British Admirals of the Fleet Read online

  THE

  BRITISH

  ADMIRALS OF

  THE FLEET

  1734–1995

  “… behold

  Upon the hempen tackle ship-boys climbing;

  Hear the shrill whistle which doth order give

  To sounds confused; behold the threaden sails,

  Borne with the invisible and creeping wind,

  Draw the huge bottoms through the furrow’d sea,

  Breasting the lofty surge. O! do but think

  You stand upon the rivage and behold

  A city on the inconstant billows dancing;

  For so appears this fleet majestical”

  Chorus to Shakespeare’s King Henry V, Act III, Prologue.

  THE

  BRITISH

  ADMIRALS OF

  THE FLEET

  1734–1995

  A BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY

  by

  T. A. HEATHCOTE

  With a Foreword by

  ADMIRAL SIR MICHAEL BOYCE, GCB, OBE, ADC

  CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE STAFF

  To the officers, midshipmen and cadets, past and

  present, of the University Royal Naval Units

  First published in Britain in 2002 by

  LEO COOPER

  an imprint of

  Pen & Sword Books Limited

  47 Church Street

  Barnsley

  South Yorkshire

  S70 2AS

  Copyright © 2002 by T. A. Heathcote

  ISBN 1 84468 009 6

  A catalogue record for this book is

  available from the British Library.

  Typeset in 10.5/12pt Plantin by

  Phoenix Typesetting, Burley-in-Wharfedale, West Yorkshire.

  Printed in England by

  CPI UK

  CONTENTS

  Foreword

  Preface and Acknowledgements

  Introduction

  Note on the rating of sailing warships

  The Biographies of the Admirals of the Fleet

  Alfred Ernest Albert, HRH Duke of Edinburgh, HSH Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1844–1900) [49]

  Anson, George, Lord Anson (1697–1762) [5]

  Ashmore, Sir Edward (1919-) [109]

  Austen, Sir Francis (1774–1863) [25]

  Backhouse, Sir Roger (1879–1939) [88]

  Bathurst, Sir Benjamin (1936-) [115]

  Beatty, Sir David, Earl Beatty (1871–1936) [69]

  Begg, Sir Varyl (1908–95) [105]

  Bowles, Sir William (1780 –1869) [31]

  Boyle, Sir William, Earl of Cork and Orrery (1873–1967) [87]

  Brock, Sir Osmond de Beauvoir (1869–1947) [79]

  Burney, Sir Cecil (1858–1929) [72]

  Callaghan, Sir George (1852–1920) [67]

  Chatfield, Sir Ernle, Lord Chatfield (1873–1967) [83]

  Clinton, the Honourable George (1686–1761) [4]

  Cochrane, Sir Thomas (1789–1872) [28]

  Cockburn, the Right Honourable Sir George (1772–1853) [20]

  Codrington, Sir Henry (1808–1877) [35]

  Commerell, Sir John(1829–1901) [48]

  Creasey, Sir George (1895–1972) [101]

  Cunningham, Sir Andrew, Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope (1883–1963) [91]

  Cunningham, Sir John (1885–1962) [94]

  Curtis, Sir Lucius (1786–1869) [27]

  De Robeck, Sir John (1862–1928) [77]

  Edward VII HM King of Great Britain and Ireland (1841–1910) [44]

  Edward VIII, HM King of Great Britain and Ireland, HRH Duke of Windsor (1894–1972) [84]

  Elliot, the Honourable Sir Charles (1818–1895) [42]

  Erskine, Sir James (1838–1911) [54]

  Fanshawe, Sir Arthur (1847–1936) [63]

  Field, Sir Frederick (1871–1945) [81]

  Fieldhouse, Sir John, Lord Fieldhouse (1928–1992) [112]

  Fisher, Sir John, Lord Fisher of Kilverstone (1841–1920) [58]

  Forbes, Sir Charles (1880–1960) [90]

  Forbes, the Honourable John (1714 –1796) [8]

  Fraser, Sir Bruce, Lord Fraser of North Cape (1888–1981) [95]

  Freeman, William (1742–1832) [13]

  Gage, Sir William (1777–1864) [23]

  Gambier, James, Lord Gambier (1756–1833) [14]

  George V, HM King of Great Britain and Ireland (1865–1936) [64]

