Terence Hugh Back

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Captain Terence Hugh Back, C.B.E. (3 April, 1895 – ) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

The son of the Reverend Hugh C. A. Back, a clerk in Holy Orders, Terence passed out of the Training Establishment in mid-September 1912. After a few months in the armoured cruiser Good Hope, Back served in the battlecruiser Inflexible from November 1912. In this appointment, he was involved in the Pursuit of Goeben and Breslau and then the triumphant Battle of the Falklands.[1]

Back was next appointed to H.M.S. Blake for service in T.B.Ds. in May 1915, but he was invalided in July to hospital in Alexandria, suffering from enteric fever. He was back at Blake in September 1915, and assigned to the "M" Class destroyer Mounsey, which was part of the Eleventh Destroyer Flotilla. At the end of the year, he was moved to the destroyer Brisk of the Second Destroyer Flotilla.[2]

Back left Brisk to join the battlecruiser Indomitable immediately after she fought at the Battle of Jutland. He was promoted in this appointment to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 July, 1916.[3]

Back's final wartime appointment was to the Glorious from 29 May 1917 until November 1918. ON 4 November, he was sent to Vernon to take the long torpedo course.[4]

Back was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 July, 1924.[5]

In 1929, Back was thanked for his initiative in improving loading time of torpedoes in H.M.S. Nelson.[6]

Back was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1930.[7]

Back was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1938.[8]

World War II

Bkac commanded the light cruiser Bermuda from her completion in 1942, becoming flag captain and chief staff officer to the R/A commanding Tenth Cruiser Squadron. He retained this role until 11 February, 1944.[9][10]

He was placed on the Retired List as medically unfit on 4 August, 1946.

See Also

Bibliography

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
John Harding
Captain of H.M.S. Lupin
2 Jun, 1934[11] – 23 Mar, 1936[12]
Succeeded by
Henry A. Rowley
Preceded by
Henry C. Bovell
Captain of H.M.S. Capetown
31 Jul, 1939[13] – 3 Nov, 1940[14]
Succeeded by
Percival H. G. James

Footnotes

  1. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  2. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  3. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  4. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  5. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  6. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  7. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  8. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  9. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  10. Uboat.net page on the ship.
  11. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  12. Back Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/117/76. f. 76.
  13. Uboat.net page on the ship.
  14. Uboat.net page on the ship.