VC = Victoria's Cross
AGC = Air Gallantry Cross
OD = Order of Darwin
OC = Order of Canada
OBE = Officer of the Order of the British Empire
FZS = Fellow of Zoological Society
RCMS = Royal Canadian Mail Ship
HMSb = His/Her Majesty's Skybreaker
Matt
Matthew Brennan Cruse (May 27, 1896 ~ November 3, 1970), VC, AGC, OC, was a Canadian aviator, astralnaut, peace activist, explorer, and educator. He is known for his many achievements in the field of aeronautics, his role in ending the Great War and the Pacificus Cold War, and his contributions to exploration and zoology.
[Early Life]
Cruse was born May 27, 1896, to Eirish immigrants Brennan and Ríona Cruse, aboard what is now believed to be the airship RMS New England. He was born a month premature while crossing the Atlanticus to Lionsgate City. Brennan Cruse, a sailmaker by trade, soon found work with the Lunardi Line aboard the RCMS Aurora. The family had two more children: Sylvia Cruse, born in 1900, and Isabel Cruse, born in 1902. In 1908, Brennan Cruse lost his life when he was forced to patch in stormy weather, leaving the Cruse family without their primary breadwinner. The then-twelve-years-old Matthew soon elected to find work as a cabin boy on his father's old ship.
[Adolescence and Marriage]
Cruse achieved international renown in 1911 for bringing about the demise of notorious sky pirate Vikram Spzirglas, and for joint discovery of the Cloud Cat (Prionailurus nimbus), with his future wife, Katherine de Vries — the first of more than 70 species they would discover and document together. The official SkyGuard reports concerning the event (including interviews and debriefings from all individuals involved) was declassified in 2011, and later adapted into the bestselling novel Airborn by Canadian author Kenneth Oppel.
In 1912, Cruse began attending the Paris Airship Academy (now the International Academy of Aeronautics and Aviation), which offered the industry-standard training course of two years for aspiring sky officers. He was one year younger than most enrollees, and "quite bad at basically every subject", according to his autobiography. However, records released by the Cruse Family Foundation in 2000 showed him placing at near top of his class by graduation. He remains one of the Academy's most celebrated alumnus; the Cruse Library of Aviation and the M. B. Cruse Auditorium were both dedicated under his name.
In 1913, during summer vacation, Cruse became an astralnaut on the Starclimber Expedition, and was instrumental in the mission's success and safe return (see also: Turgenev Elevator, First Space Race, History of Rocketry), feats which propelled him to national hero status. Aided by his modesty, easy-going attitude, and good looks, he enjoyed unrivaled popularity in Canada (and to an extent the rest of the British Empire) during the mid-to-late 1910s, and is often cited as an early example of a pop icon or idol. His relationship with Katherine de Vries, especially their engagement a few months after the Starclimber's return, created a storm of media attention, being hailed as both a "fairy tale romance" and a "scandal of national proportions". Katherine's parents — investment banker Charles de Vries and socialite Violet de Vries (née Molloy) — threatened her with disownment at the outbreak of this news, so the young couple returned to Paris where they could focus on finishing their studies.
The loss of her family's financial support forced Katherine to move in with Matthew, and from around October 1913 to March 1914, the two lived together in a rented apartment. Eager to begin earning a wage to support the two of them, Matthew opted to take accelerated courses at the Academy, and graduated early in February, after which he was immediately offered the position of First Officer aboard Lunardi Line's RCMS Majestic. He refused the offer, preferring to wait for a vacancy aboard his old ship, RCMS Aurora, and began working at the Paris Heliodrome as an assistant harbormaster while Katherine completed her doctoral thesis.
The couple married on April 10, 1914 aboard the RCMS Aurora, in a private ceremony attended only by the closest family and friends. Mr. and Mrs. de Vries were notably absent, but all of the Starclimber crew and passengers (minus Sir Hugh Snuffler) were in attendance, along with a portion of Cruse's former colleagues and superiors during his time aboard the Aurora, and future billionaire investor Nadira Ayres (later Nadira Sharp).
The couple's first child, Elena Ayres Cruse, was reportedly born only a few months after the wedding, in the early days of the Great War, and rumors began to circulate that the couple had married in haste to legitimize her. In reality, the baby was the biological daughter of Nadira Ayres, who had an earlier pre-marital relationship with Cruse. In addition, the baby had been born on July 23, 1913, almost a year prior to the wedding, and had actually been in attendance at the ceremony. While Katherine remained the legal mother of Elena, Ayres went on to become the child's godmother, and would enjoy a close friendship with the couple for the rest of their lives. Although rumors circulated, the parentage of Elena Cruse was not officially revealed to the public until 1956, through the immensely popular autobiography N for Nadira.