  George VI, HM King of Great Britain and Ireland (1895–1952) [86]

  Gordon, Sir James (1782–1869) [30]

  Gough-Calthorpe, the Honourable Sir Somerset (1864–1937) [76]

  Hamond, Sir Graham (1779–1862) [24]

  Hawke, Sir Edward, Lord Hawke (1705–1781) [7]

  Hay, the Right Honourable Lord John (1827–1916) [46]

  Henry (Heinrich) of Prussia, HRH Prince (1862–1929) [62]

  Hill-Norton, Sir Peter, Lord Hill-Norton (1915–) [107]

  Hope, Sir James (1808–1881) [39]

  Hornby, Sir Geoffrey (1825–1895) [45]

  Hotham, Sir Charles (1843–1925) [55]

  Howe, Sir Richard, Earl Howe (1726–1799) [9]

  Jackson, Sir Henry (1855–1929) [70]

  Jellicoe, Sir John, Earl Jellicoe (1859–1935) [68]

  Jervis, Sir John, Earl of St Vincent (1735–1823) [12]

  John, Sir Caspar (1903–1984) [104]

  Kelly, Sir John (1871–1936) [85]

  Keppel, Sir Henry (1809–1904) [36]

  Kerr, the Right Honourable Lord Walter (1839–1927) [56]

  Keyes, Sir Roger, Lord Keyes (1872–1945) [80]

  Lambe, Sir Charles (1900–60) [103]

  Leach, Sir Henry (1923-) [111]

  Le Fanu, Sir Michael (1913–70) [106]

  Lewin, Sir Terence, Lord Lewin (1920–1999) [110]

  Lyons, Sir Algernon (1833–1908) [51]

  McGrigor, Sir Rhoderick (1893–1959) [100]

  Madden, Sir Charles (1862–1935) [75]

  Martin, Sir George (1764–1847) [18]

  Martin, Sir Thomas (1773–1854) [19]

  May, Sir Henry (1849–1930) [65]

  Meade, the Right Honourable Richard, Earl of Clanwilliam (1832–1907) [50]

  Meux, the Honourable Sir Hedworth (1856–1929) [66]

  Milne, Sir Alexander (1806–1896) [41]

  Moresby, Sir Fairfax (1786–1877) [33]

  Mountbatten, Louis Alexander, HSH Prince Louis of Battenberg, Marquess of Milford Haven (1854–1921) [74]

  Mountbatten, Lord Louis, Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1900–1979) [102]

  Mundy, Sir George (1805–84) [38]

  Nicholas II, HIM Emperor of Russia (1868–1918) [60]

  Noel, Sir Gerard (1845–1918) [61]

  Norris, Sir John (1660 –1749) [1]

  Nugent, Sir Charles (1759–1844) [16]

  Ogle, Sir Chaloner (1681 –1750) [2]

  Ogle, Sir Charles, (1775–1858) [21]

  Oliver, Sir Henry (1865–1965) [78]

  Oswald, Sir Julian (1933-) [114]

  Parker, Sir Peter (1721–1811) [10]

  Parker, Sir William (1781–1866) [26]

  Philip, HRH Duke of Edinburgh (1921-) [99]

  Pole, Sir Charles (1757 –1830) [15]

  Pollock, Sir Michael (1916-) [108]

  Pound, Sir Dudley (1877–1943) [89]

  Power, Sir Arthur (1889–1960) [97]

  Richards, Sir Frederick (1833–1912) [52]

  Rowley, Sir William (1690–1768) [6]

  Ryder, Sir Alfred (1820–1888) [43]

  Salmon, Sir Nowell (1835–1912) [53]

  Sartorius, Sir George (1790–1885) [32]

  Seymour, Sir Edward (1840–1929) [57]

  Seymour, Sir George (1787–1870) [29]


  Somerville, Sir James (1882–1949) [93]

  Staveley, Sir William (1928–1997) [113]

  Steuart, James (1690 –1757) [3]

  Stewart, Sir Houston (1791–1875) [34]

  Sturdee, Sir Doveton (1859–1925) [73]

  Symonds, Sir Thomas (1813–1894) [40]

  Tovey, Sir John, Lord Tovey (1885–1971) [92]

  Tyrwhitt, Sir Reginald (1870–1951) [82]

  Vian, Sir Philip (1894–1968) [98]

