Born: 13 January 1868
Died: 28 August 1952
A ship's captain with the Adelaide Steamship Company who was appointed to the Royal Naval Reserve on 3 May 1916 after delivering one of the Company's ships to its new owner in France.
He served with the Royal Navy's Q Ships which was comprised of a fleet of heavily armed merchant ships that lured German submarines to the surface thinking that they would be easily sunk by the submarines' deck guns.
He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for sinking a German submarine. The recommendation for the award was as follows:
"Engaged an enemy submarine for 1 1/2 hours on 22 April, 1917 (whilst in command of HMS Garlic). Two of the crew were killed and four wounded. The officers and men showed conspicuous gallantry and coolness during a prolonged encounter."
Prior to this, he had been Mentioned in Despatch "for services in Auxiliary Patrols (on board HMT Whitefriars) for period ending 31 December 1916".
After the war he returned to the Adelaide Steamship Company and retired as their senior ships' captain in 1938.
He was the father of Francis Leslie Irvine. [JSB]
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