IT'S 100 years and a day since Blackburn-born naval reservist Percy Dean was awarded the Victoria Cross, following the Zeebrugge Raid - the most audacious naval action of the Great War.

His was one of eight VCs, won in just 80 minutes of action, on April 23, 1918, which left German U boats penned in the inland port of Bruges.

Since 1915, it had been the base for enemy raids into the Channel and attacks on merchant ships, creating food shortages and rationing.

To prevent the country being starved into submission, a plan was devised by the Admiralty to block the canals at Zeebrugge and Ostend, both of which were connected to Bruges, by scuttling obsolete, concrete-filled ships at their mouths.

To ensure they could be put into position a diversion was planned at Zeebrugge, involving the cruiser HMS Vindictive, two submarines, a flameless smokescreen made from substitute sugar sweetener and raiding parties on the mole.

In the pandemonium, the three block ships began their runs towards the canal entrance. One, Thetis was hit hard and she sank further out than intended. Intrepid followed and was directed into position before the crew abandoned ship and then the third Iphigenia was also scuttled.

Two fast motor launches, ML 282, commanded by Lieutenant Dean - later promoted to Lieutenant Commander - and sister ship ML 531, then moved in.

Under heavy fire Lieut Dean took aboard more than 100 men and made his escape by hugging the wall of the mole, the German guns being unable to depress low enough.

But he had six revolvers beside him and as his launch moved passed the German guns and their crews just above him, he fired one after another.

Concerned about the damage to his ship, Dean was assessing the chance of returning to Dover when a cheer from the bows drew him forward.

Steaming towards them was HMS Warwick, a huge silk battle flag at her masthead and many of the wounded and survivors were transferred.

For his bravery under fire, and for saving 101 survivors when the best to be expected was capture, Dean was awarded the Victoria Cross.

He commented: "We got back having lost rather a lot of officers and men, but we had not left any behind in Zeebrugge."

The total casualties from the raid were: 176 killed, 412 wounded, 49 missing - but it had been successful.

A German signal was intercepted and decoded shortly after: 'until further notice, the canal entrance at Zeebrugge is blocked at low water and obstructed at high water. U-boats will use alternative ports.'

Lieutenant Percy Thompson Dean, of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, born in 1877, lived in Buncer Lane.

He was presented with VC on July 31, 1918, by King George V at Buckingham Palace and in the same year was elected as the town's Coalition Unionist MP, serving until 1922, when he returned to his Blackburn business John Dean slate merchant.

He was among the VC Guard of Honour for the interment of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey on November 11, 1920.

He was a keen amateur yachtsman and up to 1938 was often seen in his converted yacht.

He died in 1939 and was cremated in London, as a memorial service at St. Silas’s Church, Blackburn took place at the same time.

There is a memorial plaque to him at Blackburn Town Hall and an oil painting at Blackburn Museum.

Lt Dean's citation read: “Lieutenant Dean handled his boat in a most magnificent and heroic manner when embarking the officers and men from the block ships at Zeebrugge.

He followed them in under a constant and deadly fire from machine-guns at point blank range, embarking over a hundred officers and men.

This completed, he was proceeding out of the canal, when he heard that an officer was in the water. He returned, rescued him, and then proceeded, handling his boat throughout as calmly as if engaged in a practice manoeuvre. Three men were shot down at his side.

On clearing the entrance to the canal the steering gear broke down. He manoeuvred his boat by the engines, and avoided complete destruction by steering so close under the Mole that the guns in the batteries could not depress sufficiently to fire on the boat.

The whole of this operation was carried out under a constant machine-gun fire at a few yards range. It was solely due to this officer’s courage and daring the ML 282 succeeded in saving so many valuable lives.”

* Taken from a book, featuring Victoria Crosses of the Great War, to be published by Frontline Publications in 2019 and written by Richard Pursehouse.