Orders, Decorations and Medals

Six: Captain T. D. Manning, C.B.E., Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, late Airship Pilot, R.N.A.S. and R.A.F.

ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE, C.B.E., Military, 2nd type neck badge; BRITISH WAR and VICTORY MEDALS (Lieut., R.A.F.); DEFENCE and WAR MEDALS; R.N.V.R. DECORATION, G.VI.R., reverse officially dated 1939, group of five mounted as worn, extremely fine (6)

Thomas Davys Manning was first commissioned into the Royal Naval Air Service on 28 January, 1917, and qualified as an Airship Pilot on 19 October, 1917 (R.Ae.C. Certificate No. 137) serving at Capel and Polegate Airship Stations. On the formation of the Royal Air Force he was granted a commission in that service as a Lieutenant. He joined the R.N.V.R., Sussex Division, in 1921. Manning and another officer from the Sussex Division, were asked to volunteer for six months service in trawlers in 1935, and both these officers commanded ASDIC-fitted vessels, and were the first R.N.V.R. officer to be allowed to know about ASDIC. At the outbreak of the war Lieutenant-Commander Manning was in charge of all R.N.V.R. appointments under the Second Sea Lord. Late in 1940 Captain Manning together with Commander C. F. Walker, were largely responsible for the formation of the Admiralty Ships' Names Committee supplying names for all new Royal Navy ships during the War. A lasting testimonial of their work on this Committee came in 1959 with the publication of 'British Warship Names' which was quickly recognized as a standard reference work on the subject. Captain Manning commanded the Sussex Division of the R.N.V.R. at Hove 1946-51 and was A.D.C. to the King 1949-51. He was created a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1950 and retired in the following year.