Difference between revisions of "David Richard Beatty, First Earl Beatty"

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[[File:William Orpen David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Admiral of the Fleet David, Earl Beatty.<br><small>Portrait: Sir William Orpen.</small>]]
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[[File:William Orpen David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Admiral of the Fleet David, Earl Beatty.<br><small>Portrait: Sir William Orpen.</small>]]
  
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[[Admiral of the Fleet]] {{RIGHTHON}} '''David Richard Beatty, First Earl Beatty''', G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O., P.C., Royal Navy (17 January, 1871 &ndash; 11 March, 1936) was an officer of the [[Royal Navy]].
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[[Admiral of the Fleet]] {{RIGHTHON}} '''David Richard Beatty, First Earl Beatty''', G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O., D.S.O., P.C., Royal Navy (17 January, 1871 &ndash; 11 March, 1936) was an officer of the [[Royal Navy]].
  
 
==Early Life & Career==
 
==Early Life & Career==
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Beatty was born '''David Richard Beatty''' on 17 January, 1871 at Howbeck Lodge, Stapeley, in the Registration District of Nantwich, in the County of Chester.  His birth was registered on 17 February.<ref>Beatty.  ''Our Admiral''.  p. 2.</ref>  He was the second of four sons of Captain David Longfield Beatty (1841–1904), of the Fourth Hussars, and his first wife, Catherine Edith (d. 1896), daughter of Nicholas Sadlier of Dunboyne Castle, County Meath, Ireland.  David Richard and his elder brother Charles were both born out of wedlock, as David Longfield Beatty and Catherine Sadlier were not married until nearly six months after David Richard was born.<ref>Beatty.  ''Our Admiral''.  p. 3.</ref>   
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Beatty was born '''David Richard Beatty''' on 17 January, 1871 at Howbeck Villa, Stapeley, in the Registration District of Nantwich, in the County of Chester.  His birth was registered on 17 February.<ref>Beatty.  ''Our Admiral''.  p. 2.  The 1871 Census shows the Beattys as living in Howbeck VIlla, not Howbeck Lodge as is commonly recorded.  The census has been deemed to be more accurate.</ref>  He was the second of four sons of Captain David Longfield Beatty (1841–1904), of the Fourth Hussars, and his first wife, Catherine Edith (d. 1896), daughter of Nicholas Sadlier of Dunboyne Castle, County Meath, Ireland.  David Richard and his elder brother Charles were both born out of wedlock, as David Longfield Beatty and Catherine Sadlier were not married until nearly six months after David Richard was born.<ref>Beatty.  ''Our Admiral''.  p. 3.  Apparently Beatty Senior's marriage certificate may be found in volume 8b, f. 121, for the district of Liverpool.</ref>
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On 28 January, 1892, he was confirmed in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant, dated 14 May, 1890.{{Gaz|26253|544|2 February, 1892}} On 25 August, he was promoted to the rank of {{LieutRN}}.{{Gaz|26322|5016|2 September, 1892}}
  
 
A fellow officer in ''Trafalgar'', Lieutenant [[Sydney Robert Fremantle|Sydney Fremantle]], later recalled of Beatty:
 
A fellow officer in ''Trafalgar'', Lieutenant [[Sydney Robert Fremantle|Sydney Fremantle]], later recalled of Beatty:
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<blockquote>We had some enjoyable shooting trips together.  He was a conscientious officer who never failed in his duties and obligations, but showed little interest in the Service outside his immediate functions, and when our ship was at Malta distinguished himself as a member of the naval polo team.<ref>Fremantle.  ''My Naval Career''.  p. 68.</ref></blockquote>
 
<blockquote>We had some enjoyable shooting trips together.  He was a conscientious officer who never failed in his duties and obligations, but showed little interest in the Service outside his immediate functions, and when our ship was at Malta distinguished himself as a member of the naval polo team.<ref>Fremantle.  ''My Naval Career''.  p. 68.</ref></blockquote>
  
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For his service in China he was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 9 November, 1900, aged just twenty-nine.<ref>''London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27245/pages/6855 no. 27245.  p. 6855.] 9 November, 1900.</ref>
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On 18 November, 1896, Beatty was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) for his services in the Sudan.{{Gaz|26795|6271|17 November, 1896}}  He was specially promoted to the rank of {{CommRN}} on 15 November, 1898, aged twenty-seven years, nine months, and twenty-nine days.{{Gaz|27023|6692|15 November, 1898}}
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For his service in China he was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 9 November, 1900, aged just twenty-nine.{{Gaz|27245|6855|9 November, 1900}}  C. S. Forester was later to claim, and Andrew Gordon to repeat, that the average age of officers promoted Captain at the time was forty-two.<ref>Chalmers. p. xxi. Gordon.  p. 26.</ref> Actually the average of forty-two was for 1899, and with Beatty's promotion the average age in 1900 was forty years and seven months.  Apart from a slight rise in 1901 the average would be forty or thirty-nine years old for the next decade.<ref>"Report of the Conference on the Executive Lists of the Royal Navy.  1913."  f. 21. in {{TNA|ADM 1/8370/65}}.</ref>
  
