Peter de Neumann - World War II

World War II

His courage during the Second World War was recognised when he was awarded the George Medal and the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea for removing a 250 kilogram bomb from deep in the engine-room of the Tewkesbury and dropping it over the side during a Luftwaffe air attack off Aberdeen, Scotland on 1 March 1941. Tewkesbury was torpedoed and sunk by gunfire from a U-69 on May 21, 1941. All of the crew survived and got away in two boats; de Neumann's boat was picked up by the American freighter Exhibitor. He later transferred to HMS Cilicia. (The other boat from Tewkesbury was picked up by SS Antinous after 13 days.)

Cilicia arrived in Freetown on 17 May 1941, and Neumann volunteered as Second Officer aboard the Royal Navy prize vessel Criton (captured from the Vichy French). Criton sailed from Freetown for the UK on 19 June 1941, but was intercepted by two Vichy French warships, Air France IV and Edith Germaine, on 21 June and sunk by gunfire. Criton's crew were escorted under armed guard to Conakry, where the executive officers were tried and found guilty of piracy by a Vichy French naval court-martial and imprisoned in Timbuktu. They managed to escape, and walked 640 kilometres (400 mi) up the Niger River before they were recaptured and returned to Timbuktu. De Neumann was eventually released at the end of December 1942, and arrived back in the UK aboard HMS Asturias in mid-January 1943.

De Neumann received the George Medal from King George VI for his bravery aboard the Tewkesbury in mid-February 1943.

From 1947 to 1953, he served as Commander of HMRC Vigilant.