Lieutenant
Sir Gerard Philip Graves
MUNTZ
Royal Navy
23
Sir Gerard P G Muntz Bt. was born at Tiddington House, Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire on 13 June 1917, the son of Sir Gerard Albert Muntz Bt. and Lady Henrietta Winifred Muntz (née Graves). He was educated at Twyford House, Hampshire and joined the Royal Navy as a Cadet at the Britannia Royal Naval College in January 1931.
On 1 September 1934 he joined the Training Cruiser HMS FROBISHER and served in that ship until 30 April 1935. Following promotion to Midshipman on 1 May 1935 he then served in the Cruiser HMS EXETER on the America and West Indies Station from 1 May 1935 to October 1936. After returning home he was appointed to the Battleship HMS MALAYA on 7 January 1937 but was in that ship only until February 1937 and next joined the Battleship HMS REVENGE in the Home Fleet in May 1937.
Promotion to Sub Lieutenant followed on 1 March 1938. Gerard Muntz was appointed to HMS DOLPHIN ‘for the Submarine Course’ on 25 April 1938. He qualified as a submariner in June 1938 and was appointed to ‘Submarine HMS L27 as Third Hand’ on 6 August 1938. He was further promoted to Lieutenant on 16 May 1939 and appointed to the Submarine Depot Ship HMS MEDWAY at Hong Kong ‘for Submarines’ on 12 February 1940.
HMS MEDWAY was sent to the Mediterranean on 3 May 1940 to be the Depot Ship of the 1st Submarine Flotilla at Alexandria but Gerard Muntz remained at Hong Kong and was appointed to ‘Submarine HMS REGULUS as Third Hand’ on 19th May 1940 which Submarine he joined in refit at Hong Kong. The refit completed on 24 June 1940 and HMS REGULUS then took passage to the Mediterranean, leaving on 3 July 1940 and arriving at Alexandria in Egypt on 30 July 1940 to join the 1st Submarine Flotilla based on HMS MEDWAY – now at Alexandria. REGULUS then completed three war patrols off the coast of North Africa from Alexandria.
HMS REGULUS left Alexandria on 18 November 1940 for a 7th War Patrol, initially off Taranto in Italy, before being diverted to the Lower Adriatic and Straits of Otranto. REGULUS failed to return from this Patrol and was assumed to have been ‘lost with all hands’ on 6 December 1940. Sir Gerard Muntz is commemorated on the Portsmouth Naval War Memorial, Hampshire on Panel No. 37 Column No.1 and on the War Memorial at Sparsholt, Hampshire.
