Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair: Difference between revisions

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De Chair was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 26 June, 1902.<ref>''London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27448/supplements/4198 (Supplement) no. 27448.  p. 4198.]  26 June, 1902.</ref>  
De Chair was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 26 June, 1902.<ref>''London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27448/supplements/4198 (Supplement) no. 27448.  p. 4198.]  26 June, 1902.</ref>  


De Chair was appointed to ''Victory'' on 1 November, 1906, for command of the armoured cruiser [[H.M.S. Cochrane (1905)|''Cochrane'']], building at [[Portsmouth Royal Dockyard]].<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Thursday, 11 October, 1906.  Issue '''38148''', col A, pg. 8.</ref>
De Chair was appointed to ''Victory'' on 1 November, 1906, for command of the armoured cruiser [[H.M.S. Cochrane (1905)|''Cochrane'']], building at [[Fairfield's]], Govan.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Thursday, 11 October, 1906.  Issue '''38148''', col A, pg. 8.</ref>


On 6 March, 1911 de Chair was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V, in place of [[Ernest Charles Thomas Troubridge|Ernest C. T. Troubridge]], promoted to flag rank.<ref>"Naval Appointments" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 13 March, 1911.  Issue '''39531''', col E, pg. 4.</ref>
On 6 March, 1911 de Chair was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V, in place of [[Ernest Charles Thomas Troubridge|Ernest C. T. Troubridge]], promoted to flag rank.<ref>"Naval Appointments" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 13 March, 1911.  Issue '''39531''', col E, pg. 4.</ref>

Revision as of 11:53, 25 May 2011

Admiral SIR Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., M.V.O., HON LL.D. (McGill) Royal Navy (30 August, 1864 – 17 August, 1958) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

De Chair was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, dated 19 May, 1885.[1]

De Chair was promoted to the rank of Commander on 22 June, 1897.[2]

Captain

De Chair was promoted to the rank of Captain on 26 June, 1902.[3]

De Chair was appointed to Victory on 1 November, 1906, for command of the armoured cruiser Cochrane, building at Fairfield's, Govan.[4]

On 6 March, 1911 de Chair was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V, in place of Ernest C. T. Troubridge, promoted to flag rank.[5]

Flag Rank

On 31 July, 1912, de Chair was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, vice Frederick T. Hamilton.[6] On 9 January, 1913 he was appointed Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty.[7] On 29 June, 1914 he was appointed Admiral of the Training Service.[8]

Great War

On 1 January, 1916, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.).[9]

He was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral on 5 October, 1917.[10]

In his memoirs de Chair gave his account of the end of his tenure as Vice-Admiral Commanding the Third Battle Squadron:

A few days later, after Jellicoe had been so unjustly dismissed, and while my flagship was still coaling, I received an urgent telegram from Wemyss to go to the Admiralty. On arrival I was greeted warmly by him, but I was still boiling over with indignation about Jellicoe's dismissal, and the way Wemyss had betrayed him. When Wemyss began talking of filling vacancies at the Admiralty, and asked me to take one of the posts on the Board of Admiralty vacated by one of the admirals who had resigned in consequence of Jellicoe's dismissal, I told him that I would not and could not take and post at the Admiralty, as I felt so keenly the disgraceful manner in which Jellicoe had been treated. I added that I was surprised that any naval officer on the Board of Admiralty could remain there, as it looked as if they condoned this action of Jellicoe's dismissal. In fact, I expressed myself forcibly, and let myself go, and left him after a scene which did me no good and had disastrous results, in so far that, shortly afterwards I was relieved of my command and put on half-pay—and that in war-time, when I might have been of use afloat, as I was essentially a sea officer.[11]

Having hauled down his flag, De Chair went to Bracknell for "a delightful rest."[12] However,

One day in June 1918 I met Admiral Thursby in London. He said, "I hear you are to relieve me as Admiral Commanding Coast Guards and Reserves!" I was dumbfounded, as I had hoped to join Beatty in the Grand Fleet. However, Thursby told me it was only a stepping-stone to better things, so I felt more at ease, but still I thought I should be offered the post formally and here the reason. Nothing however happened, and I was abruptly told I was appointed.[13]

