1954), Walter Henry (1957), and Harriet Lucy (1959); and seven grandchildren. He died on 14 May 2000 in Edinburgh, Lothian.