Commander NORMAN DOUGLAS HOLBROOK, VC was born in 1884. In the submarine branch he served in the Mediterranean in the early days of the Great War, holding the rank of Lieutenant-Commander, and on December 13, 1914, commanding submarine BII, he set out with the object of reconnoitring the interior of the Dardanelles. In the course of this extremely perilous operation he dived beneath five rows of mines in the strait and torpedoed the Turkish battleship Messudiyeh. Pursued by heavy gunfire and chased by torpedo boats, he returned safely, having on one occasion been submerged nine hours. For this action he was awarded the Victoria Cross. He retired with the rank of Commander.
Source
- John Alexander Hammerton (ed.) (1933). A Popular History of The Great War, Volume I, The First Phase: 1914. The Fleetway House, London. p.593