Cecil Charles Brittain Vacher

Captain Cecil Charles Brittain Vacher, D.S.O., Royal Navy, Retired (3 October, 1886 – 17 November, 1955) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

He spent a month at Haslar Royal Naval Hospital to be treated for appendicitis in March/April 1907. After a month of rest, he was sent to join a navigation school for a pilotage course.

Vacher was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 January, 1908. He was in Goliath from April 1908 to April 1909.

Vacher was gunnery officer in the battleship Implacable from 30 June, 1914 until being appointed to the light cruiser Undaunted on 19 December, 1914. He served in her until being made gunnery officer in Canterbury on 2 March, 1916, shortly after being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 January, 1916. Canterbury fought at the Battle of Jutland, where she screened the Third Battle Cruiser Squadron along with H.M.S. Chester, who was similarly detached from the Third Light Cruiser Squadron. His ship was lucky to escape the considerable damage sustained by Chester, and Vacher was praised by Captain Percy Royds for "controlling the fire from the ship in the coolest manner from a very exposed position under an extremely heavy fire."

Canterbury later fought at the Action of 23 July, 1916, a running night action where she pursued a superior force of German destroyers.

He finished the war in this appointment, and was sent back to Impregnable in May 1919, albeit not as gunnery officer this time.

Vacher was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1920.

On 15 June, 1926 Vacher was appointed to Ajax for command of the light cruiser Constance upon her reducing to reserve. Later in the year, he commanded the sweeping sloop Dahlia and then transferred to command of Cornflower.

Vacher was appointed in command of the monitor Terror on 2 September, 1929. He remained in command for exactly two years, and then was appointed in command of Argus on 3 September, 1931.

Vacher was promoted to the rank of Captain as he was placed on the Retired List on 15 April, 1933.

World War II

He reverted to the Retired List on 12 July, 1941. Though he continued to be troubled by arthritis in his hip and knee, he was called up again. He was finally reverted to the Retired List on 27 July, 1945 after having been in charge of the Naval Detention Quarters, Coatdyke Prison.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Cloudesley V. Robinson	Captain of H.M.S. Constance c. May, 1926 – 15 Jun, 1926	Succeeded by Dudley B. N. North
Preceded by John E. Loveluck	Captain of H.M.S. Dahlia 25 Oct, 1926 – c. Nov, 1926	Succeeded by Evelyn T. Wickham
Preceded by Evelyn T. Wickham	Captain of H.M.S. Cornflower c. Nov, 1926 – 26 Jan, 1927	Succeeded by John N. Pelly
Preceded by Eric Q. Carter	Captain of H.M.S. Terror 2 Sep, 1929 – 2 Sep, 1931	Succeeded by Geoffrey Nicholson
Preceded by Claud A. Merriman	Captain of H.M.S. Argus 3 Sep, 1931 – 14 Oct, 1931	Succeeded by Paul F. P. Berryman