Edwyn Sinclair Alexander-Sinclair, Twelfth Laird of Freswick

Admiral SIR Edwyn Sinclair Alexander-Sinclair, G.C.B., M.V.O (12 December, 1865 – 13 November, 1945) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Early Life & Career

Alexander-Sinclair was born in Malta on 12 December, 1865, the second son of Captain John Hobhouse Inglis Alexander, C.B., Royal Navy, of Southbar and Boghall, Renfrew, by his wife, Isabella Barbara, daughter of Thomas Cochrane Hume, of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Isabella, daughter and heiress of William Sinclair, of Freswick and Dunbeath in Caithness. He succeeded his elder brother to the Southbar property in 1892, and in 1894, on succeeding as twelfth laird to the estate of Freswick, adopted the additional surname of Sinclair.

Entering the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1879 Alexander served on the China station from early 1881 in the armour-plated iron ship Iron Duke, flagship of (Sir) George Willes. He was promoted Midshipman in August, 1881 and Sub-Lieutenant in January, 1886. After serving in the Active and taking a staff course he joined the Fearless in the Mediterranean in March, 1888, but left her on promotion to Lieutenant in January, 1890 to become Flag Lieutenant to (Sir) Richard Tracey in the Channel Squadron. When Tracey became Admiral-Superintendent of Malta Dockyard in 1892 Alexander accompanied him and thus gained early insight into dockyard and administrative work.

From 1893 to 1896 he served in the battleship Ramillies, flagship of Sir Michael Culme-Seymour, Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Squadron, and from 1897 to 1900 was his Flag Lieutenant when he was Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth. After his promotion to Commander in 1901, Alexander-Sinclair commanded the destroyer Albatross from June, 1902 and the dispatch vessel Surprise from January, 1904. He was promoted Captain in June, 1905 at the comparatively early age of thirty-nine. His first appointment in his new rank was that of captain of the Royal Naval College, Osborne, where he remained until 1908. From 1909 to 1910 he commanded the second destroyer flotilla in home waters and in 1911 became Flag Captain to Sir Arthur Moore, the Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth. On 1 September, 1913 he was appointed to command H.M.S. Temeraire and was still in command of her at the outbreak of war in 1914.

First World War

As a part of the extensive reorganization of the Grand Fleet which followed the battle of the Dogger Bank in January, 1915, Alexander-Sinclair became commodore commanding first light cruiser squadron with his broad pennant in the Galatea. On 31 May, 1916 the Galatea was part of the screen of the battle cruiser fleet under Sir David (later Earl) Beatty when she altered course to examine a neutral merchant vessel. As Alexander-Sinclair closed this ship he sighted two enemy destroyers approaching from the opposite direction. His "enemy in sight" signal brought the battle cruiser fleet, and subsequently the whole Grand Fleet, into the action known as the battle of Jutland.

Alexander-Sinclair was appointed C.B. in 1916. In 1917, when he reached flag rank at the age of fifty-one, he was appointed Rear-Admiral commanding sixth light cruiser squadron with his flag in the Cardiff and in November, 1917 played a prominent part in the action with the German second scouting group in the Heligoland Bight. Twelve months later he had the great honour of leading the surrendered German High Sea Fleet into Rosyth with the British Grand Fleet in columns on either beam. For his war services he was appointed K.C.B. In the spring of 1919 the sixth light cruiser squadron was transferred to the Mediterranean under his command and renamed third light cruiser squadron.

In 1920 Alexander-Sinclair was appointed Admiral-Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard. In 1922 he became Vice-Admiral Commanding, First Battle Squadron with his flag in the Barham and for a while, during the illness of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir John De Robeck, was senior admiral in the Atlantic Fleet. Then, in June 1925, he became Commander-in-Chief on the China Station, with his flag in the Hawkins, and showed great tact, forbearance, and judgement in handling difficult situations during the advance of the Chinese nationalist armies. In October, 1926 he was promoted to the full rank of Admiral and returned to the United Kingdom in 1927 to become Commander-in-Chief at the Nore. He relinquished his command in May, 1930 and became first and principal aide-de-camp to King George V. At the end of the year he was placed on the retired list on attaining the age of sixty-five. On his retirement he was promoted G.C.B.

During his naval career of more than fifty years he had received several foreign decorations, including the American D.S.M., the French croix de guerre, and had been appointed a commander in the Legion of Honour.

Alexander-Sinclair married twice: first, in 1892 Julia Margaret (died 1930), daughter of Colonel Charles Vereker Hamilton-Campbell, of Netherplace, Ayrshire. By this marriage he had two sons and one daughter. Secondly, in 1933 he married Maud Kathleen, widow of Major William Robinson Campbell, of the 14th Hussars, and younger daughter of Captain Samuel Yates Holt Davenport, the Royal Sussex Regiment, Territorial Army.

He died at his home, Dunbeath Castle, after a short illness on 13 November, 1945.

A portrait of Alexander-Sinclair is included in Sir A. S. Cope's group, "Some Sea Officers of the War of 1914–18", in the National Portrait Gallery; a drawing by Francis Dodd is in the Imperial War Museum.

Command of H.M.S. Temeraire
Preceded by Captain C.J. Eyres	Captain Edwyn S. Alexander-Sinclair 1 September, 1913 – ?, 1916	Succeeded by Captain E.V. Underhill