 
==Captain==
 
==Captain==
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Beatty was succeeded in command of ''Suffolk'' by Captain [[Rosslyn Erskine Wemyss, First Baron Wester Wemyss|Rosslyn E. Wemyss]].  According to Lady Wester Wemyss, Sir John Fisher had laughingly described ''Suffolk'' as "the worst ship in the navy,"<ref>Quoted in Wester Wemyss.  ''Life and Letters''.  p. 76.</ref> and upon taking command Wemyss had supposedly "found the ship plunged in the deepest gloom, the officers discontented, the men unwilling."<ref>Wester Wemyss.  ''Life and Letters''.  p. 78.</ref>
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On 2 March, 1902, Beatty was appointed Captain of the cruiser [[H.M.S. Juno (1895)|''Juno'']] in the {{UK-CS}}.  He was appointed Captain of the protected cruiser second class [[H.M.S. Arrogant (1896)|''Arrogant'']] in the Mediterranean Cruiser Division on 3 March, 1903.  When ''Arrogant's'' propeller was fouled by a 2½-inch wire he was "cautioned to take better precautions" in January, 1904.<ref>{{TNA|ADM 196/87}}.  f. 102.</ref> On 30 September he took command of the cruiser {{UK-1Diana}}.  On 12 October he was given command of the battleship [[H.M.S. Mars (1896)|''Mars'']] in the [[Channel Fleet (Royal Navy)|Channel Fleet]].<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43}}.  f. 156.</ref> On 25 October he was transferred to the new armoured cruiser [[H.M.S. Suffolk (1903)|''Suffolk'']] in the Mediterranean.  He was disciplined in 1905 after fouling ''Suffolk's'' port propeller at Port Said on 26 June.  He was adjudged to have committed an "error of judgement." A story from this time has it that Beatty damaged the engines of the ship in order to return to Malta as quickly as possible, overriding the warnings of the Chief Engineer.  Having heard that Beatty might be censured for this, Ethel is supposed to have said, "What &mdash; court martial my David?  I'll buy them a new ship."<ref>Quoted in Roskill.  p. 41.</ref> The story is supported by [[Arthur Murray Longmore|Arthur Longmore]], who served as Beatty's "doggie" in ''Suffolk'', who wrote:
  
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At a gathering of the Home Fleet at Cromarty in 1909, Beatty complained to his wife, "Many admirals, and not one that inspires a great deal of confidence, this is private, unless it be Prince Louis, and his national or birth qualifications are against him."<ref>Letter of 13 April, 1909. National Maritime Museum.  Beatty Papers. BTY/17/13/68-71.  Reproduced in ''Beatty Papers''. p. 22.</ref>  
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<blockquote>Not so long afterwards the ''Suffolk'' and ''Cornwall'' had a race during a full power trial in which David Beatty had backed his ship against Christopher Craddock of the ''Cornwall'' [he presumably means most likely actually ''Bacchante'', but possibly ''Leviathan''] for a mere £500, or so the story goes. Soon after starting, the Chief Engineer of the ''Suffolk'' reported that the starboard engine was running hot, to which D.B. reacted with indifference, suggesting some more cold water on the bearing. Yes, they were cooled with cold water, those big reciprocating engine bearings. Later still he insisted on holding on, to the further detriment of the engine, which eventually packed up.<ref>Longmore. "Midshipman Days". ''The Naval Review''. L:I. p. 51.</ref></blockquote>
  