[The Great War]
In 1914, Cruse's popularity at home and abroad prompted the Canadian and British governments to recruit him for a series of propaganda news reels in order to boost enlistment for the Great War. Cruse would later come to resent this role, and reportedly experienced nightmares from thinking about all the young men who had enlisted and died because of his influence. However, during a training tour for propaganda, Cruse piloted the hybrid airship HMS Valkyrie of the Polaris Division and save the famed HMS Leviathan and her crew, thereby definitively altering the course of the War — several notable passengers included his wife Katherine; fabricator and zoologist Dame Nora Darwin Barlow; Austro-Hungarian Prince Aleksandar Hohenberg; and Hohenberg's future wife, aviator Deryn Sharp (see also: Battle of Hüfi Glacier).
The Battle of Hüfi Glacier left Cruse stranded with Deryn Sharp on the Swiss Alps, where they were later taken as prisoners of war by the Imperial German Walker 5th Division and transported to the frontline at Verdun. They were kept in a war camp there for a month before their successful escape and subsequent capture by French infantry. Believed to be unfortunate American tourists, the two were nonetheless asked to wait at the frontline until adequate transport resources could be freed up, and their return arranged. Seeing firsthand the horrors of the trenches, however, prompted both of them to help in whatever way they could, and they were present during the first great Darwinist counter-attacks (see also: Battles of the Frontiers, Race to the Sea, Verdun Initiative), during which both of their lives were saved by a young British soldier, Ian Randall, at the cost of his own (an act which earned him a Victoria Cross).
Despite his pacifist stance, Cruse proved instrumental in securing the neutrality of the Ottoman Empire through his assistance in a pre-emptive strike (see also: Battle of Istanbul). He also served as an airship pilot during the famous Christmas Initiative, the final great Darwinist victory of the War. In March 1915, Prince Aleksander managed to engineer an Austro-Hungarian surrender (see also: Coup of Vienna), followed finally by a German surrender in May. Cruse then assisted the foundation of the International Co-Existence League (see also: Paris Peace Summit, Co-Existence Treaty of 1915), which would later become the foundations of the United Nations. For his numerous acts of valor, Cruse was awarded the Victoria Cross and Air Gallantry Cross in 1915.
[Inter-War Period]
As a result of unspecified trauma during the War, Katherine experienced what the couple later described as "a harrowing three-year battle with infertility", and it wasn't until 1918 (when they were 22) that she finally carried to term twin sons of her own, Brennan Samuel Cruse (named after his paternal grandfather, Brennan Cruse, and celebrated airship captain Samuel Walken), and Benjamin Ian Cruse (named after his maternal great-grandfather, Benjamin Molloy, and Ian Randall, a young British soldier and Victoria Cross recipient who died saving Cruse's life). The birth had been very difficult, and reportedly so traumatic to Cruse that he refused to try for more children.
After the War, Cruse returned to commercial aviation as First Officer and later Captain of the RCMS Aurora, during which time he also served as the National Advisor for Aviation and part-time instructor at the Paris Airship Academy. Owing to Katherine's rift with her estranged parents, the family rarely returned to Lionsgate City for long, preferring to spend their time in London and Paris.
In 1926, the RCMS Aurora was retired from Lunardi's fleet due to damages sustained from the Great Miami Hurricane. Cruse was offered captaincy of the newly-built Lunardi Line flagship RCMS Odyssey, but turned down the offer to commission his own airbeast-ship hybrid. In 1928, the Skybreaker, HMSb Origin, designed personally by the Cruses, lifted off for the first time at the Paris Heliodrome. Outfitted with the newest Prometheus Living System, the ship had no true operational range limit, and could in theory stay aloft forever.
In the period from 1928~1938, the Cruses helped explore large swaths of previously uncharted territory aboard the Origin, including the Canadian Arctic, stretches of the Pacificus, and parts of Antarctica. During this period, they co-discovered and described over 50 species, many of them airborne. The couple also purchased a tropical island from the Sky Guard in 1931, and named it Molloy Island, eventually building a permanent home there. All three of the Cruse children, Elena, Brennan, and Benjamin, would later cite the years on Molloy Island as crucial to their formative upbringing and future career paths, and among the happiest times of their lives.
