Francis Martin Leake

Vice-Admiral Francis Martin Leake, C.B., D.S.O., Royal Navy, Retired (16 March, 1869 – 21 January, 1928) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Leake was promoted to the rank of Captain on 22 June, 1911.

On 1 January, 1913, Leake was appointed Captain of Amethyst and Captain (D) of the Eighth Destroyer Flotilla.

On 1 October he transferred to Pathfinder, retaining command of the flotilla.

Great War

On 5 September, 1914, Pathfinder was torpedoed by U.21 ten miles south-east of May Island. A magazine was detonated and the ship sank in four minutes with a large part of her crew. Leake was wounded but survived. On 6 October he was appointed to Victory for service at Portland training up "M" class destroyers. He was appointed in command of the light cruiser Achilles on 19 February, 1915.

He was appointed to Colleen on 20 June, 1917, as Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief on the Coast of Ireland with the rank of Commodore, Second Class. Sir Lewis Bayly, the Commander-in-Chief, later wrote of Leake as "a most exceptional man, for everyone loved the little Commodore."

Post-War

Leake's appointment in Ireland ceased on 1 June, 1919, and on the same day he was appointed to King George V as Chief Staff Officer to Vice-Admiral Sir Henry F. Oliver, Vice-Admiral Commanding the Home Fleet, which in November became the Reserve Fleet. Oliver had served with Leake in Stork and apparently asked for him as Chief Staff Officer.

He was placed on the Retired List at his own request dated 19 November, 1921, in order to facilitate the promotion of younger officers.

Bibliography

• Bayly, Admiral Sir Lewis (1939). Pull Together! The Memoirs of Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., C.V.O. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
• Oliver, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry F., K.C.B., K.C.M.G. Recollections. Volume II. National Maritime Museum. OLV/12.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/89.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/43.

Naval Appointments