De Chair later wrote, "As time went on, I realised that I could expect very little help from the Admiralty, but Beatty, the C.-in-C. of the Grand Fleet, wrote to me that he expected to have me with him on one of the first vacancies of his Battle Squadrons in the Grand Fleet, so I worked on in the hope of getting to sea again, and taking part in any action that might transpire."[14]

Post-War

De Chair was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 25 November, 1920, vice Nicholson.[15]

Governor of New South Wales

On 8 November, 1923 de Chair was appointed Governor of the State of New South Wales in the Commonwealth of Australia[16] and was placed on the Retired List at his own request dated 1 November in order to take up the appointment.[17]

Commenting on the Premier of New South Wales, de Chair later wrote, his "lack of scruple gave me a great and unpleasant surprise."[18]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ London Gazette: no. 25514. p. 4516. 25 September, 1885.
  2. ↑ London Gazette: no. 26865. p. 3443. 22 June, 1897.
  3. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 27448. p. 4198. 26 June, 1902.
  4. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 11 October, 1906. Issue 38148, col A, pg. 8.
  5. ↑ "Naval Appointments" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 13 March, 1911. Issue 39531, col E, pg. 4.
  6. ↑ London Gazette: no. 28632. p. 5723. 2 August, 1912.
  7. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Friday, 10 January, 1913. Issue 40105, col G, pg. 11.
  8. ↑ "News in Brief" (News in Brief). The Times. Tuesday, 30 June, 1914. Issue 40563, col C, pg. 14.
  9. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29423. p. 80. 31 December, 1915.
  10. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30336. p. 10605. 16 October, 1917.
  11. ↑ de Chair. The Sea is Strong. pp. 237-238.
  12. ↑ Memoirs. Volume V. p. 69. De Chair Papers. Imperial War Museum. PP/MCR/C4. Reel 2.
  13. ↑ Memoirs. Volume V. p. 74. De Chair Papers. Imperial War Museum. PP/MCR/C4. Reel 2.
  14. ↑ Memoirs. Volume V. p. 79. De Chair Papers. Imperial War Museum. PP/MCR/C4. Reel 2.
  15. ↑ London Gazette: no. 32162. p. 12300. 14 December, 1920.
  16. ↑ London Gazette: no. 32878. p. 7655. 9 November, 1923.
  17. ↑ London Gazette: no. 32878. p. 7658. 9 November, 1923.
  18. ↑ Memoirs. Volume VI. p. 86. De Chair Papers. Imperial War Museum. PP/MCR/C4. Reel 2.

Bibliography

  • "Adm. Sir Dudley de Chair" (Obituaries). The Times. Tuesday, 19 August, 1958. Issue 54233, col D, pg. 10.
  • Clune, David; Griffith, Gareth (2006). Decision and Deliberation: The Parliament of New South Wales 1856-2003. Sydney: The Federation Press. ISBN 1-86287-591-X.
  • de Chair, Admiral Sir Dudley (1961). The Sea is Strong. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd..

Papers

  • Papers in the possession of the Imperial War Museum. Catalogue numbers 7865 P38-41 & PP/MCR/C4.

Service Records


Naval Offices
Preceded by
Lewis Bayly 		Naval Attaché at Washington, D.C.
1902 – 1905 		Succeeded by
Frank E. C. Ryan
Preceded by
David Beatty 		Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty
1913 – 1914 		Succeeded by
The Hon. Horace L. A. Hood
Preceded by
Charles L. Napier 		Vice-Admiral Commanding,
Tenth Cruiser Squadron
1914 – 1916 		Succeeded by
Reginald G. O. Tupper
Preceded by
Sir Herbert L. Heath 		Vice-Admiral Commanding,
Third Battle Squadron
1917 – 1918 		Succeeded by
Command Abolished
Preceded by
Sir Cecil F. Thursby 		Admiral Commanding Coastguard and Reserves
1918 – 1921 		Succeeded by
Sir Morgan Singer
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