Henry Cecil Bovell

Vice-Admiral (retired) Henry Cecil Bovell, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., R.N. (4 January, 1893 – ) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Henry, the son of Chief Justice of British Guyana Sir Henry A. Bovell gained two and a half months' time on passing out of Britannia.

Bovell was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 September, 1914 while serving in Hornet. On 16 January, 1915 he was appointed to Druid as first lieutenant. On 18 March, 1916, he was appointed to Moresby. On 12 April, 1917, Bovell was ordered to report to the Admiralty. Bovell would spend the latter half of 1917 at a long course in gunnery at H.M.S. Excellent until being appointed to Pembroke for gunnery on 8 January, 1918. On 3 May, he was appointed to the flotilla leader Vampire for gunnery duty with the Fourteenth Destroyer Flotilla.

Post-War

On 3 February, 1919 Bovell was appointed from Vampire to Campbell, additional, for seventeen months of gunnery duty with the Third Destroyer Flotilla. After a brief spell at Excellent, Bovell was appointed to Benbow as gunnery officer on 13 August, 1920.

In April, 1921, Bovell was appointed to Emperor of India as gunnery officer. On 10 June, 1921 Chrysanthemum was damaged by a projectile fired by Emperor of India. Bovell was faulted for not properly instructing the gun crew. In March 1922, Bovell left the ship and spent some time at H.M.S. Vivid until being appointed to Dunedin as gunnery officer on 17 August.

Bovell was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 September, 1922.

Bovell married Beatrix Gertrude Lattal Springman in Liverpool on 8 August, 1923.

On 20 September 1926, Bovell was appointed to Barham as gunnery officer. This appointment ended on 3 April, 1928.

Bovell was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1928.

Bovell was promoted to the rank of Captain on 31 December, 1934.

Bovell was appointed in command of the aircraft carrier Victorious on 15 October, 1940 and was presently made Flag Captain and Chief Staff Officer to Rear-Admiral Home Fleet Aircraft Carriers. He went on unemployed tim on 27 November, 1942.

On 1 March, 1943, Bovell was appointed in command of the Royal Naval Air Service station H.M.S. Merlin. On 10 May, he was made Commodre, Second in Command of the Naval Air Station and Commodore, Naval Air Station (north) in the rank of Commodore, First Class in succession to Cloudesley Varyl Robinson.

Bovell was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 8 January, 1944 and appointed Rear-Admiral, Second in Command of the Naval Air Station and Rear-Admiral, Naval Air Station (north)

Shortly after concluding an appointment as Admiral Superintendent, Rosyth Dockyard, Bovell was placed on the Retired List on 14 July, 1947 and promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 13 July, 1948.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Bibliography

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Claude P. Hermon-Hodge	Captain of H.M.S. Sarpedon 10 Jul, 1924 – 21 Aug, 1924	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by H. Evelyn C. Blagrove	Captain of H.M.S. Norfolk 3 Dec, 1934 – 8 Apr, 1935	Succeeded by Henry E. C. Blagrove
Preceded by John C. Leach	Deputy Director of Training and Staff Duties 24 Mar, 1936 – 19 Mar, 1938	Succeeded by Reginald M. Servaes
Preceded by Cuthbert Coppinger	Captain of H.M.S. Capetown 28 Sep, 1938 – c. Nov, 1938	Succeeded by Terence H. Back
Preceded by Ernest J. Spooner	Captain of H.M.S. Vindictive 17 Dec, 1938 – c. Oct, 1939	Succeeded by Arthur R. Halfhide
Preceded by William G. Benn	Captain of H.M.S. Argus 7 Oct, 1939 – 16 Aug, 1940	Succeeded by Edmund G. N. Rushbrooke
Preceded by Colin Cantlie	Admiral Superintendent of Rosyth Dockyard 1 Jun, 1944 – 16 Apr, 1947	Succeeded by Angus E. M. B. Cunninghame Graham