[The Pacificus Cold War]
A staunch and outspoken proponent for peace, Cruse was prompted to return to the public eye when rising tensions in the Pacificus threatened to start another global war, and was key in the initiation of the 1943 Pan-Pacificus Peace Summit — which later resulted in the Nuclear De-escalation Agreement of 1944, and the formation of the United Nations in 1946. For his contributions, he shared the 1946 Nobel Peace Prize with his long-time friend, Scottish diplomat and aviator Deryn Hohenberg, and Japanese minister of foreign affairs and peace activist Okamura Shigemasa (see also: Pacificus Cold War, British-Japanese Arms Race, Neo-Darwinism, Darwinist Imperialism in the South Pacificus, Dissolution of the British Empire, and Development of Nuclear Physics).
[Second Space Race]
Later in his career, Cruse became involved in the joint Canadian-British-American effort to reach the moon, which contended against other coalitions, namely the Japanese-Russian-Sinican effort, and the Western European effort. The Canadian-British-American effort succeeded in 1955 (see also: Second Space Race), with Yvonne Blanchard, daughter of renowned aerospace pioneer Tobias Blanchard, being the first human being to set foot on the moon. Together with his wife, Cruse was also involved in subsequent efforts focusing on unmanned missions to Mars, the study of extraterrestrial life-forms, and the establishment of the Sergei Turgenev International Space-Hub as a research centre, observatory, and military deterrent against future nuclear weapons development.
[Retirement and Death]
In 1958, Cruse entered a period of voluntary retirement, traveling the world again on the newly-refitted HMSb Origin with Katherine. The Cruses logged many multi-month flights in the Origin during this time, the longest of which lasting 1022 days. They became famously hard to find as they worked on their untitled joint autobiography, with communications links to only a few trusted individuals such as their children, and their friend Nadira Ayres. However, the book was never finished — in 1967, Katherine grew ill, and the couple was forced to make landfall in order to seek treatment. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer, and passed away December 20, 1968, in Lionsgate City, surrounded by close family. The Canadian Government offered to hold a state funeral, which was declined.
The death of his wife took a heavy toll on Cruse; he scrapped the Origin two months later, and settled down on Molloy Island, where his daughter Elena joined him together with her family (she married Maximilian Hohenberg, second child of Aleksander and Deryn). His health deteriorated in his final years of life due to grief and depression, and Brennan and Benjamin both returned temporarily to live on the Island and keep their father company. On April 3, 1970, a week shy of what would be their 56th anniversary, Cruse died in his sleep of pneumonia and respiratory failure, surrounded by his children and grandchildren.
[Legacy]
Undoubtedly one of the most famous Canadians of the 20th century, Cruse's passing was grieved by millions; he was offered a state funeral like his wife, though his children declined it on his behalf. The private funeral was nonetheless attended by many notable individuals, including close friends such as billionaire Nadira Sharp (she finally married Deryn Sharp's brother, Jaspert Sharp), politician and diplomat Aleksander Hohenberg, and his wife, diplomat and airman Deryn Hohenberg, aviators Baz Hilcock and Hal Slater, astralnaut Tobias Blanchard, Nadira's business partner Eugene Newkirk, as well as heads of states or their representatives from around the world. In accordance with his wishes, he was buried beside his wife on Molloy Island, where they first met. The Island is now part of the Cruse Wildlife Reserve, which is managed jointly by the Cruse Family Foundation and the Canadian Government, and receives close to 10,000 visitors annually.
Elena Cruse later edited her parents' unfinished autobiographies into two volumes: Lighter Than Air and The Indomitable Spirit, published together in 1975 to critical acclaim. These books, together with N for Nadira, are often called the Cruse Trilogy. In total they spawned 6 documentaries, 9 more books, and 3 biopics of the same name (see also: List of Works Based on the Lives of Matthew Cruse, Katherine Cruse, and Nadira Sharp). Notably, actor Sir Benjamin Ian Cruse, the youngest son of the Cruses, played a cameo part in all three films.
I didn't write the full articles for them, but here are the opening paragraphs of Kate, Nadira, and the Cruse children.
[Kate]
Katherine Marie Cruse (June 20, 1896 ~ December 20, 1968) OD, OC, FZS, née de Vries, was a Canadian zoologist, naturalist, fabricator, suffragist, and civil rights activist. Nicknamed "The Indomitable Kate Cruse", she is widely regarded as the preeminent zoologist of the 20th century, together with her mentor, Dame Nora Barlow. She is known for her work on the Promethacytes and the Etherian Propulsion Organ, which together have revolutionized modern air travel, and are the cornerstone technologies for the vast majority of modern-day airborne vehicles. She is also the discoverer of over 70 species and the fabricator of 12, with a further 9 species named after her.
