EUGENE ESMONDE
This is a story I first came across about a year ago.
I was mooching around the French National Library and stumbled on the story of Lieutenant Commander Eugene Kingsmill Esmonde. Eugene was a twin to James, being one of 6 boys born to his fathers second wife Elly. He was born at Huthwaite House, Thurgoland in Yorkshire on 01/03/1909 but lived part of his life at the imposing family ancestral home and country house at Drominagh, Terryglass in North Tipperary. His father, Dr John Joseph Esmonde had been an Irish Nationalist M.P. for North Tipperary.
Eugene was educated by the Jesuits, first at Wimbledon College in London and then at Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare, Ireland. No doubt in his early years he would have been influenced by the portrait hanging on the wall of his home, of his ancestor Colonel Thomas Esmonde who was awarded one of the first V.C.s at Crimea.
Drominagh House, Borrisokane - built 1770
Esmonde was commissioned into the Royal Air Force as a pilot officer on probation on 28/12/1928. During the early 1930s, Esmonde served first in the RAF, and then transferred to the Fleet Air Arm where he served in the Mediterranean when responsibility for naval aviation was returned to the Royal Navy. Upon leaving the Royal Navy in 1934, he spent some time flying for Imperial Airways making a name for himself in the commercial flight community.
At the beginning of the Second World War, Esmonde returned to the Fleet Air Arm with the rank of lieutenant commander. His first sea posting was with the Aircraft Carrier HMS Courageous. This ship was sunk in September 1939 off the coast of Ireland with a loss of more than 500 lives including the Captain who chose to go down with his ship. Eugene survived the sinking and he next returned to sea duty onboard HMS Victorious after a series of postings to shore-based stations.
On the night of 24 May 1941, Esmonde led No. 825 Naval Air Squadron's nine Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers in an attack against the German battleship Bismarck. This attack took place after the Battle of the Denmark Strait, in which HMS Hood had been sunk by the Bismarck.
The biplanes flying from HMS Victorious made a 120-mile flight in bad North Atlantic weather and hit the Bismarck amidships. The new anti aircraft guns onboard were unable to track the the attackers and were rendered useless against the slow moving Swordfish as they had been calibrated for fighters travelling at faster speeds. Esmonde was awarded with the Distinguished Service Order for this action which was announced on 16/09/1941.
Esmonde was later also mentioned in despatches for saving survivors of the stricken and sinking Ark Royal as she tried unsuccessfully to make for Gibraltar in November of 1941.
On the morning of the 12/02/1942, Esmonde took part in an action to try and halt the Channel Dash (Operation Cerberus) by the battlecruisers Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. The ships were trying to return to their home ports at Kiel and Wilhelmshaven.
Esmonde commanded a flight of Six Fairey Swordfish Torpedoe BiPlanes in an effort to sink the ships. Each had a crew of three. Each carried a Torpedoe, one forward firing .303 machine gun and another Lewis machine gun in the aft cockpit. Theses were slow lumbering planes with a top speed of 120mph and vastly outpaced by the then far superior and cannon carrying FW190’s and ME109’s of JG2 Richthofen Squadron and JG26 fighter groups. These Gruppen were tasked with protecting the cruisers as part of Operation Donnerkeil. JG26 was commanded by Generalieutnant Adolf Galland, the famous Luftwaffe fighter ace.
Promised fighter cover of five squadrons of Spitfires, Esmonde agreed to lead his squadron in a daylight attack. Just one squadron, No 72 Squadron RAF led by Squadron Leader Brian Kingcombe, rendezvoused with Esmonde’s squadron and so with fighter cover of only 10 Spitfires, 825 Squadron attacked the mighty Germany battle group. Against the guns of the big ships and the power of the Luftwaffe, the slow, out-dated Swordfish stood little chance.
Despite being damaged by an earlier action against JG2 & JG26 the the Biplanes carried on towards their targets. Esmondes plane was hit by Anti Aircraft fire which destroyed most of one of his portside wings. The aircraft continued on but was pounced on by a FockeWulf 190 resulting in his plane crashing into the sea in flames.
None of the six Fairey Swordfish returned. There were 5 survivors of the 18 aircrew.
A suitable epitaph would perhaps be the words commited to his diary by Admiral Otto Cilliax of the Scharnhorst who wrote ....
"The mothball attack of a handful of ancient planes, piloted by men whose bravery surpasses any other action by either side that day"
For this action, on 03/03/1942 Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde D.S.O. was also awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously. A special plane was provided and Esmonde's mother was flown from and back to Ireland the same day when she received his V.C. on his behalf at Buckingham Palace.
On 13/05/1945, Churchill stated:
When I think of these days I think also of other episodes and personalities. I do not forget Lieutenant-Commander Esmonde, V.C., D.S.O., Lance-Corporal Kenneally, V.C., Captain Fegen, V.C., and other Irish heroes that I could easily recite, and all bitterness by Britain for the Irish race dies in my heart.
Esmondes flying certification
The sinking of the Aircraft Carrier HMS Courageous from which Eugene survived
Esmonde 2nd from left, aboard carrier HMS Ark Royal, all decorated for their part in the sinking of the battleship Bismarck
Daily Mirror 28/02/1942
Lieutenant Commander Eugene Esmonde DSO, VC
Esmondes flying experience
Swordfish on board HMS Victorious the day before their attack on the Bismarck
Eugene Esmonde - French National Library
Aberdeen Press 19/03/1942
Victoria Cross
Eugene's body was recovered from the Thames Estuary near the Medway, seven weeks after the ill-fated mission. He was buried at Woodlands, Gillingham, Kent
Probate
Church Plaque
Memorial tree in the grounds of the Spitfire & Hurricane Museum, Manston, Thanet, Kent
At the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton, Somerset
R.I.P./ IN PIAM MEMORIAM PERPETUAMQUE/ LT. CDR. EUGENII ESMONDE V.C. D.S.O. R.N./ ET OMNIUM FIDELIUM N.A.S./ QUI HOC IN BELLO MAGNO/ PRO AMICUS ANIMUS SUAS/ POSUERUNT.
( IN PIOUS AND PERPETUAL MEMORY OF/ LT. CDR. EUGENE ESMONDE V.C. D.S.O. R.N./ AND ALL THE FAITHFUL OF N.A.S./ WHO IN THE GREAT WAR LAID DOWN/ THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR FRIENDS.)
For another perspective on the Channel Dash check out Nayna man Bill Igoe at ....https://nayna.webador.co.uk/ww2-1/bill-igoe
Create Your Own Website With Webador