Wilfrid Allan Egerton
Rear-Admiral Wilfrid Allan Egerton, C.M.G., Royal Navy (17 May, 1881 – 18 July, 1931) was an officer in the Royal Navy.
Life & Career
Born in Brompton, London, the son of R. A. Egerton, a surveyor.
Egerton was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 October, 1902.[1]
Egerton was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1913 and appointed that same day to Minotaur to serve as Flag Commander to Vice-Admiral Jerram.[2]
The Great War
Egerton transferred from Minotaur to the battleship Triumph on 30 November, 1914. He was in her until she was torpedoed and lost off Gallipoli on 25 May, 1915. He was appointed to Dreadnought on 5 July, 1915.[3]
Egerton was transferred from Dreadnought to H.M.S. Barham as Flag Commander to Rear-Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas on 17 February, 1916. Two days later, he was operated on for appendicitis. Granted some leave and hospitalised once more, he was found fit again on 8 March. He fought at the Battle of Jutland in Barham and moved with Evan-Thomas to Queen Elizabeth on 4 June, 1916, retaining his role as Flag Commander and also taking on War Staff duties.[4]
Egerton married Helen Cunningham on 20 June, 1916 at Brompton Oratory and was transferred back to Barham on 12 July, 1916 – to remain in her through the end of the war.[5]
Egerton was promoted to the rank of Captain on 31 December, 1918.[6] After promotion to Captain, he was appointed the first occupant of the post of Assistant Director of the Naval Staff College at Greenwich.[7]
He was made a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1919.
Post-War
Egerton was the primary author of a pamphlet entitled "Progress in Naval Gunnery, 1914-1918",[8] which was published in July, 1919. It was deemed "an admirable pamphlet – clear, concise and convincing."[9]
Egerton was appointed in command of the light cruiser Southampton in October, 1921, and flag captain and chief of staff to Admiral Sir Lewis Clinton-Baker on the East Indies Station.
Egerton was appointed in command of the battleship Queen Elizabeth in May, 1928.
On 7 May, 1930, Egerton was appointed as President of a week-long Court of Enquiry into an explosion that had occurred in H.M.S. Vernon.[10]
Egerton was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 23 May, 1930. The next year was filled with Senior Officers Tactical and War Courses. The last of these, a Tactical Course, commenced on 4 May, 1931.
He died of septic poisoning at his home in Heckfield, Hampshire, on 18 July.[11]
See Also
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by Lawrence W. Braithwaite |
Captain of H.M.S. Southampton 21 Oct, 1921[12] – Oct, 1923[13] |
Succeeded by Noel F. Laurence |
| Preceded by Gerald C. Dickens |
Deputy Director of Plans 15 May, 1924[14] – 9 Mar, 1925[15] |
Succeeded by Thomas H. Binney |
| Preceded by A. Dudley P. R. Pound |
Director of Plans 9 Mar, 1925[16][17] – 23 Jan, 1928[18] |
Succeeded by Roger M. Bellairs |
| Preceded by Thomas N. James |
Captain of H.M.S. Queen Elizabeth 18 May, 1928[19] – 7 May, 1930[20] |
Succeeded by Robert C. Davenport |
Footnotes
- ↑ The Navy List. (March, 1913). p. 24.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ "Obituary," The Times (Monday, 20 July 1931), p. 17.
- ↑ Copy of this pamphlet at The National Archives. ADM 186/238..
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106. "Obituary," The Times (Monday, 20 July 1931), p. 17.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 124.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
- ↑ Egerton Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/46. f. 106.