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Beatty had reached the top of the Captains' list without the necessary six years' of peacetime service, and an Order-in-Council was promulgated on 2 December, 1909 sanctioning Beatty's promotion to Flag rank, the regulations notwithstanding.<ref>''London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28317/pages/9514 no. 28317.  p. 9514.]  14 December, 1909.</ref> No-one has yet offered a satisfactory reason as to why this privilege was granted Beatty.  That which Professor Lambert proffers, "Beatty was a very good seaman, had commanded four ships and had nothing left to prove,"<ref>Lambert.  ''Admirals''.  p. 344.</ref> is utterly unconvincing. Hundreds of Beatty's contemporaries on the Captains' list were in command of ships.  Many would be retired for age or for lack of sea time, of whom there must have been some who must have shown promise.  Why was Beatty extended such extraordinary treatment?  This mystery notwithstanding, he was promoted to the rank of {{RearRN}} on 1 January, 1910, vice [[Charles Henry Cross|Cross]], promoted to the rank of {{ViceRN}}.<ref>''London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28325/pages/30 no. 28325.  p. 30.]  4 January, 1910.</ref>
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Beatty was succeeded in command of {{UK-1Suffolk}} on 1 September, 1905, by Captain [[Rosslyn Erskine Wemyss, First Baron Wester Wemyss|Rosslyn E. Wemyss]].  According to Lady Wester Wemyss, Sir John Fisher had laughingly described ''Suffolk'' as "the worst ship in the navy,"<ref>Quoted in Wester Wemyss.  ''Life and Letters''.  p. 76.</ref> and upon taking command Wemyss had supposedly "found the ship plunged in the deepest gloom, the officers discontented, the men unwilling."<ref>Wester Wemyss.  ''Life and Letters''.  p. 78.</ref>  Beatty meanwhile returned to Britain and on 21 December, 1906, was appointed Naval Adviser to the Army Council.  He was discharged from this duty on 15 December, 1908, upon the abolition of the position, and on 26 December the "War Office express apprecn of ready co operation & expert knowledge as Adviser to Army Council."
  
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==Flag Rank==
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On 15 December Beatty was appointed Captain of the battleship {{UK-Queen}} in the [[Atlantic Fleet (Royal Navy)|Atlantic Fleet]].  At a gathering of the Home Fleet at Cromarty in 1909, Beatty complained to his wife, "Many admirals, and not one that inspires a great deal of confidence, this is private, unless it be Prince Louis, and his national or birth qualifications are against him."<ref>Letter of 13 April, 1909.  National Maritime Museum.  Beatty Papers.  BTY/17/13/68-71.  Reproduced in ''Beatty Papers''.  '''I'''.  p. 22.</ref>
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He attended the June, 1911 War Course, where he placed fifth out of seven Rear-Admirals.  He was judged to be "Well set, an excellent example to the juniors.  Smart and able, apt to be rash in conclusion".<ref>Jones.  ''The Making of the Royal Navy Officer Corps''.  p. 208.</ref>  On 19 June, 1911 he was appointed a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on the occasion of the coronation of King George V.<ref>''London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28505/supplements/4588 (Supplement) no. 28505.  p. 4588.]  19 June, 1911.</ref>
 
  
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Beatty was rescued from this impasse by Winston Churchill's becoming First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911.  Advised by Fisher to exercise particular care in his choice of naval secretary, Churchill selected Beatty after an interview in which he demonstrated "the profound sagacity of his comments expressed in language free from technical jargon" (R. Churchill, 550).  According to Admiral [[Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair|Sir Dudley de Chair]], when Beatty met Churchill the latter said, "You seem very young to be an admiral." To which Beatty replied, "And you seem very young to be First Lord of the Admiralty."<ref>de Chair.  ''The Sea is Strong''.  p. 142.</ref>  
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Beatty had reached the top of the Captains' list without the necessary six years of peacetime service, and an Order in Council was obtained on 2 December, 1909, sanctioning Beatty's promotion to Flag rank, the regulations notwithstanding.{{Gaz|28317|9514|14 December, 1909}} No-one has yet offered a satisfactory reason as to why this privilege was granted Beatty.  Roskill merely comments that the Order in Council was "exceptional proof of the high regard in which he [Beatty] was held."<ref>Roskill. ''Earl Beatty''.  p. 43.</ref> That explanation which Professor Lambert proffers, that "Beatty was a very good seaman, [who] had commanded four ships and had nothing left to prove,"<ref>Lambert.  ''Admirals''.  p. 344.</ref> is really rather unconvincing.  Ranft doesn't even attempt to explain away the dispensation.<ref>''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''.</ref>
  
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In the absence of an organized naval staff, an able and determined naval secretary could exercise considerable influence over his political master. Beatty used the opportunity to the full, and despite his earlier suspicion began to appreciate Churchill's genuine enthusiasm for the navy and his ability in cabinet to further its interests. A paper that he addressed to Churchill in April 1912 on naval dispositions in a German war shows the maturity and perceptiveness of Beatty's contributions to their discussions (Beatty Papers, 1.36–45).
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The real reason would appear to lie in a letter the [[Fourth Sea Lord]], Vice-Admiral [[Alfred Leigh Winsloe|Sir Alfred L. Winsloe]], wrote to the First Lord of the Admiralty, [[Reginald McKenna]], on 12 August, 1909:
  
