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Lieutenant |
Lieutenant Sanders was born at Auckland, New Zealand, on 7 February 1883, and was 34 years old, and a Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve, in command of H.M.S. Prize, when the action for which he was awarded The Victoria Cross took place.
"On 30 April 1917 about 180 miles south of Ireland, in the Atlantic, Lieutenant Sanders was in command of H.M.S. Prize, a three-masted topsail schooner (one of the Q ships) when she was attacked by a German U-boat and badly damaged. After the 'Panic party' had taken to the boats and the ship appeared to be sinking, the U-boat approached to within 80 yards of her port quarter, whereupon the White Ensign was hoisted and Prize opened fire. Within a few minutes the submarine was on fire and her bows rose in the air. H.M.S. Prize, in spite of her damage, was later towed into harbour."
He later achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Commander.
He was killed in action at sea in the Atlantic Ocean, aboard H.M.S. Prize, on 14 August 1917, and went down with the ship.
His Victoria Cross is held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Auckland, New Zealand.
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