University of Virginia Library

Decorated British War Figure
Speaks On 'Spiritual Regress'

"The Spiritual Regress of Andre
Gide" will be the subject of a
lecture tonight by Richard H.
Akeroyd, professor of French at
the University of Louisville.

Mr. Akeroyd, a native of
England, was a highly-decorated
submarine commander in the Royal
Navy during World War II, and was
awarded the George Cross and the
Distinguished Service Cross, Britain's
second and third highest
military decorations, by the late
King George VI. He is regarded as
an expert on the writings of such
modern French authors as Andre
Gide, Albert Camus and Jean-Paul
Sartre.

Mr. Akeroyd, a native of North
Derbyshire in England, is a graduate
of the Britannia Royal Naval
Institute, which is the equivalent of
the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis.
He served as Gunnery
Officer aboard H.M.S. Hood, the
famous battle cruiser which was
sunk by the German ship Bismarck.

Mr. Akeroyd was transferred
from the Hood immediately before
she was sunk, but was aboard a
destroyer which pursued Bismarck
after the Hood engagement. MR.
Akeroyd was aboard the destroyer
when it was sunk by the Luftwaffe
planes protecting Bismarck, and
spent nearly an hour in freezing
waters in the North Sea before
being rescued.

He later was transferred to the
submarine service, and was commander
of several submarines
operating from Malta in the Mediterranean
against Nazi shipping.

After the war, Mr. Akeroyd
travelled extensively in Europe and
the Far Fast. In 1948, he entered
St. Peter's College, Oxford, where
he read French literature. He was
awarded his master's degree with
second class honors by the University
of Oxford in 1950.

He has lectured widely in
Europe, and has been a guest
lecturer at Yale. Princeton and
Brown Universities in the United
States.

Both lectures will be at 8 p.m. in
Gilmer Hall auditorium, and are
open to the public without charge.
Mr. Akeroyd will be available for
discussion after each lecture, and
during the day on Friday.