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The practical result of Churchill's approbation led to Beatty's taking temporary command of the [[Sixth Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)|Sixth Cruiser Squadron]], with his flag in [[H.M.S. Aboukir (1900)|''Aboukir'']] for the fleet manoeuvres of July 1912. His success in bringing his command to fighting efficiency must have reminded his critics of his high leadership qualities.
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<blockquote>I want to bring to your special notice the case of Capt Beatty who will get to the top of the Captains List before he has his 6 years time in.  He has had a distinguished career in the service and was badly wounded in China, so much so that he was 1½ years before reported fit to serve.  He will only be some 3 months short of his time and as this has undoubtedly been brought about by the changes introduced by Admiralty whereby the time of Captains has been shortened from 12½ years to 9 years on the Captains List, I would like to recommend to you that a special O in C [Order in Council] and Treasury sanction should be asked for his promotion when he comes to the top of the List, and I shall be much indebted to you if you will favourably consider this.<ref>Winsloe to McKenna.  Letter of 12 August, 1909.  McKenna Papers.  Churchill Archives Centre.  MCKN 3/5/6.</ref></blockquote>
  
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===The Battle Cruiser Squadron, 1913-1914===
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Beatty was accordingly promoted to the rank of {{RearRN}} on 1 January, 1910, vice [[Charles Henry Cross|Cross]], promoted to the rank of {{ViceRN}}.{{Gaz|28325|30|4 January, 1910}}
  
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==Great War==
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==Flag Rank==
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He attended the June, 1911 War Course, where he placed fifth out of seven Rear-Admirals.  He was judged to be "Well set, an excellent example to the juniors.  Smart and able, apt to be rash in conclusion".<ref>ADM 203/99.  f. 45.</ref>  On the occasion of King George V's coronation he was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 19 June.{{GazSup|28505|4588|19 June, 1911}}
  
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On 9 August, 1915, Beatty was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral.<ref>''London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29262/pages/8016 no. 29262.  p. 8016.] 13 August, 1915.</ref>
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He had apparently asked the [[Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty]], Captain [[Ernest Charles Thomas Troubridge|Ernest C. T. Troubridge]], to be considered for a number of positions, for on 5 July Troubridge wrote to him about his choices.  He had evidently asked to be Rear-Admiral Second-in-Command in either the First or Second Divisions of the Home Fleet, or to succeed Rear-Admiral [[Herbert Goodenough King-Hall|Herbert G. King-Hall]] as Director of Naval Mobilisation at the Admiralty:
  
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==Jutland==
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<blockquote>You want:<br><br>1st Division H.F. vice [[Richard Henry Peirse|Peirse]] Jan 12<br><br>or<br><br>2nd Division H.F. vice [[George Edwin Patey|Patey]] Oct 11<br><br>[[Naval Mobilisation Department (Royal Navy)|Director of Mobilisation]] - when vacant.</blockquote>
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Beatty's command on 31 May 1916 included six battlecruisers, with Lion as flagship; the 5th battle squadron of four fast ships under Rear-Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas in Barham; twelve light cruisers; twenty-seven destroyers, plus three light cruisers as flotilla leaders; and the seaplane carrier Engadine. The battleships were there as a temporary replacement for three Invincible class battlecruisers detached to Scapa Flow for gunnery practice.
 
  
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The battle of Jutland originated in a plan by the new German fleet commander, Rheinhard Scheer, to cut off Beatty's force without engaging the Grand Fleet. The Admiralty were alerted by enemy radio activity on 30 May and ordered Jellicoe and Beatty to sea. The benefits of this early warning were reduced by a lack of co-operation between the uniformed naval staff and the largely ‘amateur’ analysts of Room 40 in naval intelligence. Jellicoe was given an overestimate of German battleship strength and, more importantly, was told that it was still in port after it had sailed. This resulted in his moving south slowly and in Beatty's being unaware, when he intercepted the enemy, that he was soon to face not only the five battlecruisers but also the main German battle fleet. His confidence in the naval staff was permanently undermined.
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"Your not wanting the IIIrd Division or Atlantic has rather narrowed the choice, it must be admitted," wrote Troubridge, "and the business of the other post [Director of Naval Mobilisation] is so far in the future that I am at somewhat at a loss to give you any reply."<ref>BTY 2/2/1. ''Beatty Papers''.  '''I'''.  p. 32.</ref>  On 25 July Beatty wrote to the First Lord, [[Reginald McKenna]], apologising for the delay in replying to his letter of the 21st (he had been "up North"), and:
  
