Royal Navy Research Archive Forums

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length.
Advanced Search  
Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Capt James Gregson Roper  (Read 6853 times)

KRoper

  • New Recruit
  • *
  • Reputation: 0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2
  • Granddaughter of Capt James Gregson Roper OBE RN
Capt James Gregson Roper
« on: 24 October 2020 09:45:00 am »

Hello

I am in the process of researching my Grandfather’s Naval Career, and was wondering if anyone had any information or photographs relating to him.

My Grandfather is: Captain James Gregson Roper OBE, RN.   

My Grandfather’s  Naval career commenced in 1921 and sadly came to an end in July 1945 when he was sadly killed in a plane crash in Sydney, Australia. 

Any information would be greatly received, thank you

Kath

Logged

PhiloNauticus

  • Warrant Officer
  • *****
  • Reputation: 9
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 270
  • Valued Member
Re: Capt James Gregson Roper
« Reply #1 on: 25 October 2020 03:34:40 pm »

Captain James Gregson Roper

Served from 1919

An outline of his career may be found here: (scroll down the page to get to his entry)

 https://www.unithistories.com/officers/RN_officersR3.html


He evidently went to the prestigious Oundle school – see:

http://oundle-heritage.daisy.websds.net/Filename.ashx?systemFileName=OUNRohwwII000191.pdf&origFilename=OUNRohwwII000191.pdf

You should also see his records from the National Archives:
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8116504
http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8126468

For his death, see:
https://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/nsw173.htm#:~:text=Captain%20James%20Gregson%20Roper%20%28RN%29%20They%20were%20all,adjacent%20to%20the%20sewer%20viaduct%20and%20Muddy%20Creek.

An outline of his service-
Career:
[presumably Cadet at BRNC Dartmouth 1919]
Midshipman   11 October 1920
Sub-Lieutenant 15 September 1921
Lieutenant 15 April 1923
Lieutenant Commander 15 April 1931
Commander 30 June 1935
Captain 31 December 1940


Appointments:
11 October 1920     battleship HMS REVENGE
3 January 1923       RN College Greenwich (for training)
23 August 1924     submarine HMS K.14
3 September 1925   submarine HMS  H.43
 18 April 1927      battleship HMS IRON DUKE
18 April 1928      submarine  HMS L.69
10 December 1929   depot ship HMS ALECTO     
21 April 1930      submarine  HMS H.32 (In command)
19 September 1930   sub depot HMS DOLPHIN
16 October 1930   submarine  HMS H.32 (in command)
24 October 1931   battleship HMS RESOLUTION
3 October 1933     minesweeper HMS FERMOY
23 January 1934   submarine HMS  L.22 (in command)
4 September 1934   submarine HMS SHARK (in command)
4 January 1936     courses/staff HMS PRESIDENT   
1 November 1938   cruiser HMS BELFAST (executive officer)
1 February 1940   sub depot ship HMS FORTH
18 April 1940         depot ship HMS AMBROSE (in command)
8 February 1942    subs shore base HMS DOLPHIN (as Chief Staff Officer)
24 April 1944        cruiser HMS NEWCASTLE (in command)
2 April 1945        depot ship HMS MONTCLARE (in command)
May 1945      headquarters ship HMS LOTHIAN as Chief Staff Officer Far East Fleet

Details of what these ships were up to can be provided if you want

Other bits and pieces:
for Oundle School:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oundle_School


Marriage notice appeared in newspapers in April 1927:
April 9 at St Jude’s Church, Southsea, by the Rev. B H Geary, V.C. assisted by the Rev. C F  Ayerst M.A., vicar, JAMES GREGSON ROPER Lieut., Royal Navy, eldest son of Mr & Mrs J G Roper of Seascale, Cumberland, to MARGARET, only daughter of Eng. Rear Admiral W A Dathan & Mrs Dathan, Southsea.

The Hampshire Telegraph carried a report on the wedding, which rather concentrates on what the ladies were wearing… so we know that the brides dress was embroidered with pearls and had a brocade train with a tulle veil; the bridesmaids were the two sisters of Lieut Roper and  were kitted out in apricot dresses and all carried bouquets of apricot carnations … the bridegrooms gift to the bridesmaids were opal brooches .. the brides mother was in gold and red (!) and the grooms mother was in blue…  the pair had their honeymoon “motoring in the west Country”

Several notices in Portsmouth local newspapers of Lieut J G Roper playing Rugby for the Navy in late 1920’s/1930’s

OBE in March 1940
“…for exemplary conduct and cheerfulness in adversity after an explosion had occurred in his ship” (this was HMS Belfast, now moored as a museum in London)

Hope all this lot helps ..
Logged

PhiloNauticus

  • Warrant Officer
  • *****
  • Reputation: 9
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 270
  • Valued Member
Re: Capt James Gregson Roper
« Reply #2 on: 26 October 2020 07:53:49 pm »

Logged

KRoper

  • New Recruit
  • *
  • Reputation: 0
  • Offline Offline
  • Gender: Female
  • Posts: 2
  • Granddaughter of Capt James Gregson Roper OBE RN
Re: Capt James Gregson Roper
« Reply #3 on: 30 March 2021 09:52:07 pm »

Hi
Thank you for the information you provided, sorry for the length of time replying to your post
Kath
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up