Henry FitzRoy George Talbot

Captain Henry FitzRoy George Talbot, D.S.O., Royal Navy (24 February, 1874 – 4 July, 1920) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Born in Badderly, the son of Major H. C. Talbot. Talbot passed out of Britannia in December 1888 with a bonus of seven months seniority and commenced the first phase of his naval service in battleships in the Mediterranean: first in Alexandra, then to Temeraire on 7 April, 1889. On 11 January, 1890, Talbot was appointed to Camperdown and then to Victoria on 29 April, 1890.

Talbot was appointed from Victoria to the corvette Ruby of the Training Squadron on 30 July, 1892. On 12 November 1894, he was appointed to the breastwork monitor Abyssinia.

Talbot was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant and re-appointed in Abyssinia on 31 December, 1895.

On 14 July 1898, Talbot sailed by P. & O. steamer from Tilbury for Ismailia in Egypt. From the 28th of the month, he was placed on loan to the Egyptian government for service in Sudan, his time with them to count as full service for pay with the Royal Navy. He resigned his appointment under Egyptian service on 3 February, 1899. Parliament thanked Talbot, with others, on 8 June 1899. In May 1900, he was awarded the English Sudan Medal.

After a Short Course in gunnery at Excellent, Talbot was appointed to Vivid for charge of the Devonport Signal School on 1 October, 1904. After being recommended for promotion by Captain Douglas Nicholson, then Superintendent of Signal Schools, Talbot was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1905.

On 9 October 1913, Talbot was appointed Secretary of the Committee on Eyesight of Officers.

As a Commander, he was appointed to the battleship Prince George on 8 January, 1914.

Talbot was promoted to Captain on 30 June, 1914.

He was appointed in command of the battleship Majestic and "for a group" (of destroyers, presumably) on 30 July, 1914. He was in command when she was torpedoed in the Mediterranean on 27 May, 1915.

In August, 1915, he was given command of the battleship Swiftsure, in which he served as Flag Captain. In 1916, he was in general charge of vessels off the beach during the evacuation of Helles. Talbot was re-appointed upon the ship's re-commissioning in May 1916 and remained in command until she paid off on 26 April, 1917.

On 10 May, 1917 Talbot was appointed in command of the light cruiser Birkenhead.

On 23 November, 1918, Talbot was deemed fit for shore duty only.

On 22 April, 1920, Talbot was surveyed at the hospital for undisclosed reasons.

He died on 4 July, 1920, perhaps whilst in command of the light cruiser Caledon, though this appointment is not indicated in his service record.

See Also

• Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Ion P. Barton	Captain of H.M. T.B. 103 11 Feb, 1896 – 20 Aug, 1897	Succeeded by Cyril Corbett
Preceded by Archibald Cochrane	In Charge, Devonport Signal School 1 Oct, 1904 – 2 Jul, 1906	Succeeded by Malcolm A. Kennard
Preceded by Ernest L. C. Muntz	Captain of H.M.S. Mallard 2 Jul, 1906 – 1 Apr, 1907	Succeeded by Henry F. G. Talbot
Preceded by Edward M. Bennett	Captain of H.M.S. Orion 1 Apr, 1907 – 10 Jun, 1907	Succeeded by Thomas R. G. O'Connor
Preceded by Vaughan A. E. Hanning-Lee	Captain of H.M.S. Boxer 10 Jul, 1907 – Oct, 1907	Succeeded by Gordon A. Coles
Preceded by Thomas R. G. O'Connor	Captain of H.M.S. Orion Oct, 1907 – 16 Jun, 1908	Succeeded by Hugh T. Prichard
Preceded by Henry F. G. Talbot	Captain of H.M.S. Mallard 16 Jun, 1908 – 29 Nov, 1908	Succeeded by Charles E. W. Pyddoke
Preceded by Cecil H. Fox	Captain of H.M.S. Attentive 13 Feb, 1911 – 1 Aug, 1911[Inference]	Succeeded by Christopher R. Payne
Preceded by Charles P. Beaty-Pownall	Captain of H.M.S. Perseus 11 May, 1912 – 19 Sep, 1913	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by John B. Sparks	Captain of H.M.S. Prince George 8 Jan, 1914 – 30 Jul, 1914	Succeeded by George J. Todd
Preceded by Edwin V. Underhill	Captain of H.M.S. Majestic 30 Jul, 1914 – 27 May, 1915	Succeeded by Vessel Lost
Preceded by Cecil Maxwell-Lefroy	Captain of H.M.S. Swiftsure 10 Aug, 1915 – 26 Apr, 1917	Succeeded by Francis J. Stenson
Preceded by Edward Reeves	Captain of H.M.S. Birkenhead 10 May, 1917 – 16 Jan, 1918	Succeeded by Henry E. Grace
Preceded by Herbert E. Holmes-à-Court	Captain of Royal Naval College, Osborne 15 Dec, 1918 – 5 May, 1920	Succeeded by Francis A. Marten