Ronald Arthur Hopwood

Admiral Ronald Arthur Hopwood, C.B., Royal Navy, Retired (7 December, 1858 – 28 December, 1949) was an officer of the Royal Navy and also a writer and poet of some distinction.

Life & Career

Hopwood was born at "Rubland Gate, Knightbridge" [?], the son of J. T. Hopwood, Esq.. He entered H.M.S. Britannia in January, 1882 and emerged with eleven months' seniority at the end of 1883. His first ship was the ironclad battleship Minotaur of the Channel Squadron, appointed 4 January, 1884.

In October, he was appointed to Opal which was operating at the Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa. He would spend two years in her.

His skills in drawing and French were noted in 1884, as well as some talent in photography in 1893.

Hopwood was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 14 February, 1890.

Hopwood was sent to the gunnery training school H.M.S. Excellent to qualify for gunnery lieutenant on 30 September 1891 and was awarded a first-class certificate in an examination in July 1892. He earned another such first-class certificate in June 1895.

Hopwood was promoted to the rank of Commander on 26 June, 1902. He woudl serve in Hawke, Highflyer and Glory through late 1905 before being sent to Duke of Edinburgh, first for her trials, and then as her executive officer. His service in her ended shortly after he was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1907.

Hopwood was appointed captain of the first class protected cruiser Grafton on 11 January, 1909. He was discharged on 1 March, 1910 and appointed to President to take command of the battleship Revenge.

He was superseded in Revenge and appointed to command the battleship Prince of Wales on 20 November, 1910.

He turned over command of Prince of Wales and was made captain of Hercules on 19 December of 1911, and then was appointed in command of the first class protected cruiser Gibraltar and a group of training ships on 20 January, 1913.

The Great War

On 28 November 1914, Hopwood left Gibraltar and was appointed to command Conqueror on 22 December, 1914. Despite having proven able at other, seemingly similar roles, he asked that this appointment be cancelled, "[informing] the Naval Secretary that he was not equal to the command of that ship".

Hopwood was told that he would not be employed afloat. An ensuing series of medical reports implies that it was due to colorectal issues. He was marked as fit for shore service only on 29th December and appointed as a Naval Member of the Ordnance Committee. This committee work kept him busy through the war, with intermittent periods of medical debility and two surgeries in Chatham Hospital in October and December, 1915. On 2 April, 1917 Hopwood was appointed as Vice-President of the Ordnance Committee. It seems likely that he worked in this appointment until his retirement in January, 1919.

Hopwood was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 1 January, 1919 and placed on the Retired List the next day in accordance with Order in Council of 9 March, 1914.

On 15 February, 1919, Hopwood was appointed as Chairman of the Advisory Committee to select names for ships of the forthcoming construction programme.

He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on the Retired List on 31 July, 1924, and advanced to Admiral on the Retired List on 22 February, 1928.

Bibliography

• "Adml. R. A. Hopwood" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 16 May, 1946. Issue 50453, col E, p. 7.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/89.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/43.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Charles F. Thorp	Captain of H.M.S. Grafton 11 Jan, 1909 – 1 Mar, 1910	Succeeded by Constantine H. Hughes-Onslow
Preceded by Vivian H. G. Bernard	Captain of H.M.S. Revenge 1 Mar, 1910 – 20 Nov, 1910	Succeeded by The Hon. Herbert E. Holmes-à-Court
Preceded by Edward M. Phillpotts	Captain of H.M.S. Prince of Wales 20 Nov, 1910 – 19 Dec, 1911	Succeeded by Edward H. F. Heaton-Ellis
Preceded by Allan F. Everett	Captain of H.M.S. Hercules 19 Dec, 1911 – 20 Jan, 1913	Succeeded by George H. Baird
Preceded by George B. Powell	Captain of H.M.S. Gibraltar 20 Jan, 1913 – 28 Nov, 1914	Succeeded by Edward H. Moubray
Preceded by Cuthbert E. Hunter	Naval Member of the Ordnance Board 28 Dec, 1914 – 4 Dec, 1915	Succeeded by Ronald A. Hopwood as Naval Member of the Ordnance Committee
Preceded by Ronald A. Hopwood as Naval Member of the Ordnance Board	Naval Member of the Ordnance Committee 4 Dec, 1915 – 2 Apr, 1917	Succeeded by Cecil Maxwell-Lefroy
Preceded by Cuthbert E. Hunter	Vice-President of the Ordnance Committee 2 Apr, 1917 – 25 Feb, 1919[Fact Check]	Succeeded by Henry R. Crooke