Difference between revisions of "Alexander Ludovic Duff"

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{{CatAdmiral|UK}}

Revision as of 08:46, 25 June 2014

File:Alexander Duff.jpg
Admiral Sir Alexander L. Duff.

Admiral SIR Alexander Ludovic Duff, G.C.B., G.B.E., K.C.V.O., Royal Navy (20 February, 1862 – 22 November, 1933) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Alexander Ludovic Duff was born at Knockleith, Aberdeenshire, 20 February 1862, the fourth son and seventh child of Colonel James Duff, of Knockleith, by his wife, Jane Bracken, daughter of Alan Colquhoun Dunlop, of Edinburgh. He entered the navy in 1875, and served as midshipman in the Mediterranean from 1877 to 1881. He served as sub-lieutenant in the royal yacht Victoria and Albert. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with seniority of 3 September, 1884.[1] He was appointed to the turret ship Agamemnon on the China Station on 16 September.[2] Having qualified as torpedo lieutenant he served for three years in the cruiser Imperieuse, flagship of the China station.

On 7 July, 1887, he was loaned to command the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 86 for manoeuvres.[3]

In 1891, we serve in the cruiser Blake, flagship of the North America station, and the torpedo depot-ship Vulcan. He was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1897.[4]

He spent two years in command of the destroyer Bat on training service at Devonport and acting as Captain (D) of the Devonport Flotilla.[5] Afterward, he joined the cruiser St. George as executive officer.

Captain

On 31 December, 1902 he was promoted to the rank of Captain.[6] He was appointed in command of the battleship Albemarle on 12 November, 1903, as Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral William Des V. Hamilton, the new Rear-Admiral on the Mediterranean Station.[7]

Duff was appointed Naval Assistant to the Controller of the Navy on 20 December, 1905. He remained at the Admiralty for over three years before being appointed to Vivid for command of the new dreadnought battleship Temeraire on 5 January, 1909.[8]

He was appointed to Victory as Commodore, Second Class commanding the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth, on 25 October, 1910. He was appointed for services at the Admiralty on 3 October, 1911, and on 8 January, 1912, was appointed Director of the Mobilisation Division of the newly-formed Admiralty War Staff.[9]

He was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Civil Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 21 September, 1912.[10] He was invested with the insignia of the order by the King in an investiture held at Buckingham Palace on 10 October.[11]

Flag Rank

On 2 March, 1913, Duff was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, vice De Salis.[12]

In July, 1914 it was announced that Duff would succeed Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot, Bart. as Rear-Admiral in the Second Battle Squadron on 28 October, 1914.[13]

First World War

Fourth Battle Squadron

In October 1914 he returned to sea service as rear-admiral, fourth battle squadron in the Grand Fleet (flag in the Emperor of India). The commander-in-chief, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, recognizing his great technical abilities, put him in charge, jointly with Rear-Admiral (Sir) Arthur Cavenagh Leveson, of experiments with devices for defending ships from submarine mines and with other inventions; during the Battle of Jutland Duff flew his flag in the Superb.

First Battle Squadron

On 15 September he was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (C.B.) dated 31 May.[14]

Director of the Anti-Submarine Division

When in December 1916 Jellicoe left the fleet to become First Sea Lord in order to cope with the immense problem of the U-boat war, he took Duff with him to the Admiralty as director of the anti-submarine division which was then formed in the Naval Staff.

Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff

Six months later Duff joined the Board of Admiralty with the title of assistant chief of the Naval Staff and was put in charge of all the divisions dealing with the same problems, being replaced as director of the anti-submarine division itself by Captain (Sir) W. W. Fisher. To his and Fisher's work in accomplishing the eventual defeat of the U-boat, Jellicoe later paid a handsome tribute in his book The Crisis of the Naval War (1920). Duff was nominated an Additional Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, of the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 1 January, 1918,[15] and was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 15 January.[16]

Commander-in-Chief on the China Station

On leaving the Admiralty in 1919 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the China station and during his three years tenure of that command he convened a conference with the commanders-in-chief of adjoining stations which recommended the establishment of the naval base at Singapore. On 1 July, 1921, he was promoted to the rank of Admiral, vice Troubridge.[17]

Retirement

On the occasion of the King's birthday he was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (K.B.E.) on 3 June, 1924.[18] He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 1 July, 1925.[19]

Duff was twice married: first, in 1886 to Janet Douglas (died 1908), third daughter of Garden William Duff, of Hatton Castle, Aberdeenshire, and had two daughters; secondly, in 1924 to Marjorie, daughter of Charles Hill-Whitson, of Parkhill, Perthshire; there was no issue of this marriage. He died in London on 22 November 1933.

