World War I Victoria Cross Recipient. He was gazetted for the award on July 23, 1918 for his actions as a lieutenant in the British Royal Navy Reserve on April 22/23, 1918 at Zeebrugge, Belgium during World War I. Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, he attended King Edward's School in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England before joining the family enterprise of slate trading and cotton spinning. In 1916, following the outbreak of World War I, he joined the British Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve and became a sub-lieutenant. In 1917 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and the following year he was in command of Motor Launch 282 that supported several British light cruisers during the raid on German forces at the inland port of Zeebrugge, Belgium, where he won the Victoria Cross for gallantry. Following the end of the war, he was elected as a Conservative to the British Parliament for Blackburn and served until 1922. He died in London, England at the age of 61. In addition to the Victoria cross, he received the British War Medal (1914-200 the Victory Medal (1914-19, with Mentioned in Despatches oak leaf), the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal (1935), and the King George VI Coronation Medal (1937). His Victoria Cross citation reads: "Lieutenant Percy Thompson Dean, R.N.V.R. (Motor Launch 282). For most conspicuous gallantry. Lieutenant Dean handled his boat in a most magnificent and heroic manner when embarking the officers and men from the blockships at Zeebrugge. He followed the blockships in and closed "Intrepid" and "Iphigenia" under a constant and deadly fire from machine and heavy guns at point blank range, embarking over 100 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 whilst he conned his ship. 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 in 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 that M.L.282 succeeded in saving so many valuable lives." His Victoria Cross and other medals are on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the British Imperial War Museum in London, England.