Norman Grace

Norman Vere Grace DL (31 July 1894 – 20 February 1975) was an English first-class cricketer and Royal Navy officer.

A member of the famous cricketing Grace family, he was born to the Test cricketer E. M. Grace in July 1894 at Thornbury, Gloucestershire.^[1] He was educated at Wellington College,^[2] before joining the Royal Navy. He graduated from Britannia Royal Naval College in 1912, entering into service as a midshipman.^[3] Grace served in the navy during the First World War, during the latter stages of which he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant.^[4] Following the war he played first-class cricket for the Royal Navy against the British Army cricket team at Lord's in 1920, claiming five wickets on debut.^[5][6] Three years later in December 1923, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander.^[7] He made two further first-class appearances for the Royal Navy against the Army in 1923 and 1927,^[5] though he took only a further two wickets in these matches.^[8] In July 1929, he was promoted to the rank of commander,^[9] before being promoted to the rank of captain in June 1937.^[10]

Grace served during the Second World War, captaining firstly the minelayer HMS Adventure from 1940–42, for which he was mentioned in dispatches,^[11] and later the heavy cruiser HMS Berwick between January and August 1944.^[3] Then from September 1944 to January 1946, he commanded HMS Vernon when it was based at Roedean School and oversaw its return to Portsmouth after the war.^[12] After relinquishing his command of Vernon, Grace was appointed as a naval aide-de-camp to George VI in February 1946.^[13] Four months later he retired from active service.^[14] He later served as a deputy lieutenant for Gloucestershire in 1960.^[15] Grace died in February 1975 at Amberley, Gloucestershire. He had married Lilla Marguerite Spiller in County Cork in 1932, and the couple had had two sons.^[2]