  Wallis, Sir Provo (1791–1892) [37]

  Wemyss, Sir Rosslyn, Lord Wester Wemyss (1864–1933) [71]

  West, Sir John (1774–1862) [22]

  Whitshed, Sir James (1761–1849) [17]

  William IV, HM King of Great Britain and Ireland, King of Hanover (1765–1837) [11]

  William (Wilhelm) II, HM German Emperor and King of Prussia (1859–1941) [47]

  Willis, Sir Algernon (1889–1976) [96]

  Wilson, Sir Arthur (1842–1921) [59]

  Tables:

  1 A seniority list of the Admirals of the Fleet

  2 The Catalogue of the Ships

  Bibliography

  Index

  FOREWORD

  Admiral Sir Michael Boyce, GCB, OBE, ADC

  Chief of the Defence Staff

  This is the second of Dr Tony Heathcote’s biographical dictionaries of what are sometimes called ‘five star officers’. For the Royal Navy, this means Admirals of the Fleet, those commanders whose privilege it was to fly the Union Flag in their flagship, and, in modern times, to serve on the Active List of Officers for life. The rank is currently in abeyance and, under normal circumstances, no more holders of this historic rank will be appointed.

  The reader will note that some Admirals of the Fleet were awarded their honorary rank as a mark of enormous respect for their social position, rather than as a result of naval command, but these were relatively few and the accolade was usually reserved for the British Sovereign or those of the most distinguished friends and allies. Among these were Kaiser Wilhelm and his brother Prince Heinrich of Prussia, who, after the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, understandably felt then need to divest themselves of their British ranks.

  The book includes some of the most illustrious names in Royal Naval History: Anson, Hawke, Jervis, Cochrane and Fisher and, more recently, Beatty, Jellicoe, Cunningham, Vian, Lewin and Fieldhouse. But some famous names do not appear: until the mid 19th Century Admirals of the Fleet not only had to be very young promotions to Captain, but also had to exhibit extraordinary longevity to rise to the top of the list. Tony Heathcote wryly reminds us that even Nelson, with all his experience and achievements in combat – had he not been killed in action – would have had to have lived until the age of 86 to have reached the top of this very sharp pyramid!

  This volume is an excellent compendium of men who served their country with huge distinction over the last three hundred years. They contributed in large measure to the security provided by the Royal Navy, which enabled the country to prosper economically while avoiding the ravages of continental warfare that afflicted so many of our neighbours and competitors. Tony Heathcote has produced a succinct treasure trove of information in a highly-readable style with a light touch. It is a most valuable reference source for students of naval history.

  PREFACE AND

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  The aim of this book is to give an outline of the careers of the officers who held the rank of admiral of the fleet in the Royal Navy, with as many details of their domestic lives as space permits, so as to hoist the sails of personality on the masts of historical narrative. Entries generally contain information relating to their subjects’ date and place of birth and death; their families; the dates of their appointments and promotions; the ships in which they served; the stations to which they were deployed and operations in which they took part. The dates of peerages, baronetcies and knighthoods are given when these awards involved a change in style or title, as are those of the award of decorations for brave conduct. Otherwise, for reasons of space, they are omitted, along with civic or academic awards, county lieutenancies, and similar distinctions of an honorary nature, following the principle established in The Gondoliers by WS Gilbert, himself a deputy lieutenant for Middlesex. (“On ev’ry side field marshals gleamed, small beer were lords-lieutenant deemed, with admirals the ocean teemed …”). Also for reasons of space, I have generally refrained from giving the ages of officers on their several appointments, even though by modern standards these were sometimes very young or very old. They can, however, be easily calculated from the information given in each entry. Numerals in bold within square brackets [nn] after each name indicate the place of an admiral of the fleet within the seniority list (Table 1) at the end of the book. In the main text, entries are arranged in alphabetical order according to the names by which the admirals of the fleet were known at the end of their careers.

  I have assumed a general knowledge on the part of the reader of the major political events, wars and naval organization in the times in which the admirals of the fleet lived. To do otherwise would make the work not a collection of biographies, but a history of the British Fleet and of the British State in whose story it plays so great a part. Nevertheless, some background information has been included where this seemed helpful in placing each individual’s story in an intelligible context. In accordance with the custom of the Service itself in ordinary usage, I have referred to the Royal Navy throughout as the Navy, and to other navies by their full titles. “Home”, in context, means the United Kingdom.

