Reads like a Boy's Own tale. "The exploits of a Victoria Cross recipient are being recognised at his former home in south west Scotland. Lt Cdr Malcolm Wanklyn spent part of his childhood at Knockinaam Lodge in Portpatrick. A commemorative blue plaque is being put on the property as part of a wider project by the Submariners Association. The latest one will honour the man who is considered to be "the most successful submarine commander of World War Two". Malcolm David Wanklyn was born on 28 June 1911 in India. His father William was a successful businessman and engineer who served in the army during the World War One and who had grown up in Ayrshire. At the end of the war the family moved to Knockinaam which was prompted by his father's new posting to Scotland as Inspector of Munitions. The family stayed there for five years in which time the young Malcolm became a keen and proficient angler and was fond of shooting and boating. The Submariners Association said he came to consider himself to be Scottish and developed "a close affinity for the country and people". Determined to join the Royal Navy, he overcame colour-blindness to pass the selection board at the age of 14. He rapidly rose through the ranks and eventually took command of the HMS Upholder in August 1940 while the submarine was being built. Once it was complete he sailed via Gibraltar to join the 10th Submarine Flotilla based in Malta. HMS Upholder was described as having a "short but very successful wartime career" which established Lt Cdr Wanklyn's "fearsome reputation". Things started slowly, with his first patrols being "largely unsuccessful", but they soon picked up. "Using a combination of innate skill and inspired tactical awareness, he went on to success after success," said the Submariners Association. "Not only was he a renowned attacker but was also cool and calm in defence." HMS Upholder survived numerous depth charges and of 36 attacks made under Lt Cdr Wanklyn's command, 23 were successful. The one described as the most daring was the sinking of the large liner-troopship Conte Rosso on 24 May 1941 which earned him the Victoria Cross." Submarine's 'great leader' honoured in Portpatrick - BBC News
Like Otto Kretschmer "der Tonnagekönig des Zweiten Weltkrieges" he had a short and very successful career in WWII. Its too bad the exact circumstances of his last expedition and "disappearance" remains unknown.
