Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt, First Baronet

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Tyrwhitt as a Rear-Admiral
© National Portrait Gallery, London.

Admiral of the Fleet SIR Reginald Yorke Tyrwhitt, First Baronet, G.C.B., D.S.O., D.C.L., Royal Navy (10 May, 1870 – 30 May, 1951) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Early Life & Career

He was educated for a year at Burney's at Gosport, and passed into the Britannia on his second attempt, thirty-third out of thirty-four.[1]

He was confirmed in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant dated 14 March, 1890.[2]

He was appointed to the first class protected cruiser Blake on 2 February, 1892,[3] but was appointed to Pilot on 25 March.[4]

On 1 July, 1892, he was appointed to the royal yacht Victoria and Albert II along with David Beatty.[5]

Tyrwhitt was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 25 August, 1892.[6] and was appointed to Cleopatra on 21 September, 1892.[7]

He was promoted to the rank of Commander dated 1 January, 1903.[8] On 24 February he married Sarah Angela Mary Margaret, daughter of Matthew Corbally, J.P., of Rathbeale Hall, Swords, County Dublin; they had one son and two daughters.

In 1904, Tyrwhitt was informed that he had misinterpreted regulations and that this had precipitated, in part, a collision between Arun and T.B. 87, but that no blame was to be attached to him.[9] However, on 13 August, 1904, Arun again collided, this time sinking the destroyer Decoy during night exercises off the Scilly Islands, killing one of Decoy's crew in the process. A Court Martial found that Tyrwhitt had hazarded the two vessels and he was reprimanded in the affair.[10][11]

On 30 June, 1908, Tyrwhitt was promoted to the rank of Captain.[12]

He was placed in command of Topaze as Captain (D) of the Fourth Destroyer Flotilla on 10 August, 1909. Superseded in her on 5 August, 1910, he took a Signal Course and then was appointed in command of Bacchante as Flag Captain in the Mediterranean on 26 September, 1910. He would stay there until 27 February, 1912.[13]

Directly from Bacchante, he was appointed as Flag Captain for Sixth Cruiser Squadron in Good Hope, ending on 10 August, 1912, when he became Captain (D) of Second Destroyer Flotilla, flying his flag in Bellona.[14]

On 1 December, 1913 Tyrwhitt succeeded Commodore Lambert as Captain (T) in command of the destroyer flotillas of the First Fleet, taking command of the third class protected cruiser Amethyst.[15]

On 28 April, 1914 he was appointed Commodore, Second Class.[16]

Great War

In August 1914, Tyrwhitt was placed in command of the light cruiser Arethusa.

In the April Supplement to the Monthly Navy List, Tyrwhitt's command is described for the first time as the "Harwich Striking Force,"[17] composed of the Third and Tenth Destroyer Flotillas and the Eighth Submarine Flotilla. In May he was assigned two completing light cruisers, which with the two under his authority would give him the command of the Fifth Light Cruiser Squadron.[18]

He was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) on 3 June, 1916.[19]

On 15 July, 1917, Tyrwhitt was appointed an Additional Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.).[20] He was not, as Temple Patterson claims, only the second Post Captain to receive this accolade and the first in seventy-eight years.[21] Two recent examples had been the knighting of Captain Robert Molyneux in 1885 and Captain Colin Keppel in 1908.

On 8 January, 1918, Tyrwhitt was appointed Acting Rear-Admiral.[22]

Post-War & Retirement

On 5 July, 1919, Tyrwhitt was appointed Senior Officer, Gibraltar, taking command on the 10th.[23]

On 2 December, 1919 Tyrwhitt was confirmed in the rank of Rear-Admiral, vice Heaton-Ellis.[24] He was given the baronetcy of Terschelling and of the City of Oxford on 13 December, 1919, and received a grant from Parliament of £10,000 (over £180,000 in early-2000s terms).[25] He received many foreign decorations and an honorary degree of D.C.L. from Oxford (1919).

Tyrwhitt was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 18 January, 1925, vice Pelly.[26]

Tyrwhitt was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 27 February, 1929, vice Webb.[27]

He was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet on 31 July, 1934, vice Brock.[28]

He was placed on the Retired List on 31 July, 1939.[29]

As the result of the King approving that Admirals of the Fleet should in future be borne on the Active List of the Royal Navy for life, on 4 March, 1940, Tyrwhitt was replaced on the Active List with seniority of 31 July, 1934.[30]

Tyrwhitt died at Ellenden, Sandhurst, Kent, on 30 May, 1951, from perforation of the duodenum causing peritonitis.

