Christopher Tanner
English rugby union player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 five caps between 1930 and 1932.[6] He was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal for the rescue of around 30 sailors[7] in the Second World War.[8]
Christopher Champain Tanner | |
|---|---|
Chaplain Christopher Tanner | |
| Nickname | Kit |
| Born | 24 June 1908 Cheltenham, England |
| Died | 22 May 1941 (aged 32) |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve |
| Rank | Chaplain |
| Conflicts | Second World War |
| Awards | Albert Medal |
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]