Geoffrey Cecil Fryer

Commander (retired) Geoffrey Cecil Fryer, (17 September, 1895 – 25 December, 1980) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

The son of Major C. R. Fryer of the 2nd [illeg] Suffolk Regiment passed out of the Training Establishment on 15 May 1913 and was appointed to the battleship Dreadnought. He served in the iconic ship until being appointed to T.B. 16 on 15 September, 1915.

On 22 February, 1916, he was appointed to the destroyer Nonsuch. He was aboard when she fought at the Battle of Jutland as part of the Twelfth Destroyer Flotilla.

On 6 March 1917, he received an appointment to the new destroyer Skilful, but this lasted just 10 days before it was rescinded for illegible reasons. Similarly, orders to join Torrid also proved short-lived. He finally was sent to Oriole on 26 April, 1917, but this lasted just until 12 June.

Following a 3 May recommendation for his promotion, Fryer was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 June, 1917. On 2 December, 1917 he was admitted to Chatham hospital for an illegible ailment. He was declared fit to rejoin his ship on 13 December.

In 1922, after Caledon flooded her magazines (in error?), Fryer was informed he should have taken proper precautions to see that the sprayer system had been shut off after the repair work had been completed.

Fryer was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 June, 1925.

On 30 March 1938, he was admitted to Royal Naval Hospital, Chatham, to be treated for a gastric ulcer. He was discharged on 9 April.

World War II

Fryer was placed on the Retired List on account of age at the rank of Commander on 17 September, 1940. Suffering from an ulcer in 1946, he was invalided. He was reported as disabled, but two operations in April of that year improved his state.

See Also

• Service Records
• Twelfth D.F. (Royal Navy) at the Battle of Jutland
• page on GravestonePhotos.com

Bibliography

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Ernest Beeley	Captain of H.M.S. Wakeful 3 Feb, 1925 – 1 Dec, 1925	Succeeded by Eric P. Vivian
Preceded by Gerald R. Cousins	Captain of H.M.S. Torrid 11 Aug, 1927 – 9 Apr, 1928	Succeeded by Jack G. Bickford
Preceded by Thomas B. Hill	Captain of H.M.S. Viscount 9 Apr, 1928 – 25 Aug, 1930	Succeeded by John R. N. Taylor
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Beagle 2 Jan, 1931 – 28 Apr, 1931	Succeeded by Richard F. Jolly
Preceded by Henry J. Johnstone	Captain of H.M.S. Whitshed 12 Nov, 1931 – 30 Nov, 1931	Succeeded by Allan M. Williams
Preceded by Trevylyan M. Napier	Captain of H.M.S. Sandhurst 3 Sep, 1935 – 8 Sep, 1935	Succeeded by John Fawcett
Preceded by John W. Farquhar	Captain of H.M.S. Diomede 21 Sep, 1936 – 17 Dec, 1936	Succeeded by Alfred Bowman
Preceded by Arthur R. Halfhide	Captain of H.M.S. Diomede 14 Jul, 1937 – 12 Aug, 1937	Succeeded by Reginald F. Morice
Preceded by Percy F. P. Wood	Captain of H.M.S. Diomede 24 Jan, 1938 – 2 Mar, 1938	Succeeded by Wilfred E. Warner
Preceded by Francis Douglas-Watson	Captain of H.M.S. Witherington 31 Jul, 1939 – 4 Dec, 1939	Succeeded by Jack B. Palmer