John Gregory Crace KBE CB (1887 - 1968)

Born 6 Feb 1887 in Gungahleen, New South Wales (Gungahlin, Australian Capital Territory, Australia)

Ancestors

Husband of Carola Helen (Baird) Crace — married 13 Apr 1920 in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Died 11 May 1968 at age 81 in Liss, Hampshire, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Jack Crace KBE CB is Notable.

Vice Admiral Sir John "Jack" Crace KBE CB was an Australian who came to prominence as an officer of the Royal Navy (RN). He commanded the Australian-United States Support Force, Task Force 44, at the crucial Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942.

John Gregory Crace was born on 6th February 1887 at Gungahleen, New South Wales (Australia); now Gungahlin, Australian Capital Territory. He was the eighth of nine children but the younger son of Edward Crace, an English-born grazier, and his wife Kate Mort, a Queenslander and niece of T S Mort.^{[1] [2][3]}. He was educated at The Kings School in Parramatta, before completing school in the United Kingdom in October 1899.

Crace enlisted in the Royal Navy. His first posting was with the training ship HMS Britannia in May 1902, before undertaking training as a torpedo officer. He returned to his native land for tours of duty in 1908-10 and 1913-14, the second while serving on the battlecruiser HMAS Australia; which he would continue to do throughout the First World War.

On 13th April 1920, Jack married Carola Helen Baird in St Mary's Cathedral, Glasgow, Scotland, with Anglican rites. ^[4] They had three sons:

• Nicholas K Crace (1928 Surrey UK ^[5]-)
• unknown
• unknown

For the next nineteen years Jack served at sea and in instructional and staff duties ashore, advancing from Commander (1920) to Captain (1928) to Rear Admiral in August 1939. The next month, he was appointed Commander of the Australian Squadron. Upon arriving in Sydney he discovered that the Commonwealth Government had committed most of his ships to theatres outside Australia. The few vessels remaining in home waters he tasked to escort and counter-raider operations. Although he was appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in July 1941, Jack was frustrated by the low level of local activity and by the Naval Board's interference in operational matters. He sought to be replaced and, in October, tried to resign his post. However, after war with Japan broke out, he was appointed Commander of the Allied Naval Squadron, ANZAC Force, with HMAS Canberra his flagship.

On 1st May 1942, Jack's force was ordered from Sydney to join two USN carrier groups that were deployed to the Coral Sea in anticipation of a major Japanese move southwards. The squadron was detached on 7th May to intercept troop ships heading for Port Moresby. Lacking air cover, it came under heavy enemy attack and the flagship, HMAS Australia, narrowly escaped being bombed. Jack received no further orders and knew little of the crucial carrier battle which was fought next day, east of his position. He withdrew on 10th May when fuel was running low and it was obvious that the enemy's advance had been checked. The Battle of the Coral Sea marked the end of Japanese expansion in South Pacific waters. He returned to Britain in June 1942 as a Vice Admiral, commanding the Chatham Naval Dockyard. He was placed on the retired list in 1945, but remained in command at Chatham until July 1946.

Jack Crace was created Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 1947.

Sir John Crace passed away, aged 81 years, on 11th May 1968 at Liss, East Hampshire. ^[6] His wife and three sons survived him. The suburb of Crace, Australian Capital Territory is not named after Crace, but rather his father, Edward Kendall Crace.

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index #33446/1887; registered at Queanbeyan
2. ↑ Family Notices (Birth Entry), Sydney Morning Herald, Thursday 10 Feb 1887, p1
3. ↑ Family Notices (Birth Entry), The Sydney Mail and New South Wales Advertiser, Saturday 19 Feb 1887, p413
4. ↑ Scotland's People Marriage Index #644/13 161 1920
5. ↑ UK FreeBMD Birth Index Dec qtr 1928, vol 2a, page 237
6. ↑ UK FreeBMD Death Index Jun qtr 1968, vol 6b, page 431

See also

• Coulthard-Clark, Chris. Action Stations Coral Sea. Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1991.
• Chris Clark. Crace, Sir John Gregory (Jack) (1887–1968). Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1993; accessed online 31 Oct 2018.
• Wikipedia: John Gregory Crace; accessed 31 Oct 2018.