Tyrwhitt's papers were last known to be in the possession of his son's widow, Lady Nancy Agnew, who died in 2010.

Bibliography

  • "Adm. of the Fleet Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 31 May, 1951. Issue 52015, col G, p. 8.
  • "Admiral of the Fleet Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 27 June, 1951. Issue 52038, col F, p. 8.
  • Temple Patterson, Alfred (1973). Tyrwhitt of the Harwich Force: The Life of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Reginald Tyrwhitt. London: Macdonald and Jane's. ISBN 0-356-04530-7.

Papers

  • See main text.

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Hart
14 Jan, 1896[31][32] – 18 Aug, 1896
Succeeded by
Hastings F. Shakespear
Preceded by
?
Captain of H.M.S. Ranger
18 Aug, 1896[33] – 18 Nov, 1896[34]
Succeeded by
Ernest K. Loring
Preceded by
Sydney S. Hall
Captain of H.M.S. Gipsy
12 Jan, 1904[35] – 10 Feb, 1904[36]
Succeeded by
Cecil F. Lambert
Preceded by
Walter J. C. Lake
Captain of H.M.S. Sprightly
11 Feb, 1904[37] – 13 Apr, 1904[38]
Succeeded by
Ernest S. Carey
Preceded by
?
Captain of H.M.S. Arun
13 Apr, 1904[39] – 29 Aug, 1904[40]
Succeeded by
Charles La P. Lewin
Preceded by
Harold G. Grenfell
Captain of H.M.S. Waveney
29 Aug, 1904[41] – 12 Jan, 1906[42]
Succeeded by
John G. de O. Coke
Preceded by
?
Captain of H.M.S. Attentive
12 Jan, 1906[43] – 2 Jan, 1907[44]
Succeeded by
Lewis Bayly
Preceded by
Walter H. Cowan
Captain of H.M.S. Skirmisher
2 Jan, 1907[45] – 2 Jan, 1908[46]
Succeeded by
Edward Reeves
Preceded by
John Nicholas
Captain of H.M.S. Hecla
6 Aug, 1908[47][48] – 10 Aug, 1909[49]
Succeeded by
Francis M. Leake
Preceded by
Francis M. Leake
Captain of H.M.S. Topaze
10 Aug, 1909[50] – 5 Aug, 1910[51]
Succeeded by
Mortimer L'E. Silver
Preceded by
?
Captain (D), Fourth Destroyer Flotilla
10 Aug, 1909[52] – 5 Aug, 1910[53]
Succeeded by
Mortimer L'E. Silver
Preceded by
William G. E. Ruck-Keene
Captain of H.M.S. Bacchante
26 Sep, 1910[54][55] – 27 Feb, 1912[56]
Succeeded by
Charles D. Carpendale
Preceded by
Charles D. Carpendale
Captain of H.M.S. Good Hope
27 Feb, 1912[57] – 1 Jun, 1912[58]
Succeeded by
Richard F. Phillimore
Preceded by
The Hon. Hubert G. Brand
Captain of H.M.S. Bellona
10 Aug, 1912[59] – 5 Jul, 1913[60]
Succeeded by
Percy M. R. Royds
Preceded by
The Hon. Hubert G. Brand
Captain (D), Second Destroyer Flotilla
10 Aug, 1912[61] – 1 Dec, 1913[62]
Succeeded by
James U. Farie
Preceded by
Harry L. d'E. Skipwith
Captain of H.M.S. Blake
5 Jul, 1913[63] – 28 Aug, 1913
Succeeded by
John B. Sparks
Preceded by
Gerald T. F. Pike
Captain of H.M.S. Adventure
28 Aug, 1913[64] – 1 Dec, 1913[65]
Succeeded by
James U. Farie
Preceded by
Cecil F. Lambert
Captain of H.M.S. Amethyst
1 Dec, 1913[66] – Aug, 1914[67]
Succeeded by
Bertram S. Thesiger
Preceded by
New Command
Rear-Admiral Commanding, Harwich Force
27 Apr, 1914[68] – 1 May, 1919[69]
Succeeded by
George H. Borrett
Preceded by
Sir Heathcoat S. Grant
Senior Officer, Gibraltar
5 Jul, 1919[70][71]
Succeeded by
Henry B. Pelly
as Rear-Admiral in Charge, Gibraltar
Preceded by
Sir George P. W. Hope
as Vice-Admiral Commanding, Third Light Cruiser Squadron
Rear-Admiral Commanding, Third Light Cruiser Squadron
19 Jan, 1921[72] – 11 Dec, 1922[73]
Succeeded by
Sir Alfred Ernle Montacute Chatfield
Preceded by
Sir John F. E. Green
Admiral Superintendent of Rosyth Dockyard
1 Apr, 1922[74] – 1923
Succeeded by
Sir Walter H. Cowan
Preceded by
Sir John F. E. Green
Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland
? – 30 Jun, 1925[75]
Succeeded by
Sir Walter H. Cowan
Preceded by
Sir Edwyn S. Alexander-Sinclair
Commander-in-Chief, China Station
8 Nov, 1926[76] – 13 Nov, 1928[77]
Succeeded by
Sir Arthur K. Waistell
Preceded by
Sir Edwyn S. Alexander-Sinclair
Commander-in-Chief at the Nore
16 May, 1930[78] – 16 May, 1933[79]
Succeeded by
Sir Hugh J. Tweedie
Court Appointments
Preceded by
The Hon. Sir Hubert G. Brand
First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp
10 Oct, 1932[80]
Succeeded by
?