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When Beatty's battlecruisers opened fire at 3.48 p.m. on 31 May he failed to co-ordinate his attack with Evan-Thomas's battleships, which did not engage until twenty minutes later. He was totally unaware of the presence of the high seas fleet, but soon realized the destructive power of the German battlecruisers' gunnery; Lion was hit on her midship's turret. Worse was to come when Indefatigable and Queen Mary exploded before his eyes, with the loss of 1283 officers and men. This was the occasion of Beatty's often quoted remark to Chatfield, ‘There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today’ (Roskill, 160). His battleships were now in effective action; he ordered a destroyer attack against what he saw as a fleeing enemy, and seemed on the point of achieving his decisive victory despite his heavy losses. But the arrival of the high seas fleet reversed the situation, and he turned to lead the enemy into the jaws of Jellicoe's Grand Fleet, which unknown to the Germans was approaching the battle area. Beatty was later criticized for the inadequacy of his reporting of the situation, which caused Jellicoe to signal to him twice, ‘Where is the enemy's Battle Fleet?’ (ibid., 169), and for having to make his fundamental decision on deploying his own fleet to block the enemy retreat to its home ports without knowing its exact location and course. At 6.07 p.m. Beatty took up his allotted position ahead of the Grand Fleet. From then on he had to conform to the fleet's movements. But at 7.47 p.m., apprehensive that Jellicoe's pursuit was lagging, he signalled to him, ‘Submit that van of battleships follows battle-cruisers. We can then cut off the whole of the enemy's battle fleet’ (ibid., 177). Surprisingly, in view of his distaste for any independent movement by divisions of his fleet, Jellicoe agreed. However, Vice-Admiral Sir Martyn Jerram, commanding the leading division, claimed that he was unable to gain close contact with the battlecruisers, much to Beatty's suspicion and anger. This was an opportunity missed. Beatty did sight and engage the already seriously damaged Seydlitz and Derfflinger and a squadron of old battleships which, with Jerram's support, could well have been overcome. Beatty played no distinctive part in the confused night action, which ended in Sheer's escape. On 2 June he returned to Rosyth to join the gloom and controversy that followed.
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<blockquote>I thank you for the time to think it over which you kindly gave and regret extremely that I am unable to accept the offer of the 2nd in Command of the Atlantic Fleet. As I informed your Private Secretary in the course of several conversations I was ready for service anywhere at the Admiralty or at sea where there was work to do and experience to be gained. But preferably a sea appointment &mdash; and being invited by him where, I as early as the beginning of March, asked that my name might be listed for the Home Fleet, where the greatest experience afloat is to be gained, where the work is continuous. I was given to understand that this was quite like to be favourably considered and I stood as good a chance as any and that my seniority would be about right. I have always stated that the one appointment I did not wish to be considered for was that of 2nd in Command Atlantic Fleet. There the work to be done and experience to be gained is of the minimum quality & a Rear-Admiral with a nominal squadron of 6 ships frequently reduced to 5 and even 4 ships, has absolutely nothing to do and occupy himself with &mdash; except a study of naval history.<ref>Draft in BTY 2/2/24. ''Beatty Papers''. '''I'''. p. 33.</ref></blockquote>
  
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Beatty's early correspondence with Jellicoe was free from rancour and full of sorrow for the heavy losses of ships and men, as well as frustration at the enemy's escape. He did share, however, in the fleet's general anger with the Admiralty's unduly alarmist releases to the press. He also reacted angrily at an Admiralty meeting with Jellicoe when the first sea lord, Sir Henry Jackson, criticized his failure to keep the 5th battle squadron in line with Jellicoe at the opening of the action. Beatty responded that if his earlier request for the battleships to be put under his command had been approved, Rear-Admiral Evan-Thomas and his ships would have absorbed the battlecruisers' combat procedures, and the delay in coming into action would never have occurred. This was a warning of future disputes, as was his wife's contribution to London gossip on Jellicoe's conduct of the battle. Despite its losses, the Grand Fleet was ready for action almost immediately, in numbers superior to those of a high seas fleet so seriously damaged in the battle that it never sought fleet action until October 1918 when, in desperation at Germany's plunge into defeat, the high command ordered it to do so and its crews mutinied.
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Troubridge replied the following day:
  
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==Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, 1916–1919==
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<blockquote>I have your letter today and am truly sorry you have decided to refuse, for one can never tell from day to day whether an appointment afloat will turn out strenuous or otherwise.  The fact is that the Admiralty view is that officers should serve where they, i.e. the Admiralty, wish and ''not'' where they themselves wish.  This is the cold and brutal explanation of your being offered the appointment although I informed the Powers That Be that you did not wish to be offered it.<ref>BTY 2/2/2.  ''Beatty Papers''.  '''I'''.  p. 34.</ref></blockquote>  
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Asquith wrote to Balfour on 20 November of a successor to Jellicoe, "I quite realise the difficulty of taking him at this moment from the Grand Fleet, especially as his only possible successor in the command (I am sure you would agree) from the combatant point of view is Beatty, who, with all his fine fighting qualities, is yet comparatively untried in the domain of fleet administration on a large scale."<ref>Letter of 20 November, 1916.  Balfour Papers.  British Library.  Add. MSS. 49692.  ff. 175-178.</ref>
 
