Lionel George Preston

Admiral SIR Lionel George Preston, K.C.B., Royal Navy (27 September, 1875 – 21 September, 1971) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He would come to be the head of minesweeping operations in 1917.

Life & Career

He was confirmed in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant dated 14 October, 1894.

He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant dated 1 April, 1897.

On 7 April, 1908, Present was appointed in command of the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 81, and of her flotilla. On 17 November, 1909, he was reappointed in both capacities upon his promotion to Commander.

Preston was appointed in command of the destroyer Tartar on 4 January, 1910.

From June, 1913 to February, 1914, Preston commanded the torpedo gunboat Jason and also the Minesweeping Flotilla, which was then a collection of gunboats. Jason paid off at Sheerness on 2 February for a refit.

Great War

In December, 1914, Preston received uncommonly lavish praise when the Admiralty noted that in his destruction of mines at Scarborough, "the action taken by Commander Preston in "Skipjack" in anchoring among the mines & destroying them immediately after 2 trawlers had been mined was a splendid example to the mine-sweepers, maintained tranquillity amongst them & was certainly the cause of prevention of further loss of life or vessels." When the sweeping sloop Lilac struck a mine on 18 August, 1915, Preston helped salvage the vessel.

Preston was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 1 January, 1916.

In February of, 1917, Preston gave up his appointment as Captain in Charge of Fleet Sweepers and was appointed to President to head up the Minesweeping Division.

Post-War

He was appointed in command of the convoy sloop H.M.S. Windflower on 1 December, 1919 but this appointment was cancelled in favour of an appointment inside the Admiralty while awaiting the commissioning of H.M.S. Harebell. He would take command of her in March as Senior Officer, Patrol, Minesweeping and Fishery Protection Squadron. He was superseded in this post on 16 November, 1920.

Preston was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 2 April, 1930, vice Grace.

On 19 January, 1933 Preston succeeded Air Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham as Commandant, Imperial Defence College. He was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 28 February, 1934.

Preston was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 16 January, 1935.

World War II

Preston was called up to work with the Admiralty in a variety of positions. In 1940, he was made Director of the Small Vessels Pool. He would work within until 16 February, 1945 before being finally reverted to the Retired List on 29 March, 1945.

Preston died on 21 September, 1971 at Dunstable aged ninety-five.

See Also

• Wikipedia
• Service Records
• "Deaths" (Deaths). The Times. Friday, 24 September, 1971. Issue 58281, col C, p. 24.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Doon 20 Jun, 1905 – 10 Oct, 1905	Succeeded by Harry L. Boyle
Preceded by Denis G. Thynne	Captain of H.M.S. Express 10 Oct, 1905 – 5 Dec, 1905	Succeeded by George H. Brown
Preceded by Ernest E. Parker	Captain of H.M.S. Foam 5 Dec, 1905 – 22 Dec, 1905	Succeeded by Eric W. Harbord
Preceded by Eric W. Harbord	Captain of H.M.S. Bruizer 22 Dec, 1905 – 10 Jul, 1907	Succeeded by Francis A. W. Buller
Preceded by Alan R. Dewar	Captain of H.M. T.B. 107 3 Jan, 1908 – 7 Apr, 1908	Succeeded by Arthur G. Harris
Preceded by Arthur G. Harris	Captain of H.M. T.B. 81 7 Apr, 1908 – Dec, 1909	Succeeded by Lionel G. Dawson
Preceded by Herbert I. N. Lyon	Captain of H.M. T.B. 99 Dec, 1909 – 4 Jan, 1910	Succeeded by Percy G. Brown
Preceded by Valentine E. B. Phillimore	Captain of H.M.S. Tartar 4 Jan, 1910 – 7 Dec, 1910	Succeeded by George W. McO. Campbell
Preceded by Hugh B. Le Fanu	Captain of H.M.S. Wolverine 7 Dec, 1910 – 1 Aug, 1912	Succeeded by Graham R. L. Edwards
Preceded by Arthur B. S. Dutton	Captain of H.M.S. Swiftsure 19 Mar, 1913 – Apr, 1913	Succeeded by Herbert J. T. Marshall
Preceded by Percy G. Brown	Captain of H.M.S. Jason Jun, 1913 – 3 Feb, 1914	Succeeded by Harold E. Denison
Preceded by Oswald T. Hodgson	Captain of H.M.S. Skipjack 5 Mar, 1914 – Jun, 1915	Succeeded by Herbert G. Briggs
Preceded by Herbert G. Briggs	Captain of H.M.S. Hollyhock Jun, 1915 – 9 Jun, 1916	Succeeded by Philip V. Kilgour
Preceded by Philip V. Kilgour	Captain of H.M.S. Lupin 9 Jun, 1916 – Feb, 1917	Succeeded by Hugh S. Currey
Preceded by New Appointment	Director of the Minesweeping Division 23 May, 1917 – 10 Oct, 1919	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by John Hennessy	Captain of H.M.S. Harebell Mar, 1920 – 16 Nov, 1920	Succeeded by Hugh F. Curry
Preceded by Arthur K. Macrorie	Captain of Portsmouth Signal School 16 Nov, 1920 – 16 Nov, 1922	Succeeded by Claude Seymour
Preceded by Gilbert O. Stephenson	Captain of H.M.S. Eagle 2 May, 1923 – 16 May, 1925	Succeeded by William M. Kerr
Preceded by Hugh D. Hamilton	Rear-Admiral Commanding, Third Cruiser Squadron 24 Dec, 1926 – Jan, 1929	Succeeded by Arthur J. Davies
Preceded by Vernon Haggard	Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Supplies and Transport 21 Apr, 1930 – 20 Sep, 1932	Succeeded by Geoffrey Blake
Preceded by Henry R. M. Brooke-Popham	Commandant of the Imperial Defence College 19 Jan, 1933 – 15 Jan, 1935	Succeeded by Sir Arthur M. Longmore