  Although all commanding officers of ships are their captains in the traditional usage of the sea, only those appointed to the command of rated (in modern terms, major combatant) ships were captains by rank, known in the terminology of the day as post captains. In this work, “captain” indicates “post captain” at the periods when the latter term was in common use. The commanding officers of unrated (ie minor) warships were “masters and commanders”, or, more simply, “commanders”. In the late 1820s the seconds-in-command of major warships (previously, as in all ships of the fleet, their first lieutenants) also became commanders by rank, so that after that time the term commander, depending on the context, indicates either the commanding officer of a minor unit or the second-in-command of a major one. Until 1861, when the rank of sub-lieutenant was introduced, midshipmen qualified for promotion to lieutenant, but below the required minimum age, could be appointed to the rank of mate. At the lowest extreme of the promotion ladder, “cadet” in this book means naval cadet, not sea cadet. The ranks of vice admiral, rear admiral and lieutenant commander are in modern usage each written as two separate words. During most of the period covered by this book they were hyphenated as vice-admiral, rear-admiral and lieutenant-commander, and I have therefore used this older form throughout the work.

  The ancient office of Lord High Admiral was from November 1709 onwards executed by a commission, apart from the period in 1827–28 when it was held by the Duke of Clarence [11]. The Lords Commissioners of the Board of Admiralty, as its members were styled, were headed by the First Lord of the Admiralty, who was sometimes a professional seaman, but more usually (after 1806 invariably) a professional politician, and almost always, in the period covered by this work, a Cabinet Minister. The post was abolished in 1963. Boards of Admiralty always included at least one civil lord commissioner. Officers in the Navy who were lords commissioners are referred to in this work as naval lords up to the reforms of 1904, and thereafter as Sea Lords, the term which came into formal use at that time. From May 1915, the First Sea Lord was also Chief of the Naval Staff. Both titles remain in use despite the abolition of the Lords Commissioners of the Board of Admiralty and their replacement by the Admiralty Board in the Ministry of Defence set up in 1964.

  I take this opportunity of expressing my gratitude to all those who have given me assistance or encouragement in the preparation of this book, especially to Matthew Midlane, Director of Studies at the Royal Militar
y Academy Sandhurst and to Tony Clayton, Debbie Goodwin, Brian Jones, Andrew Lambert, Michael Orr, and Michael Ranson, past or present members of the RMAS academic staff; to my other correspondents, Robin Brodhurst; Paul Kendall; Nico Steffen; the Reverend D M B Mathers, vicar of Thurston, the Reverend R A Potter, rector of Broxbourne and the Reverend S J Smith, vicar of Swaffham; and to Surgeon Commander Sandy Cochrane, late Royal Naval Reserve, and Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Dennis Freshwater, Royal Navy, for their advice on naval medicine and their friendship over many years. I am particularly grateful to all those admirals of the fleet now living who so kindly spared their time to read and correct the draft entries relating to their own several careers. I also offer my thanks to Andrew Orgill and John K Pearce of the RMAS Central Library, Pam Bendall of the Conflict Studies Research Centre Library, Christine Mason of the Bodleian Library, Oxford University, and the staff of the municipal libraries of Portsmouth and Reading, and of the Institute of Historical Research, London. Most of all, my thanks are due to my wife Mary, herself an historian by training, who researched naval obituaries, accompanied me around churchyards, proof-read my typescript, and gave me all the support, moral and material, that any writer could desire. All errors of fact or interpretation remain the sole responsibility of the author.

  Neither the MOD Naval Historical Branch nor the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth, were able to find a definitive list of the officers who held the rank of admiral of the fleet and I have therefore compiled my own, mostly from successive Navy Lists. In a number of cases officers died shortly after reaching this rank and so did not appear as such in the subsequent issue of the Navy List. I apologize for any omissions arising from this, and cordially invite any better-informed reader to send the necessary corrections of these or indeed any other errors. That many details of the lives of the admirals of the fleet have not been included was unavoidable, given the nature of a work that seeks to cover so extensive a period in a single volume. I can only plead, in extenuation, that even the greatest English writer was conscious of the problems of reducing much to little.

  Thus far, with rough and all-unable pen,

  Our bending author hath pursued the story;