See Also

Bibliography

  • "Admiral Sir A. L. Duff" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 23 November, 1933. Issue 46609, col A, p. 19.

Papers

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
? 		Captain of H.M. T.B. 80
7 Jul, 1887[20] – ? 		Succeeded by
Arthur Dodgson
Preceded by
Arthur H. Shirley 		Captain of H.M.S. Bat
before Jul, 1899[21] – ? 		Succeeded by
Philip D. R. West
Preceded by
? 		Captain of H.M.S. Albemarle
12 Nov, 1903[22] – ? 		Succeeded by
Edward S. Fitzherbert
Preceded by
? 		Captain of H.M.S. Temeraire
5 Jan, 1909[23] – ? 		Succeeded by
Arthur H. Christian
Preceded by
Christopher G. F. M. Cradock 		Commodore-in-Command, Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth
25 Oct, 1910[24] – ? 		Succeeded by
John B. Eustace
Preceded by
New Appointment 		Director of the Mobilisation Division
8 Jan, 1912[25] – 22 Oct, 1914[26] 		Succeeded by
Hugh F. P. Sinclair
Preceded by
New Appointment 		Rear-Admiral in the Fourth Battle Squadron
22 Oct, 1914[27] – ? 		Succeeded by
Ernest F. A. Gaunt
Preceded by
Ernest F. A. Gaunt 		Rear-Admiral in the First Battle Squadron
12 Jun, 1916[28] – ? 		Succeeded by
William C. M. Nicholson
Preceded by
New Appointment 		Director of the Anti-Submarine Division
18 Dec, 1916[29] – ? 		Succeeded by
William W. Fisher
Preceded by
New Appointment 		Assistant Chief of Naval Staff
14 May, 1917[30] – ? 		Succeeded by
James A. Fergusson
Preceded by
Frederick C. T. Tudor 		Commander-in-Chief, China Station
24 Jul, 1919[31] – ? 		Succeeded by
Arthur C. Leveson

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 25393. p. 3994. 5 September, 1884.
  2. ↑ The Navy List (June, 1885). p. 191.
  3. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence". The Times. Saturday, 2 July, 1887. Issue 32114, col C, p. 12.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26809. p. 4. 1 January, 1897.
  5. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1899. pp. 62-3.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27512. p. 3. 2 January, 1903.
  7. ↑ ADM 196/42. f. 80.
  8. ↑ ADM 196/42. f. 80.
  9. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 80.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28648. p. 7107. 27 September, 1912.
  11. ↑ "Court Circular" (Court and Social). The Times. Friday, 11 October, 1912. Issue 40027, col A, p. 9.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28697. p. 1757. 7 March, 1913.
  13. ↑ "Second Sea Lord" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 23 July, 1914. Issue 40586, col G, p. 10.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29751. p. 9070. 15 September, 1916.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 30451. p. 79. (Supplement) 1 January, 1918.
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 30488. p. 1092. 22 January, 1918.
  17. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 32384. p. 5487. 8 July, 1921.
  18. ↑ The Edinburgh Gazette: no. 14029. p. 766. 6 June, 1924.
  19. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 33068. p. 4866. 21 July, 1925.
  20. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence". The Times. Saturday, 2 July, 1887. Issue 32114, col C, p. 12.
  21. ↑ Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1899. pp. 62-3.
  22. ↑ Duff Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 80.
  23. ↑ Duff Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 80.
  24. ↑ Duff Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 80.
  25. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 80.
  26. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 368.
  27. ↑ Duff Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 80.
  28. ↑ Squadrons and Senior Naval Officers in Existence on 11th November, 1918. p. 2.
  29. ↑ Duff Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 80.
  30. ↑ Duff Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 80.
  31. ↑ Duff Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 204.

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