Torpedoes, Tea, and Medals: The Gallant Life of Commander D. G. H. ‘Jake’ Wright DSC** Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
By Chris O'Flaherty and Jerry Kyd
3/5
()
About this ebook
A biography chronicling one man’s service during World War II as a Royal Navy commander and his career before & after in the tea business.
Jake Wright’s initiation to war was on the beach at Dunkirk, helping evacuate stragglers. Then volunteering for Motor Torpedo Boats, he served with valor throughout World War II, becoming one of only forty-four officers in WWII to receive a DSC with two Bars . . .
Derek Wright learned about small boats from his father, who tragically died when Derek was just fourteen years old. Sent away from his family to finish his education, he left school at sixteen to join the global tea trade. Soon after he finished his training with Brooke Bond, famous for their “Dividend” tea, Hitler invaded Poland and Britain was at war.
By then known to his friends as “Jake,” he was one of the first Volunteer Reserves to be called up to fight for his country. Plucked from his naval training in HMS King Alfred, his warfighting initiation was on the beach at Dunkirk, helping evacuate stragglers after Operation DYNAMO. He then volunteered for Motor Torpedo Boats, where he served with valor and distinction.
While Hitler’s U-Boats were torpedoing shipments of tea bound for Great Britain, Jake Wright reciprocated by torpedoing Axis coastal shipping off Europe. His first Command was MTB 331, trained for a daredevil mission to puncture German boom defenses protecting their battleships. In his next Command, MTB 32, he was wounded in action whilst torpedoing a German convoy, but kept his small ship fighting against the odds to win the action and sink his enemy; for his bravery he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Further acts of gallantry in action, combined with tactical innovation, saw him earn two bars to his DSC as well as a Mention in Despatches; he became one of only forty-four officers in the Second World War to receive a DSC with two Bars.
After demobilization he returned to the tea trade, rising to become one of Brooke Bond’s senior directors supplying Britain’s beloved beverage. He even helped refine how to make the perfect cup of tea.
This is the life story of a determined, brave, innovative, and decorated officer who has earned a place in the hearts of our nation. It is the story of Derek “Jake” Wright, DSC**.
Praise for Torpedoes, Tea, and Medals
“A must read . . . an enthralling look at motor torpedo boat operations off the coast of France and Belgium during World War II.” —Naval Historical Foundation
“Wright clearly had a really action-packed war and this book skillfully combines his coastal forces experiences with his influential role in the tea business.” —Captain Andrew Welch, FNI, Royal Navy Retired
Related to Torpedoes, Tea, and Medals
Related ebooks
Sailors Behind the Medals: Waging War at Sea, 1939–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNight Action: MTB Flotilla at War: A Thrilling Account of Torpedo Boat Action in the North Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5British Naval Swords and Swordmanship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Last Big Gun: At War & At Sea with HMS Belfast Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Naval Eyewitnesses: The Experience of War at Sea, 1939–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle-Cruiser HMS Renown, 1916–48 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCold War Command: The Dramatic Story of a Nuclear Submariner Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUtmost Gallantry: The U.S. and Royal Navies at Sea in the War of 1812 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Quiet Heroes: British Merchant Seamen at War, 1939–1945 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Room for Mistakes: British and Allied Submarine Warfare, 1939–1940 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Now Hear This!: Ships of the U.S. Navy in World War II Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBig Gun Battles: Warship Duels of the Second World War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pirates, Privateers, and Rebel Raiders of the Carolina Coast Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Battle of North Cape: The Death Ride of the Scharnhorst, 1943 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fighting Fleets: Five Months of Active Service with the American Destroyers and Their Allies in the War Zone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKilling the Bismarck: Destroying the Pride of Hitler's Fleet Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Modern Cruiser: The Evolution of the Ships that Fought the Second World War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Real Cruel Sea: The Merchant Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic, 1939–1943 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRoyal Navy Submarines: 1901 to the Present Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFire & Ice Arctic Convoys 1941-1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe U.S. Coast Guard in World War II Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Voices From Jutland: A Centenary Commemoration Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTribals, Battles & Darings: The Genesis of the Modern Destroyer Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Merchant Navy Seaman Pocket Manual 1939–1945 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Grand Fleet: Warship Design and Development 1906-1922 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBritish Town Class Cruisers: Design, Development & Performance: Southampton & Belfast Classes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Warships of the Napoleonic Era: Design, Development and Deployment Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Fighting Sail: Fleet Actions 1775–1815 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The U.S. Naval Institute on Naval Tactics Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHeritage of the Sea: Famous Preserved Ships around the UK Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Military Biographies For You
Seven Pillars of Wisdom (Rediscovered Books): A Triumph Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scars and Stripes: An Unapologetically American Story of Fighting the Taliban, UFC Warriors, and Myself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Rumor of War: The Classic Vietnam Memoir (40th Anniversary Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Personal Memoirs Of U.s. Grant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crazy Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sun Tzu's The Art of War: Bilingual Edition Complete Chinese and English Text Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Daily Creativity Journal Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Woman in Berlin: Eight Weeks in the Conquered City: A Diary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Unbroken: by Laura Hillenbrand | Includes Analysis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe General and the Genius: Groves and Oppenheimer - The Unlikely Partnership that Built the Atom Bomb Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ruby Ridge: The Truth and Tragedy of the Randy Weaver Family Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a SEAL Team Warrior Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Right Kind of Crazy: My Life as a Navy SEAL, Covert Operative, and Boy Scout from Hell Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To Hell and Back: The Classic Memoir of World War II by America's Most Decorated Soldier Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Napoleon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alexander the Great Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mein Kampf: The Original, Accurate, and Complete English Translation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Torpedoes, Tea, and Medals
1 rating0 reviews