Christopher Champain Tanner | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Kit |
Born | Cheltenham, England | 24 June 1908
Died | 22 May 1941 HMS Kandahar, Mediterranean Sea off Crete | (aged 32)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Rank | Chaplain |
Battles/wars | Second World War |
Awards | Albert Medal |
Christopher Champain Tanner, AM (24 June 1908 [1] – 22 May 1941 [2]) was a Gloucester, [3] Barbarians [4] and England Rugby Union international, [5] winning 5 caps between 1930 and 1932. [6] He was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal for assisting in the rescue of around 30 sailors [7] in the Second World War. [8]
Tanner was educated at Cheltenham College [9] and Pembroke College, Cambridge. [10] He was ordained in 1935; served curacies in Farnham, Surrey and Gloucester; and was Priest in charge of St Christopher, Haslemere. [11] In 1937 he married Eleanor Rutherford: [12] they had one daughter born after his death in 1941. [13]
In June 1940 he became a Chaplain [14] with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve; [15] and was awarded the Albert Medal for his work in attempting to save fellow shipmates [16] when HMS Fiji was sunk during the Battle of Crete in May 1941. [17] He succumbed to his exhaustion and died, aged 32, as soon as he was about to board HMS Kandahar. [8] He is commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Plymouth Naval Memorial. [18] The rood cross at St Christopher, Haslemere is dedicated to his memory. [19]
Christopher Champain Tanner | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | Kit |
Born | Cheltenham, England | 24 June 1908
Died | 22 May 1941 HMS Kandahar, Mediterranean Sea off Crete | (aged 32)
Allegiance | United Kingdom |
Service/ | Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve |
Rank | Chaplain |
Battles/wars | Second World War |
Awards | Albert Medal |
Christopher Champain Tanner, AM (24 June 1908 [1] – 22 May 1941 [2]) was a Gloucester, [3] Barbarians [4] and England Rugby Union international, [5] winning 5 caps between 1930 and 1932. [6] He was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal for assisting in the rescue of around 30 sailors [7] in the Second World War. [8]
Tanner was educated at Cheltenham College [9] and Pembroke College, Cambridge. [10] He was ordained in 1935; served curacies in Farnham, Surrey and Gloucester; and was Priest in charge of St Christopher, Haslemere. [11] In 1937 he married Eleanor Rutherford: [12] they had one daughter born after his death in 1941. [13]
In June 1940 he became a Chaplain [14] with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve; [15] and was awarded the Albert Medal for his work in attempting to save fellow shipmates [16] when HMS Fiji was sunk during the Battle of Crete in May 1941. [17] He succumbed to his exhaustion and died, aged 32, as soon as he was about to board HMS Kandahar. [8] He is commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Plymouth Naval Memorial. [18] The rood cross at St Christopher, Haslemere is dedicated to his memory. [19]