Gerald Kimpland Boatfield
Commander (retired) Gerald Kimpland Boatfield, (31 May, 1900 – ) served in the Royal Navy. His middle name is wrongly recorded as "Kempland" on one of his Service Records.[1]
Life & Career
Boatfield's father, F. R. Boatfield, Esq., was a bank manager. Gerald emerged from the Training Establishment and was appointed to H.M.S. Dominion on 21 May 1917, but on 25 May he was moved over to the battleship H.M.S. Hibernia on orders of the Vice-Admiral. On 27 August, 1917 he was again moved, this time into the powerful battleship Ramillies. Evaluated as "promising and keen" by Captain Grant, Boatfield would serve in her until March 1919.[2]
Boatfield served as gunner in Hambledon and then in Sherborne and finally in Warspite before promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 September, 1921. Following instruction in gunnery at Cambridge and in Excellent, he was placed on the Retired List at his own request on on 3 February, 1923.[3]
Boatfield was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander (retired) on 15 September, 1929.[4]
World War II
Boatfield saw much service in the second world war, initially at Colombo (or, in the light cruiser H.M.S. Colombo).
After some time providing gunnery services aboard the armed merchant cruiser Cathay, Boatfield was placed in command of the ship vice Captain Christopher McCabe Merewether. He held the acting rank of Commander while in this appointment.[5]
His wartime service would be blotted by an expression of Their Lordships' severe displeasure following a Board of Enquiry convened on 14 November 1941 regarding the death of a temporary Sub-Lieutenant (E) M. D. Ward, R.N.V.R.. The Admiralty regarded this death as being attributable to Boatfield for "his acceptance of the laxness of discipline on board when drunkenness on the part of officers is regarded as nothing out of the ordinary." The remainder of his wartime service was largely in the United States on the staff of the B.A.D. or B.A.S.R., Washington.[6]
Boatfield was promoted to the rank of Commander (retired) on 3 September, 1945.[7]
See Also
Bibliography
Footnotes
- ↑ Email from his granddaughter, Caroline Brown, 20231110.
- ↑ Boatfield Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/124/182. f. 181.
- ↑ Boatfield Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/124/182. f. 181.
- ↑ Boatfield Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/124/182. f. 181.
- ↑ Boatfield Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/124/182. f. 181.
- ↑ Boatfield Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/124/182. f. 181.
- ↑ Boatfield Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/124/182. f. 181.
