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added Category:Convoy commodores using HotCat

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[[File:Admiral Sir Max Horton, (admiral Submarines), Visits the C-in-c Home Fleet. 28 September 1942. A12103.jpg|thumb|Dowding (left) shaking hands with [[John Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey|Sir John Tovey]] in 1942, following his return from convoy QP 14]]
'''John Charles Keith Dowding''' [[CBE]] [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]] (1891–1965) was a British naval officer during the 20th century. He served in both world wars and was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Order|DSO]] for his actions during the [[Dunkirk evacuation]]. He is best known for being the [[Convoy Commodore|commodore]] in charge of the ill-fated Arctic convoy [[Convoy PQ 17|PQ 17]].

==Early life==
Jack Dowding was born on 1 November 1891 in [[Dibrugarh]], [[British Raj|British India]], to Charles and Kathleen Dowding. His father was an [[Anglican]] clergyman, who served there before returning to England and residing at [[St John's in the Vale]], [[Cumberland]].<ref name=anc>John Charles Keith Dowding at ancestry.com</ref> Dowding was educated at [[St Bees School]], in what is now [[Cumbria]], and on the [[Royal Navy]] [[training ship]] [[HMS Conway (school ship)|HMS ''Conway'']].<ref name=pwsts>[http://www.pwsts.org.uk/johndowding.htm Commodore John Charles Keith Dowding] at pwsts.org.uk (Prince of Wales Sea Training School)</ref>
He became a probationary [[midshipman]] in the [[Royal Navy Reserve|RNR]], with seniority from August 1910, and joined the [[Merchant Navy]], earning his [[Second Mate]]'s certificate in December 1913.<ref name=anc/>

==Career==
Dowding served in the Royal Navy during the [[First World War]] and served on [[HMS Otway (1909)|HMS ''Otway'']], an [[armed merchant cruiser]] with the [[10th Cruiser Squadron]], a force employed in the [[Northern Patrol]] and responsible for enforcing the [[naval blockade of Germany]].
He later served as second-in-command to the Commander of Destroyers, first in home waters and later in the Mediterranean.
In 1919 he left the Royal Navy and was employed by the [[Orient Line]] operating between Britain and Australia.<ref name=uh>[https://www.unithistories.com/units_index/default.asp?file=../officers/personsx.html Dowding, John Charles Keith] at unithistories.com (RNR: D'Albiac to Dymoke)</ref>

With the outbreak of the [[Second World War]] Dowding was recalled to active service with the rank of [[Commander (Royal Navy)|Commander]] and was appointed to [[HMS Mona's Isle (1939)|HMS ''Mona's Isle'']], a [[Isle of Man Steam Packet|Manx]] [[packet steamer]] requisitioned to serve as an [[armed boarding vessel]]. In June 1940 she took part in [[Operation Dynamo]], the Dunkirk evacuation, making two trips under fire and bringing back over 2,600 troops. For his actions Dowding was awarded the DSO.<ref name=pwsts/>

In December 1940 he was promoted to [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]], and in April 1941 to [[Commodore (Royal Navy)|Commodore 2nd class]], At the same time he was transferred to [[HMS Eaglet (shore establishment)|HMS ''Eaglet'']], the shore establishment at [[Liverpool]] responsible for Britain's convoy operations, and served as a [[Convoy Commodore]].<ref name=uh/>
Dowding served on several Atlantic convoys and made two trips to the [[Soviet Union]] on the notorious [[Kola Run]]. In August 1941 he was commodore to the [[Operation Dervish (1941)|Dervish convoy]], the first supply convoy to the Soviets,<ref>Kemp p18</ref> returning with the Dervish ships in October in [[convoy QP 1]]. Both these voyages were accomplished safely and without loss.<ref>Kemp p23</ref>

In late June 1942 he was commodore to [[Convoy PQ 17|PQ 17]]. On 4 July he received the controversial [[British Admiralty|Admiralty]] order to [[Convoy PQ 17#'Convoy is to scatter'|scatter the convoy]], and it fell to him to carry this out.<ref>Kemp p77</ref><ref>Schofield p87-88</ref> The result was a catalogue of ship losses over the next few days; Dowding's ship, [[SS River Afton|''River Afton'']], was sunk at midday on 5 July, leaving Dowding and two men on a raft in the icy waters for four hours until rescued by the [[corvette]] [[HMS Lotus (K130)|''Lotus'']].<ref>Kemp p86</ref><ref>Schofield p91</ref> He was taken to [[Novaya Zemlya]] where they gathered up two merchant ships and took them to safety at [[Archangel, Russia|Archangel]].
Dowding immediately set out in the corvette [[HMS Poppy (K213)|''Poppy'']] to search for more survivors, eventually gathering a further five ships and the survivors of several more.<ref>Kemp p89-90</ref><ref>Schofield p91-94</ref> Two months later Dowding was commodore to the returning QP 14, with the surviving ships from PQ 17; this convoy also came under attack, and Dowding was again cast adrift when his ship, [[SS Ocean Voice|''Ocean Voice'']], was sunk. He was again rescued and returned to the UK, where he was awarded the [[Order of the British Empire#Current classes|CBE]].<ref name=uh/>

Later Dowding served on the naval staff for [[Operation Neptune]], the naval component of the [[Normandy landings]], first as Staff Flag Officer for the assault area, then as Principal Sea Transport Officer for the Expeditionary Force.
He was [[Mentioned in Dispatches]] for this work, and was awarded the [[Order of the Crown of Belgium]] for his part in the [[Liberation of Belgium|liberation of that country]].<ref name=uh/>

His final naval posting was as the Naval Reserve's [[Aide-de-camp|ADC]] to the king, from September 1945 until his retirement in November 1946.<ref name=uh/>

==Later life and death==
Jack Dowding died at [[Wokingham]], in [[Berkshire]], on 13 February 1965.<ref name=anc/>

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* Paul Kemp : ''Convoy! Drama in Arctic Waters'' (1993) {{ISBN|1-85409-130-1}}
* Bob Ruegg, Arnold Hague : ''Convoys to Russia'' (1992) {{ISBN|0-905617-66-5}}
* Bernard Schofield, ''The Russian Convoys'' BT Batsford, 1964. ISBN (none)

==External links==
* [https://gdc.gale.com/gdc/artemis/NewspapersDetailsPage/NewspapersDetailsWindow?disableHighlighting=false&displayGroupName=DVI-Newspapers&docIndex=3&source=fullList&prodId=TTDA&mode=view&limiter=DA+119650101+-+119651231&display-query=OQE+Dowding&contentModules=&action=e&sortBy=&windowstate=normal&currPage=1&dviSelectedPage=&scanId=&query=OQE+Dowding&search_within_results=&p=TTDA&catId=&u=livlibtda&displayGroups=&documentId=GALE%7CCS302344272&activityType=AdvancedSearch&failOverType=&commentary Commodore JCK Dowding; Obituary] 16 Feb 1965 [[The Times]] p18
* [https://uboat.net/allies/commanders/12049.html John Charles Keith Dowding] at uboat.net

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dowding, John}}
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1965 deaths]]
[[Category:Royal Navy officers of World War I]]
[[Category:Royal Navy officers of World War II]]
[[Category:Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Crown (Belgium)]]
[[Category:Military personnel of British India]]

John Dowding (Royal Navy officer) - Revision history

WikiDwarf: added Category:Convoy commodores using HotCat

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