Edward Buxton Kiddle

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Admiral SIR Edward Buxton Kiddle, K.B.E., C.B., Royal Navy, Retired (2 November, 1866 – 29 April, 1933) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early Life & Career

In the examination for naval cadetships, Kiddle placed seventeenth out of thirty-seven successful candidates.[1]

Lieutenant

Kiddle was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 January, 1889.

"Our Captain, Commander S [Commander Lewis D. Sampson], unfortunately went off his head and after he ordered a salute for the Queen of Sheba, we had to put him on the sick list. He was invalided home and jumped overboard on the way before reaching the Cape and was drowned."[2]

Sampson was replaced by Commander George L. M. Leckie:

Commander L, arrived from England and joined us at Zanzibar. He was an enormously fat man and joined with only the two top buttons of his white tunic buttoned (all that would button). He messed with the wardroom, being too lazy to bother about his own mess. He worried about nothing and left the officers to run the ship as they liked. Frequently he would not leave his bed to take the ship into harbour, but left me to my own devices.[3]

Commander

Kiddle was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1901.[4]

Captain

Kiddle was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1907.[5]

Great War

At the Battle of Jutland, he was Captain of Revenge.[6]

He was appointed Captain of Marlborough on 11 February, 1917.[7]

He was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V on 31 January, 1918, vice Heneage.[8] On the occasion of the King's birthday he was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 3 June,[9] and he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 28 October, vice Hutton.[10]

Post-War

On 12 November, 1918, the day after the Armistice with Germany, Kiddle was appointed to President for special service, as British Naval Representative on the Inter Allied Council in the Adriatic, on which he was superseded on 15 March, 1920.[11]

He was appointed Rear-Admiral (Second-in-Command) of the Second Battle Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet on 1 April, 1920. He struck his flag on 8 April, 1921, and in his service record on 22 April he was noted as having "Ability 'above the average'." His immediate superior, Vice-Admiral Sir William C. M. Nicholson, wrote:

An able, loyal & reliable R/A. Has a good diplomatic manner. Except for blood poisoning trouble in one foot wh. culminated in a toe being amputated he has been physically been very fit. In my opinion he is fully worthy of further employment but his métier is rather the command of a foreign station than a battle fleet.[12]

The Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, Admiral Madden, agreed, writing:

I fully concur with the V/A's remarks. R/A Kiddle served in 1st B/S under my command during the war & I hold a high opinion of his ability & consider him fit for further sea service & quite fit for emplyment in the Battle Fleet, of wh. work he has large experience. His tact & success in dealing with foreigners renders him particularly suitable for employment as CinC on a foreign station.[13]

On 28 September, 1921, he was appointed Admiral Superintendent of Chatham Royal Dockyard. He was superseded at Chatham on 1 December, 1923. The Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, Admiral Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas, wrote:

Has done excellently as A.S. of Chatham Yard. He has shown V.G. judgment [sic] - & has a way of getting on with those about him. I hope it may be found possible to employ him in some further comd. Ability above average.[14]

Kiddle found his time as Admiral Superintendent "disappointing and we lost money over the appointment." He attempted to discover whether he would be further employed, as there was a possibility he might be sent as Commander-in-Chief of the Africa Station. In the meantime he and his family moved to East Grimstead, Sussex, and then to Alverstoke.[15] He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 19 July, 1924, vice Hunt,[16] and at this time was informed by the Admiralty that they had no work for him.[17] He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 1 August, 1924.[18] On 3 July, 1926, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (K.B.E.), dated 5 June.[19] He was advanced to Admiral on the Retired List on 22 February, 1928.[20]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 25 June, 1879. Issue 29603, col E, pg. 7.
  2. ↑ Kiddle. f. 47.
  3. ↑ Ibid.
  4. ↑ London Gazette: no. 27393. p. 3. 3 January, 1902.
  5. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28034. p. 4433. 28 June, 1907.
  6. ↑ Admiralty. Battle of Jutland Official Despatches, p. 382.
  7. ↑ Navy List (October, 1917). p. 395o.
  8. ↑ London Gazette: no. 30522. p. 1946. 12 February, 1918.
  9. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30723. p. 6527. 3 June, 1918.
  10. ↑ London Gazette: no. 30992. p. 13001. 5 November, 1918.
  11. ↑ ADM 196/42. f. 195.
  12. ↑ ADM 196/89. f. 2.
  13. ↑ ADM 196/89. f. 2.
  14. ↑ ADM 196/89. f. 2.
  15. ↑ Kiddle. p. 117.
  16. ↑ London Gazette: no. 32959. p. 5638. 25 July, 1924.
  17. ↑ Kiddle. p. 118.
  18. ↑ London Gazette: no. 32965. p. 6138. 15 August, 1924.
  19. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 33179. p. 4407. 3 July, 1926.
  20. ↑ London Gazette: no. 33362. p. 1494. 2 March, 1928.

Bibliography

  • "Admiral Sir E. B. Kiddle" (Obituaries). The Times. Tuesday, 2 May, 1933. Issue 46433, col D, pg. 9.

Papers

Service Records

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