Robert McAteer was born in Belfast, County Down on 7 January 1912, the son of Thomas McAteer and Agnes Jane McAteer (née Paterson) of Christopher Street, Belfast. There were two younger siblings – Agnes Jane (born in 1913) and Ernest Victor (born in 1920).

Robert joined the Royal Navy, was trained as a Cook, and had joined the Submarine Service. By September 1939 he has been promoted to Petty Officer Cook and had been drafted to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS MEDWAY at Hong Kong ‘for Submarine HMS REGULUS’.

After four war patrols from Hong Kong, Robert sailed back to the Mediterranean with REGULUS and then undertook a further three war patrols but died when the submarine was sunk, probably by a mine, in the lower Adriatic Sea.

Robert McAteer was the husband of Margaret Joyce McAteer (née Topley) who was a nurse from Atkinson’s Avenue, Portadown, Northern Ireland. An intimation in the (Portsmouth) Evening News of 2 October 1939) reports that they were married in St John’s Parish Church in Portsea, Portsmouth, Hants by ‘Special Licence’ (owing to the International crisis) on 25 September 1939 and it is understood that he had to leave to rejoin his ship three days after the ceremony. Robert McAteer is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial on Panel 42 Column 2.