John Benedict Spurgin

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Commander (retired) John Benedict Spurgin (20 March, 1888 – 20 March, 1951) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Born in Ayr, Spurgin's father was a Colonel J. H. Spurgin.

Spurgin was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 31 December, 1910.[1]

An appointment in command of the T.B. 113 dated 18 December 1911 was cancelled in favour of a non-command appointment in the special service vessel Sphinx on the East Indies Station. Spurgin was superseded on 24 March, 1914.[2]

Spurgin was appointed to the Acasta Class destroyer Christopher as first Lieutenant on 27 July, 1914 as war clouds loomed.[3]

Great War

Spurgin left Christopher when he was appointed in command of T.B. 27 on 4 January, 1915.[4]

He was appointed in command of Ruby on 8 June, 1916. He'd suffer a collision between her and a troopship on 5 September, and Spurgin would be told to be more careful in future.[5]

Spurgin was appointed from Ruby in command of Acheron on 15 November, 1916.[6]

Spurgin was appointed in command of the destroyer Opportune on 4 February, 1917.[7] On 14 March, 1917 he was admitted to Granton Hospital for treatment of an ulcer of some kind. He would return to Opportune fit on the 19th and stay in her through the end of the war.[8]

Spurgin was appointed to Fox as her first Lieutenant on 23 December, 1918 and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 31 December, 1918.[9]

On 17 November, 1919, Spurgin was appointed in command of the destroyer Somme.[10]

He was hospitalised in Constantinople on 19 February, 1921 and discharged on 7 March.[11]

On 4 February, 1927, the Rear Admiral, Yangtze telegrammed to report that Spurgin had sustained two scalp wounds, injured his hand and bruised his ribs at Ichang during disturbances there. The injuries proved slight enough that he was not incapacitated.[12]

On 1 January, 1929, Spurgin was appointed to Carysfort additional for command of emergency destroyers. He was superseded in this appointment on 2 July.

Spurgin was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Commander on 30 October, 1929.[13]

World War II

In 1937, Spurgin was selected for a war appointment and in December took a brief course of instruction.

In 1938 and 1939, he was Naval Officer in charge of Avonmouth and then of Newport, holding the acting rank of Captain. On 17 June, 1942, following some hospitalisations for diabetes, this appointment was terminated and he was reverted to the Retired List as medically unfit the following day.[14]

Spurgin died on his 63rd birthday from a ruptured ulcer in his esophagus.[15]

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
John P. Burton
Captain of H.M. T.B. 27
4 Jan, 1915[16][17] – 8 Jun, 1916[18]
Succeeded by
Alfred G. Foote
Preceded by
Basil W. L. Owen
Captain of H.M.S. Ruby
8 Jun, 1916[19][20] – 15 Nov, 1916[21]
Succeeded by
Herbert M. Hughes
Preceded by
Robert L. Burnett
Captain of H.M.S. Acheron
15 Nov, 1916[22][23] – 27 Jan, 1917[24]
Succeeded by
Arthur K. Gibson
Preceded by
Arthur M. Lecky
Captain of H.M.S. Opportune
4 Feb, 1917[25][26] – 23 Dec, 1918[27]
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Tuscan
16 May, 1919[28] – 23 Jul, 1919[29]
Succeeded by
Charles L. Evan-Thomas
Preceded by
Guy O. Maund
Captain of H.M.S. Goshawk
23 Jul, 1919[30][31] – 21 Oct, 1919[32]
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
Sydney Hopkins
Captain of H.M.S. Somme
17 Nov, 1919[33][34] – 28 Dec, 1920[35]
Succeeded by
Humphrey E. Archer
Preceded by
Humphrey E. Archer
Captain of H.M.S. Tobago
28 Dec, 1920[36]c. Jan, 1921[37]
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
H. Bourchier Wrey
Captain of H.M.S. Tuscan
c. Jan, 1921[38] – Feb, 1921[39]
Succeeded by
Philip J. Mack
Preceded by
Geoffrey S. Holden
Captain of H.M.S. Sikh
Feb, 1921[40] – Apr, 1922[41]
Succeeded by
Cecil R. E. W. Perryman
Preceded by
George H. Creswell
Captain of H.M.S. Waterhen
2 Feb, 1923[42][43] – Mar, 1925[44]
Succeeded by
John H. Young
Preceded by
Napier R. Peploe
Captain of H.M.S. Gnat
18 Oct, 1925[45][46] – 1927[47]
Succeeded by
Montague W. Noel
Preceded by
Francis T. Barr
as Senior Naval Officer, Avonmouth
Naval Officer in Charge, Avonmouth
26 Sep, 1938 – 8 Oct, 1938
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
?
Naval Officer in Charge, Newport
25 Aug, 1939 – 14 Nov, 1941[48]
Succeeded by
Herbert M. Spreckley

Footnotes

  1. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  2. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  3. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  4. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  5. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  6. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  7. The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 855.
  8. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  9. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  10. The Navy List. (December, 1920). p. 865.
  11. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  12. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  13. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  14. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  15. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  16. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  17. The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 401.
  18. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  19. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  20. The Navy List. (October, 1916). p. 397t.
  21. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  22. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  23. The Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 391a.
  24. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  25. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  26. The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 855.
  27. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  28. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  29. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  30. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  31. The Navy List. (September, 1919). p. 804.
  32. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  33. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  34. The Navy List. (December, 1920). p. 865.
  35. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  36. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  37. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  38. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  39. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  40. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  41. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  42. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  43. The Navy List. (July, 1924). p. 288.
  44. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  45. The Navy List. (July, 1927). p. 242.
  46. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  47. Spurgin Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/52/8. f. 360.
  48. Spreckley Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/51/104. f. 106.