Paul Whitfield
Captain (retired) Paul Whitfield, D.S.O., O.B.E., R.N. (6 July, 1880 – 11 January, 1953) was an officer in the Royal Navy.
Life & Career
Born in Wimbledon.
In May 1901, Whitfield was found guilty of cribbing at an examination on Hydraulics. His result was altered to "failed" and he lost one month's seniority.
Whitfield was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 October, 1902.
Whitfield was relieved of command of Porcupine after grounding her in mid-1908.
Whitfield was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 1 October, 1910.
Whitfield was appointed in command of the destroyer Tigress on 25 March, 1912.[1]
In April 1914, he invented a pattern of searchlight training gear.
In 1915, while in command of the destroyer Tigress, serving in the First Destroyer Flotilla out of South Queensferry, Whitfield's ribs were fractured when a wave struck the bridge so hard that the railings pinned him against the compass.[2]
Whitfield commanded the destroyer Nomad when she was lost while operating with the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla at the Battle of Jutland.[3] Whitfield was wounded in his lips, throat, chest and right forearm by shrapnel and captured by the Germans as a prisoner of war. He was sent first to Mainz and then Friedberg and then Konstanz and Crefeld and would not be repatriated until after the war. Whitfield was specially promoted for his services in the battle to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1916.
He was appointed in command of the destroyer Tribune on 19 November, 1919.[4]
After one year in charge of the Mechanical Training Establishment at Pembroke, Whitfield retired on 1 January, 1923.
Whitfield was promoted to the rank of Captain on 6 July, 1925.
See Also
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by Richard F. H. Hartland-Mahon |
Captain of H.M.S. Porcupine 13 May, 1908 – 28 Jul, 1908 |
Succeeded by Cecil R. Nicholl |
| Preceded by James F. Dewar |
Captain of H.M.S. Derwent 1 Aug, 1911 – 21 Mar, 1912 |
Succeeded by Alexander G. Fleming |
| Preceded by New Command |
Captain of H.M.S. Tigress 25 Mar, 1912[5] – 28 May, 1915 |
Succeeded by John I. Hallett |
| Preceded by Astley D. C. Cooper-Key |
Captain of H.M.S. Nomad late Mar, 1916 – 31 May, 1916[6] |
Succeeded by Vessel Lost |
| Preceded by Lewis G. E. Crabbe |
Captain of H.M.S. Penn 4 Jul, 1919 – 17 Oct, 1919 |
Succeeded by ? |
| Preceded by Henry D. Pridham-Wippell |
Captain of H.M.S. Tribune 19 Nov, 1919[7] – 20 Nov, 1921 |
Succeeded by Gerald C. Harrison |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 386.
- ↑ Smith. Hard Lying. p. 121.
- ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. pp. 34, 46.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1920). p. 877.
- ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 398r.
- ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. p. 46.
- ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1920). p. 877.
