Edward Brooke

From The Dreadnought Project
Jump to navigationJump to search

Lieutenant-Commander Edward Brooke, D.S.O. (25 August, 1885 – 10 February, 1919) was an officer in the Royal Navy who commanded a destroyer at the Battle of Jutland. He died in 1919 of pneumonia.

Life & Career

Born in Ecclesfield, Brooke was raised by a guardian, J. F. Holmes, Esq.. He gained one and a half months' time on passing out of Britannia on 15 May 1902 and was appointed to join Hannibal in the Channel Squadron. Captain Giffard noted that Brooke spoke some French and was "active & zealous" and "steady".[1]

Brooke was serving in the battleship Goliath in the Mediterranean when he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 April, 1908.[2]

On 29 October, 1910, Brooke was appointed in command of the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 066. He was found entirely to blame for a collision between T.B. 066 and T.B. 076 in February, 1911. On 24 March, 1911 Brooke was admitted to Haslar Hospital with prostatitis. He was found fit on 4 April and appointed in command of T.B. 33 that same day. Captain Henderson would later report that Brooke spent his leave in 1911 being treated for syphilis in a private hospital and opined that he felt Brooke would be better serving in a large ship.[3]

Accordingly, Brooke was appointed to Monmouth on the China Station on 11 April, 1912 and traveled out to the far east in Europa, embarking on 4 March. He married Helene Sarah Sherris in Hong Kong on 20 March, 1913. Brooke left Monmouth when she reduced on 1 January, 1914. On 7 February he was appointed to Marlborough for her trials, but he had to spend five days leave later in the month to be treated for syphilis type II at Plymouth Hospital. On 7 April, 1914 he was appointed in command of the destroyer Sprightly on 7 April, 1914.[4][5]

Brooke was ordered from Sprightly to report to the Admiralty on 11 February 1916. The following month, he was placed in temporary command of Marmion.

Brooke was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 1 April, 1916.[6]

Brooke was captain of the destroyer Lizard at the Battle of Jutland where she operated as part of the First Destroyer Flotilla.[7]

Brooke was appointed in command of the destroyer Strongbow on 15 October, 1916.

Strongbow would be lost under his command on 17 October, 1917[8] and Brooke was badly wounded and was sent to the hospital ship Berbia to recover. On 30 November, he was admitted to Granton Hospital to continue his convalescence, which was expected to extend well into 1918 and would prove to outlast the war. A Court Martial into the loss of the ship found that all men has discharged their duties in the appropriate manner, and Broke would be awarded a D.S.O. for his gallantry in command, gazetted 7 August, 1918.[9]

Post-War

Brooke was finally found fit from his battle injuries on 3 January, 1919 and was appointed to serve in the Operations Division on 13 January, 1919. However, he died of pneumonia on 10 February. His D.S.O. was sent to his widow on 27 February, 1919.[10]

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Robert Makin 		Captain of H.M. T.B. 066
29 Oct, 1910[11] – 4 Apr, 1911[12] 		Succeeded by
Andrew Y. Catto
Preceded by
Claude L. Bate 		Captain of H.M. T.B. 33
4 Apr, 1911[13][14] – 4 Mar, 1912[15] 		Succeeded by
Edward B. Hoyle
Preceded by
Julian Harrison 		Captain of H.M.S. Sprightly
7 Apr, 1914[16][17] – 11 Feb, 1916[18] 		Succeeded by
Norman A. G. Ohlenschlager
Preceded by
The Hon. William S. Leveson-Gower 		Captain of H.M.S. Marmion
16 Mar, 1916[19] – 4 May, 1916[20] 		Succeeded by
Herbert I. N. Lyon
Preceded by
New Command 		Captain of H.M.S. Petard
4 May, 1916[21] – 29 May, 1916[22] 		Succeeded by
Evelyn C. O. Thomson
Preceded by
Evelyn C. O. Thomson 		Captain of H.M.S. Lizard
29 May, 1916[23][24] – 15 Oct, 1916[25] 		Succeeded by
Norman A. G. Ohlenschlager
Preceded by
New Command 		Captain of H.M.S. Strongbow
15 Oct, 1916[26][27] – 17 Oct, 1917[28][29] 		Succeeded by
Vessel Lost

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  2. ↑ The Navy List. (March, 1913). p. 10.
  3. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  4. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  5. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 382.
  6. ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1918). p. 26.
  7. ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. pp. 34, 46.
  8. ↑ Naval Operations. Vol. V. pp. 152-3.
  9. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  10. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  11. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  12. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  13. ↑ "Naval Appointments." The Times (London, England), 1 Apr. 1911, p. 4.
  14. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  15. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  16. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  17. ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 398d-k.
  18. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  19. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  20. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  21. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  22. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  23. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  24. ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1916). p. 395w.
  25. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  26. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  27. ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1916). 398d-k.
  28. ↑ Brooke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/168. f. 258.
  29. ↑ Naval Operations. Vol. V. pp. 152-5 and index.

Retrieved from "http://dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php?title=Edward_Brooke&oldid=323438"