Ralph Lyall Clayton
Lieutenant-Commander Ralph Lyall Clayton (28 March, 1885 – 31 May, 1916) served in the Royal Navy.
Contents
Life & Career
The son of Retired Rear-Admiral Francis Starkie Clayton, Ralph gained three and a half months' time on passing out of Britannia. His first naval appointment was in Hannibal in the Channel on 1 June, 1901. In January, 1902, he moved on to Grafton in the Pacific, where Captain Keppel noted he possessed "exceptional mental abilities."[1]
Clayton was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 July, 1905.[2] On 10 November, he was appointed in command of T.B. 52.
Superseded in the torpedo boat on 1 November, 1906, Clayton was appointed to King Edward VII. On 5 March, 1907, he was appointed from her to Queen in the Mediterranean, where he remained until being appointed to Vernon to qualify in torpedoes on 2 September 1907. He qualified as a Lieutenant (T) on 26 September 1908 with 1,778 of 2,000 marks. On 1 October, he proceeded to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich for an advanced torpedo course.[3]
On 18 April, 1910 he was appointed to Blenheim as torpedo officer. In October, this appointment was broadened to include duty with T.B.Ds. On 7 September 1912, he returned to Vernon to requalify in torpedoes. Upon completing this, on 1 February 1913 Clayton was appointed to Queen Mary as her torpedo officer. He was to be the only man ever to serve in that capacity.[4]
Clayton was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 July, 1913.
Great War
Clayton served as Lieutenant-Commander (T) in Queen Mary from the outset of the war through her loss at the Battle of Jutland, where he was lost with her.[5] His final evaluation was on 24 May, 1916 from Captain Prowse, who marked his abilities as exceptional, an "Able T officer, energetic, decisive and ready."[6]
His personal diary through at least May 7th was transcribed and edited by Mary Jones. Clayton was not happy with his service in Queen Mary, as he yearned to command a destroyer. He regarded the battlecruiser as a boring post offering little excitement. His entry for 7 May read, at least in part,[7]
- We put a coat of paint and another of enamel over the dirt to make sure it’s hidden. It’s rather a nuisance to have to paint out a cabin while one is occupying it, but it badly wanted it...It looks quite nice and I’ve got good intentions in the way of keeping it tidy, which will last a week or more, I trust...
See Also
- Service Records
- Wikipedia
- A Life Cut Short - The Edited Letters of Lieutenant Commander Ralph Lyall Clayton, 1885 - 1916
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by Hugh T. England |
Captain of H.M. T.B. 52 10 Nov, 1905[8][9] – 1 Nov, 1906[10] |
Succeeded by Guy C. C. Royle |
Footnotes
- ↑ Clayton Service Record The National Archives. ADM 196/49/253. f. ?.
- ↑ The Navy List. (March, 1913). p. 15.
- ↑ Clayton Service Record The National Archives. ADM 196/49/253. f. ?.
- ↑ Clayton Service Record The National Archives. ADM 196/49/253. f. ?.
- ↑ Kindell. Royal Navy Roll of Honour Part 2. p. 202.
- ↑ Clayton Service Record The National Archives. ADM 196/49/253. f. ?.
- ↑ Clayton diary on Personal Naval Press website.
- ↑ The Monthly Navy List. (December, 1905). p. 399.
- ↑ Clayton Service Record The National Archives. ADM 196/49/253. f. ?.
- ↑ Clayton Service Record The National Archives. ADM 196/49/253. f. ?.