  
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He hoisted his flag on board ''Iron Duke'' on 28 November, having been promoted acting admiral on the previous day. Some doubted his ability to handle and administer so huge a force; it had twenty-four battleships, three battlecruisers, nineteen cruisers, and fifty destroyers under direct command at Scapa Flow, in addition to the battlecruiser force at Rosyth now under his friend William Pakenham. The Grand Fleet itself comprised some 35,000 officers and men afloat, including three vice-admirals and six rear-admirals.
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Beatty was rescued from half pay by Winston Churchill's becoming First Lord of the Admiralty in late 1911.  Fisher gave Churchill a list and told him, "you have heaps of time to choose and it <u>must</u> be a personal choice."<ref>Quoted in Churchill.  ''Winston S. Churchill''.  p. 532.</ref>  Churchill selected Beatty. According to Admiral [[Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair|Sir Dudley de Chair]], when Beatty met Churchill the latter said, "You seem very young to be an admiral."  To which Beatty replied, "And you seem very young to be First Lord of the Admiralty."<ref>de Chair.  ''The Sea is Strong''.  p. 142.</ref>
  
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Beatty had prepared himself for this gigantic responsibility under the shadow of Jutland, determined that the failures of that day should not be repeated. The technical problems he left to his senior subordinates and his personal staff, but for tactical and strategic doctrine and above all for leadership he drew on his own resources. First was his confidence that victory could be gained, and second was his ability to convey this confidence to his subordinates, from flag officers to stokers. He cultivated decisiveness of speech, eccentricities of uniform, and as much personal contact as possible. ‘The first thing that strikes you about him are his penetrating eyes. He has a phenomenally quick brain and he can take in all he wants to know in one glance … and decisions are given without a moment's hesitation’ (Roskill, 148).
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Churchill's approbation led to Beatty's taking temporary command of the {{UK-CS|6}}, with his flag in {{UK-Aboukir}} for the fleet manoeuvres of July 1912.
  
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Beatty's experience since 1914 had increased his awareness of the uncertainties of sea warfare and hardened his insistence that decisive victory could come only from commitment to the offensive and to personal initiative at all levels of command. His display of self-confidence won over the most critical of his senior subordinates, sustained the loyalty of his personal staff, and maintained the fighting spirit of his men throughout the years of frustration that lay ahead. Hence his Nelsonic reputation. His grasp of strategic realities and the need to avoid unnecessary risks has been less clearly appreciated. Despite his hopes for a second Jutland, he accepted that a superior Grand Fleet, vigilant and informed by an efficient Admiralty intelligence system, would provide the essential basis of both a devastating economic blockade and the eventual defeat of the enemy's submarine campaign. He would not agree to any weakening of the fleet to deal with the unlikely danger of invasion. Sufficient deterrence could be provided by the light and submarine forces at Harwich, supported by a squadron of older battleships in the Thames estuary. Connected with this was his conviction, shared with the Admiralty and Jellicoe, of the dangers of any section of the fleet being deployed for battle in the southern North Sea; there German strength in submarines and mines and her Zeppelin reconnaissance might enable her to weaken his force so that it could no longer discharge its fundamental strategic roles.
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===The {{UK-BCS}}, 1913-1914===
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On the occasion of King George V's birthday Beatty was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 22 June, 1914.{{GazSup|28842|4876|22 June, 1914}}
  
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Although his analysis of grand strategy was realistic, Beatty's hopes always focused on the achievements of the decisive battle which would compensate for the shortcoming of Jutland. His ‘Grand fleet battle instructions’, promulgated in 1916–18 (Beatty Papers, 1.456–506), replaced Jellicoe's ‘Battle orders’ and embodied his basic demands on his subordinates. They should always concentrate on annihilating the enemy without waiting for detailed orders. To achieve this they should attack with every available means: guns, underwater weapons, and aircraft. The last were to be used both in reconnaissance and in attack with bombs, torpedoes, and machine-guns. A retreating enemy must be hotly pursued by day and night. To avoid torpedo attack, ships should turn towards the enemy rather than away (as had happened at Jutland). The spirit of these instructions was instilled in all ranks by training and exercises. Beatty produced a visible demonstration of this commitment when in February 1917 he transferred his flag from Iron duke to Queen Elizabeth, which had a design speed of 25 instead of 21 knots. Even more significant were the removal of the Grand Fleet's base from Scapa Flow to the Firth of Forth in July 1917 and Beatty's pressure on the Admiralty to authorize aircraft-carrier strikes on the enemy fleet in harbour.
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==Great War==
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On 3 August, 1914, Beatty was granted the Acting Rank of {{ViceRN}} under the provisions of the [[Order in Council of 21 November, 1855]], and became the senior cruiser flag officer in the [[Grand Fleet]]. On 31 January, 1915, an order in council was obtained, dated 3 February, allowing Beatty:
  
