Gilbert Hilton Kellett

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Commander Gilbert Hilton Kellett (26 July, 1884 – 6 February, 1935) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Kellett ranked twelfth among 62 successful candidates in examinations for entry to the Britannia intake term of September 1899, with 2462 marks.[1]

Serving first in the battleship Jupiter in the Channel in 1901, Kellett was appointed to the armoured cruiser Cressy in mid-January, 1902. In June, 1903, Kellett was caught improperly sending off whiskey to the gun room mess of Cressy and was penalised three months time.[2]

Kellett was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 December, 1905.[3]

In December, 1909, Vice Admiral Neville blamed Kellett for damaging C 4.[4]

Kellett was appointed to Dolphin for command of the submarine S 1 on 6 November, 1913,[5] and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 December.[6]

Great War

In June, 1915, Kellett captured a German trawler with S 1 and was thanked by the Admiralty for his resource in having the captured vessel then tow the submarine.

On 28 March, 1917, Kellett was hospitalised for rubella in Haslar Hospital. On 7 April, he emerged fit.[7]

Kellett was in command of the submarine K 7 on 16 June, 1917 when she torpedoed U 95 but failed to sink her.[8]

Kellett was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1917.[9]

Kellett was appointed in command of the second class protected cruiser Forth on 15 November, 1917.[10]

On 20 February, 1918, he was admitted to Shotley hospital for seven days, suffering from hemorrhoids and rectal polyps.[11]

Post-War

Kellett was appointed to Hermione, additional, for command of sloops on 4 October, 1919.[12]

He was appointed to Sutton for sloops other than Racehorse class and as Senior Officer, Netley on 1 April, 1920[13] and then in command of the first class protected cruiser Royal Arthur on 10 June, 1920.[14]

In 1922, Kellett was tried by Court Martial in H.M.S. Gibraltar for "neglect of duty & drunkenness." It was found that he had failed to report a large number of liberty men sent ashore – so many that it was impossible to bring them back – and that he had failed to tell the Senior Naval Officer that a motorboat had gone adrift, thus imperiling the boat's crew. Kellett was dismissed Pandora and severely reprimanded.[15]

Seemingly finished by this finding, Kellett was placed on the Retired List at his own request four months later, on 23 June, 1922.[16]

Kellett was denied a customary step in rank upon reaching age 45 in 1929 and was informed that he would have to wait two more years. He died in 1935.[17]

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Edward C. Boyle
Captain of H.M.S. C 4
1 Jan, 1909[18] – 1911
Succeeded by
George A. Saltren-Willett
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. S 1
6 Nov, 1913[19][20] – 1 Sep, 1915[21]
Succeeded by
Frederick C. C. Kennedy
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. S 3
1 Sep, 1915[22] – 25 Sep, 1915[23]
Succeeded by
Transferred to Italy
Preceded by
Thomas C. B. Harbottle
Captain of H.M.S. E 55
25 Sep, 1915[24] – Dec, 1916[25]
Succeeded by
John B. Glencross
Preceded by
Geoffrey Layton
Captain of H.M.S. K 7
8 Dec, 1916[26] – 14 Nov, 1917[27]
Succeeded by
Samuel M. G. Gravener
Preceded by
Martin E. Nasmith
Captain of H.M.S. J 2
Dec, 1916[28] – 8 Dec, 1916[29]
Succeeded by
Vincent M. Cooper
Preceded by
Nicholas E. Archdale
Captain of H.M.S. Forth
15 Nov, 1917[30][31] – 25 Feb, 1919[32]
Succeeded by
Brownlow V. Layard
Preceded by
Robert S. Connolly
Captain of H.M.S. Spearmint
25 Feb, 1919[33][34] – 7 Jul, 1919[35]
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
?
Captain of H.M.S. Repton
7 Jul, 1919[36][37] – 4 Oct, 1919[38]
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
William R. D. Crowther
Captain of H.M.S. Royal Arthur
10 Jun, 1920[39][40] – Dec, 1920[41]
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
Victor L. A. Campbell
Captain of H.M.S. Pandora
Dec, 1920[42][43] – 24 Feb, 1922[44]
Succeeded by
John G. Bower

Footnotes

  1. "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Saturday, Aug 12, 1899; pg. 8; Issue 35906.
  2. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  3. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  4. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  5. The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 304.
  6. The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 121.
  7. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  8. The Technical History and Index, Vol. 1, Part 1. p. 14.
  9. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  10. Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 795.
  11. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  12. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  13. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  14. The Navy List. (December, 1920). p. 857.
  15. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  16. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  17. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  18. The Monthly Navy List. (March, 1911). p. 385.
  19. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  20. The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 304.
  21. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  22. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  23. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  24. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  25. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  26. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  27. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  28. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  29. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  30. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  31. The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 795.
  32. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  33. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  34. The Navy List. (July, 1919). p. 909.
  35. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  36. The Navy List. (September, 1919). p. 892.
  37. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  38. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  39. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  40. The Navy List. (December, 1920). p. 857.
  41. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  42. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.
  43. The Navy List. (January, 1921). p. 822.
  44. Kellett Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/49/204. f. ?.