John Gregory Crace
Encyclopedia
Vice Admiral
Sir John Gregory Crace KBE, CB (6 February 188711 May 1968), also known as Jack Crace, was an Australia
n who came to prominence as an officer of the Royal Navy
(RN). Crace nevertheless spent a great deal of his career with the Royal Australian Navy
(RAN). He commanded the Australian-United States
Support Force (Task Force 44
) at the Battle of the Coral Sea
in 1942.
Crace was born to Kate Marion Crace and Edward Kendall Crace
at Gungahlin
(which was later part of the ACT
, but was in NSW
at the time). He was educated at The Kings School
in Parramatta
, before completing school in the UK in October 1899. Crace then enlisted in the RN. His first posting was with the training ship HMS Britannia
, in May 1902. After being trained as a torpedo
officer, Crace served on the battlecruiser
HMAS Australia
throughout the First World War
.
He travelled back and forth to Australia during the interwar years, and served in a series of sea and shore positions before being assigned command of the Australian Squadron in September 1939. Upon his arrival in Sydney, Crace grew increasingly dismayed at the state of the RAN fleet and attempted to resign. However, after war with Japan
broke out, Crace was appointed commander of the Allied Naval Squadron
, ANZAC Force
.
During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Crace narrowly escaped a Japanese air raid while patrolling south of New Guinea
. He returned to Britain in June 1942 as a Vice Admiral
, commanding the Chatham Dockyard
. Crace was placed on the retired list in 1945, but remained in command at Chatham until July 1946.
He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(KBE) in 1947. He had been appointed Commander of the Order of the Bath
(CB) in 1941.
Sir John Crace died in Hampshire
, England in 1968. The suburb of Crace, Australian Capital Territory
is named after Crace's father, Edward Kendall Crace.
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
Sir John Gregory Crace KBE, CB (6 February 188711 May 1968), also known as Jack Crace, was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n who came to prominence as an officer of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
(RN). Crace nevertheless spent a great deal of his career with the Royal Australian Navy
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
(RAN). He commanded the Australian-United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Support Force (Task Force 44
Task Force 44
Task Force 44 was an Allied naval task force during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The task force consisted of warships from the Royal Australian Navy and United States Navy and was generally assigned as a striking force to defend northeast Australia and the surrounding area from any...
) at the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
in 1942.
Crace was born to Kate Marion Crace and Edward Kendall Crace
Edward Kendall Crace
Edward Kendall Crace was an Australian pastoralist who owned extensive land holdings around Canberra.Crace owned the properties of Ginninderra and Gungahlin and added Charnwood to his holdings in 1880. He arrived in Australia in 1865 on the Duncan Dunbar after being shipwrecked...
at Gungahlin
Gungahlin, Australian Capital Territory
Gungahlin is a suburb in the Canberra, Australia district with the same name; Gungahlin. The postcode is 2912. Gungahlin is the name for the entire district, and also the town centre, but it is also the name of the suburb which Gungahlin Town Centre is in....
(which was later part of the ACT
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, but was in NSW
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
at the time). He was educated at The Kings School
The King's School, Sydney
The King's School is an independent Anglican, day and boarding school for boys in North Parramatta in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831, it is Australia's oldest school and forms one of the nine "Great Public Schools" of New South Wales. Situated within a site, Gowan Brae,...
in Parramatta
Parramatta, New South Wales
Parramatta is a suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Greater Western Sydney west of the Sydney central business district on the banks of the Parramatta River. Parramatta is the administrative seat of the Local Government Area of the City of Parramatta...
, before completing school in the UK in October 1899. Crace then enlisted in the RN. His first posting was with the training ship HMS Britannia
HMS Prince of Wales (1860)
HMS Prince of Wales was one of six 121-gun screw-propelled first-rate three-decker line-of-battle ships of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 25 January 1860...
, in May 1902. After being trained as a torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
officer, Crace served on the battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
HMAS Australia
HMAS Australia (1911)
HMAS Australia was one of three s built for the defence of the British Empire. Ordered by the Australian government in 1909, she was launched in 1911, and commissioned as flagship of the fledgling Royal Australian Navy in 1913...
throughout the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
He travelled back and forth to Australia during the interwar years, and served in a series of sea and shore positions before being assigned command of the Australian Squadron in September 1939. Upon his arrival in Sydney, Crace grew increasingly dismayed at the state of the RAN fleet and attempted to resign. However, after war with Japan
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
broke out, Crace was appointed commander of the Allied Naval Squadron
ANZAC Squadron
The ANZAC Squadron, also called the Allied Naval Squadron, was an Allied naval warship task force which was tasked with defending northeast Australia and surrounding area in early 1942 during the Pacific Campaign of World War II...
, ANZAC Force
ANZAC Force
The ANZAC Force, also called the ANZAC Command, was a short-lived naval military command for Allied forces defending northeast Australia and the surrounding area in early 1942 during the Pacific Campaign of World War II. The command was created on 27 January 1942. United States Navy Vice Admiral...
.
During the Battle of the Coral Sea, Crace narrowly escaped a Japanese air raid while patrolling south of New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. He returned to Britain in June 1942 as a Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
, commanding the Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
. Crace was placed on the retired list in 1945, but remained in command at Chatham until July 1946.
He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(KBE) in 1947. He had been appointed Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(CB) in 1941.
Sir John Crace died in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, England in 1968. The suburb of Crace, Australian Capital Territory
Crace, Australian Capital Territory
Crace is a designated suburb of Canberra, Australia in the district of Gungahlin. It was named after Edward Kendall Crace an original settler in the Gungahlin area. Streets in Crace will be named after parishes and land divisions from colonial times. It is bounded by the Barton Highway, Gungahlin...
is named after Crace's father, Edward Kendall Crace.
Further reading
- Tucker, Spencer C., ed. Who's Who in Twentieth-Century Warfare. London: Routledge (UK), 2001. ISBN 0-415-23497-2