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Events showed that even an imaginative combat doctrine and greater fighting resources could not overcome the uncertainties of sea warfare or individual failures of judgement. In October and December 1917 two lightly defended Scandinavian merchant convoys sustained heavy losses, and on 17 November an unsuccessful sweep by Pakenham's battlecruisers had missed an opportunity to inflict heavy losses.
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<blockquote>to take rank and command, while holding his present command during the period of hostilities, as Vice-Admiral in Your Majesty's Fleet, with seniority of the 3rd August, 1914, notwithstanding anything in the regulations for the government of Your Majesty's Naval Service to the contrary.<ref>Beatty Service Record.{{TNA|ADM 196/43/154.}}</ref></blockquote>
  
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The likelihood of Beatty's second Jutland receded, and 23 April 1918 was the last time on which he took his entire fleet to sea. In the following months the morale of the high seas fleet, already shaken by protests against poor conditions and harsh repression in August 1917, was hastened by signs of the breakdown of the imperial government and general social discontent caused by the economic blockade. Although Hipper, now commander-in-chief, repeated his readiness to seek action, his ability to do so declined, and with it Beatty's opportunity for battle.
+
On 9 August, 1915, he was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral.{{Gaz|29262|8016|13 August, 1915}}
  
−
This drawn-out disappointment at failure to secure his objective added to Beatty's exasperation with what he saw as the Admiralty's failure to counter the dangers to the alliance's war effort from the submarine campaign against merchant shipping. Although long aware of the threat of submerged weapons, he had never expected the type of unrestricted operations implemented by Germany in 1917. He never fully appreciated the technical and scientific difficulties of submarine detection and destruction, and denounced the Admiralty for not organizing offensive hunting operations. He was prevented from extreme denunciation of the lack of success only by the apprehension that he might be ordered to the Admiralty to give this leadership himself. He afterwards claimed to be an early advocate of the convoy system, which proved to be a solution to the problems, but he supported it only after deciding that all else had failed. And later he actually released some of his Grand Fleet destroyers for merchant convoy duties.
+
==Jutland and After==
 +
Around 7 p.m., G.M.T., various sources allege that the battlecruisers following {{UK-Lion|f=p}} circled to starboard &ndash; a full 32 point turn around the time when Captain Chatfield left the bridge to inspect damage to his ship.  Andrew Gordon implies that David Beatty sought to expunge this from the record of the battle,{{GordonRules2005|p. 457}} a suggestion supported by the B.C.F.'s track chart (as prepared under Beatty's authority) showing not a circle but an inquisitively aggressive slalom towards the High Sea Fleet.{{UKJutlandOD|boxed chart 8a}}{{GordonRules2005|p. 559}}  Gordon further supposes that the turn may have been attributable to a steering casualty in {{UK-Lion}} of some kind or to a human failure to arrest an intended but more modest turn in an attempt to conform to the Grand Fleet's then southerly heading heading, which he'd just declared by wireless broadcast addressed to Beatty ''et alia'' at 6.54.{{UKJutlandOD|p. 461. Relating Gordon's meaning to a specific order is Tone's inference}}  But the track chart of {{UK-Falmouth|f=t}}, flagship leading {{UK-LCS|3}} in the Official Despatches shows this turn commencing at 6.52 and ending at 7.06,{{UKJutlandOD|Plate 10}} as does the [[:File:New Zealand Jutland Track Chart.jpg|officially submitted track]] for {{UK-NewZealand|f=p}},{{UKJutlandOD|Plate 31}} at just the same time. Moreover, {{UK-Lion}}'s own gunnery report of the battle indicates the ship was in a protracted turn to starboard from 6.38 to 7.07.<ref>Beatty Papers at the National Maritime Museum. BTY 6/6.</ref>
  
−
Perhaps Beatty's most important contribution was to use a meeting with Lloyd George to tackle the Admiralty on its opposition to convoy. In addition, however, he used his position as the allies' leading naval commander to intervene in political and diplomatic issues. He approached these with supreme self-confidence in correspondence and personal interviews with ministers, other influential politicians, and the king.
+
No record of executive intent regarding the turn has been found in the narrative reports of the action.  Why Beatty might choose to alter the nature such a turn is also worthy of discussion, as it would seem that a line of ships performing an "S" turn toward an enemy rather than wheeling in place would suffer much the same penalties in masking his own ships &ndash; only the final range to the enemy would differ substantially. If Beatty were indeed trying to tune the record regarding such a widely witnessed navigational matter, his success seems partial, at best.
  