Aside from her academic achievements, Cruse is known for being a passionate women's rights and civil rights activist. Using her influence and platform, she has remained extremely outspoken on many issues regarding universal suffrage, sexual education, women's health, gender inequality, and LGBT rights. She is especially considered a trailblazer for the early LGBT community, providing prolific support in the form of scientific evidence and educational articles, at a time when same-sex intimacy was viewed as a felony in the vast majority of nations. Her works and arguments were instrumental in the eventual decriminalization of same-sex intimacy in the British Commonwealth, and paved the way to many more LGBT-friendly legislature across the world.
[Nadira]
Nadira Ayres Sharp (1896 ~ 1984) was a British investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author, most famous for being the co-founder and long time CEO of the investment giant Ayres-Newkirk, the fabrication management company Roma, and the multinational charity organization Wings of Tomorrow. While sometimes criticized for her aggressive business tactics, she is nevertheless known for her generosity and great spirit, with Wings of Tomorrow ranked consistently as one of the most efficient nonprofit organizations by observers. Throughout her business career she has broken many records: the first self-made female billionaire, the wealthiest woman in the world, and the wealthiest person in Great Britain. She was also a regular face on the Times magazine list of 100 most influential people.
Aside from her achievements, she is also known for her autobiography, N for Nadira, published in 1956, which she co-wrote with her goddaughter and biological daughter Elena Ayres Cruse. After writing the book, she famously declared "Now I've closed a chapter of my life", and finally married long-time domestic partner, Scottish airman Jaspert Andrews Sharp. The couple never had any children.
[Elena]
Elena Ayres Hohenberg (July 23, 1913 ~ March 15, 2012), née Cruse, OC, was a Canadian artist, author, educator, voice actress, and conservationist. She is known for her evocative and often chaotic paintings of landscape and people, her novels and short stories, and her involvement in her parents' autobiographies.
Widely considered the foremost Canadian artist of the 20th century and the spiritual successor of her mentor, the iconic artist and photographer Evelyn Karr, Hohenberg dealt mainly with landscapes of the Arctic tundra and portraits of the Inuit people. As an author, she is known for several celebrated short story anthologies, and her best-selling novel Irises in Blue. She is also the co-author of her godmother's (also her biological mother's) autobiography, N for Nadira, and the editor of her parents' joint autobiography, Lighter Than Air and The Indomitable Spirit.
She had three daughters and a son (the youngest were twins) with her husband, Maximillian Hohenberg.
The University of British Columbia's Elena Cruse Centre for Visual Arts is named after her, as is the Lionsgate Art Festival's Elena Cruse Award for Artist of the Year.
[Brennan]
Sir Brennan Samuel Cruse (August 7, 1918 ~ October 2, 2001), OBE, FZS, was a Canadian zoologist, fabricator, naturalist, and conservationist. Throughout his life, he has made important contributions in the field of conservational and explorative zoology, specializing in high-altitude and extraterrestrial life forms. He has two sons and a daughter with his wife and childhood friend, astralnaut pioneer Yvonne Blanchard, known as the first human on the moon (m. 1947 until his death 2001).
[Benjamin]
Sir Benjamin Ian Cruse (August 7, 1918 ~ March 17, 2005), OBE, was a Canadian actor, playwright, producer, and director. Making his debut in 1937 (when he was 19 years old), he enjoyed a cult following for several years, until his first major breakthrough role in 1940. He has a son with his first wife, American political heiress and socialite Marigold Kennedy, who he married within 4 months of their meeting (m. 1941~1945); 2 daughters with his second wife, French painter Mirabel Laurier (m. 1948 ~ 1957); and a son with his third wife, Japanese actress and film producer Sakamoto Hiko (m. 1973 until her death 1995).
Throughout his extraordinarily long career, Cruse has become one of the most celebrated names in cinema, first as an actor, then as a director as he transitioned to behind the scenes. He has won the 1947 and 1955 Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor, and has five additional Academy Award nominations (two for Best Actor in 1949 and 1960, respectively, and three for Best Director in 1973, 1981, and 1985). Notably, he has played a cameo part in all three of the biopics based on his parents' lives: Lighter Than Air (1994), The Indomitable Spirit (1996), and N for Nadira (1999).