Footnotes

  1. Temple Patterson. Tyrwhitt of the Harwhich Force. p. 5.
  2. The London Gazette: no. 26224. p. 5986. 17 November, 1891.
  3. "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Tuesday, Jan 19, 1892; pg. 7; Issue 33538.
  4. "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Monday, Mar 21, 1892; pg. 6; Issue 33591.
  5. "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Wednesday, Jun 29, 1892; pg. 12; Issue 33677. .
  6. The London Gazette: no. 26322. p. 5016. 2 September, 1892.
  7. "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Friday, Sep 09, 1892; pg. 4; Issue 33739.
  8. The London Gazette: no. 27512. p. 4. 2 January, 1903.
  9. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  10. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/89. f. 41.
  11. Hepper. British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era: 1860-1919. pp. 17, 18.
  12. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28151. p. 4644. 26 June, 1908.
  13. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  14. "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Friday, 26 July, 1912. Issue 39961, col C, p. 12.
  15. The Navy List. (April, 1914). p. 278.
  16. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  17. Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (April, 1915). p. 13.
  18. Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (May, 1915). p. 13.
  19. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29608. p. 5563. 3 June, 1916.
  20. The London Gazette: no. 30186. p. 7125. 17 July, 1917.
  21. Temple Patterson. p. 190.
  22. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. p. 125.
  23. The Navy List. (January, 1921). p. 698.
  24. The London Gazette: no. 31698. p. 15745. 19 December, 1919.
  25. Burke's Peerage and Baronetage. III. p. 3968.
  26. The London Gazette: no. 33015. p. 591. 27 January, 1925.
  27. The London Gazette: no. 33474. p. 1575. 5 March, 1929.
  28. The London Gazette: no. 34076. p. 5054. 7 August, 1934.
  29. The London Gazette: no. 34651. p. 5393. 4 August, 1939.
  30. The London Gazette: no. 34807. p. 1394. 8 March, 1940.
  31. "Naval & Military Intelligence". The Times. Friday, 10 January, 1896. Issue 34783, col D, p. 8.
  32. Trywhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  33. Trywhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  34. Trywhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  35. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  36. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  37. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  38. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  39. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  40. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  41. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  42. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  43. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  44. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  45. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  46. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  47. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  48. The Navy List. (July, 1909). p. 325.
  49. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  50. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  51. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  52. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  53. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  54. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  55. The Navy List. (April, 1911). p. 281.
  56. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  57. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  58. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  59. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  60. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  61. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  62. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  63. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  64. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  65. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  66. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  67. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  68. Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 6.
  69. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  70. The Navy List. (January, 1921). p. 698.
  71. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  72. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  73. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 125.
  74. "Naval and Military" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 27 March, 1922. Issue 42990, col A, p. 23.
  75. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 126.
  76. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/89. f. 41.
  77. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/89. f. 41.
  78. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. p. 249.
  79. Tyrwhitt Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/89. f. 41.
  80. The London Gazette: no. 33872. p. 6416. 11 October, 1932.