−
After the United States entered the war in April 1917 she put six battleships under Rear-Admiral Hugh Rodman at Beatty's disposal. A close professional accord developed between the two, and Beatty was soon reporting that the new ally was enthusiastically accepting his tactical doctrine and command style. But he never allowed himself to be overawed by America's wealth and power. He remained sceptical of her great technical contribution, the North Sea mine barrage. He also persuaded the minister for blockade, Robert Cecil, to modify his strong pressures on Norway, which he thought incompatible with the allies' claim to fight for the freedom of small nations.
+
On 15 September he was appointed an Additional Member of the First Class, or Knight Grand Cross, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (G.C.B.) dated 31 May.{{GazSup|29751|9070|15 September, 1916}}
  
−
Beatty's most significant political impact was made on the armistice of 1918. He insisted that the German fleet should surrender unconditionally to the Royal Navy, while the entire U-boat force should also be handed over. He personally staged the arrival in the Firth of Forth of the German fleet on 21 November so that they moved as prisoners between the lines of the Grand Fleet to receive his unauthorized signal: ‘The German flag will be hauled down at sunset today, Thursday, and will not be hoisted again without permission’ (Roskill, 279). The symbolism of the surrender was completed on 24 November when the enemy ships moved out of the Firth of Forth to be interned at Scapa Flow, escorted by the 1st battlecruiser squadron, his former command.
+
==Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, 1916–1919==
 +
Asquith wrote to Balfour on 20 November of a successor to Jellicoe, "I quite realise the difficulty of taking him at this moment from the Grand Fleet, especially as his only possible successor in the command (I am sure you would agree) from the combatant point of view is Beatty, who, with all his fine fighting qualities, is yet comparatively untried in the domain of fleet administration on a large scale."<ref>Letter of 20 November, 1916.  Balfour Papers.  British Library.  Add. MSS. 49692.  ff. 175-178.</ref>
  
−
Two of Beatty's political objectives were not achieved. First, despite his arguments before the war cabinet, his case for depriving Germany of Heligoland was not pursued. Second, his claim that in the final peace terms the bulk of Germany's most modern capital ships should be allotted to Britain, rather than to her allies, foundered on 21 June 1919 when the ships were scuttled by their crews at Scapa Flow. By then Beatty, having been promoted admiral of the fleet (the youngest ever) on 3 April, had hauled down his flag on 7 April, avoiding responsibility for this ironic achievement of his victory over the high seas fleet.
+
On 1 January, 1919, Beatty was confirmed in the rank of Admiral, with seniority of 27 November, 1916 while holding command of the Grand Fleet.{{Gaz|31104|199|3 January, 1919}}
−
 
 
−
The period from the immediate aftermath of Jutland to the end of the war was the most testing time of Beatty's career. It also coincided with occasional meetings with his wife that were full of mutual misunderstanding. However, he wrote to her almost daily: sometimes apologizing for his fits of bad temper; more often taking her into his confidence over his professional difficulties and his uninhibited criticisms of his naval and political colleagues. He was to find consolation in his increasingly close relationship with Eugénie Godfrey-Faussett, the wife of Captain Bryan Godfrey-Faussett, an equerry and friend of George V. She was a beautiful woman well known in London society for her wit and gaiety. Beatty at first reacted cautiously to her letters of admiration for the hero of Jutland, but soon responded with increasing warmth. Public scandal had to be avoided, but they probably became lovers during his visit to London in April 1917 and met again during her visits to Scotland. When he became first sea lord more opportunities arose, but the need to maintain secrecy and Beatty's continuing loyalty to Ethel, as her mental instability became more apparent, meant that the relationship with Eugénie was never free from strain.
 
  
 
==First Sea Lord, 1919–1927==
 
==First Sea Lord, 1919–1927==
−
On 18 October, 1919, Beatty was granted an Earldom of the United Kingdom, with the courtesy titles Baron Beatty of the North Sea, and of Brooksby in the County of Leicester, and Viscount Borodale of Wexford in the County of Wexford.<ref>''London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31610/pages/12889 no. 31610.  p. 12889.]  21 October, 1919.</ref>
+
On 18 October, 1919, Beatty was granted an Earldom of the United Kingdom, with the courtesy titles Baron Beatty of the North Sea, and of Brooksby in the County of Leicester, and Viscount Borodale of Wexford in the County of Wexford.{{Gaz|31610|12889|21 October, 1919}}
  
 
==Beatty's Service==
 
==Beatty's Service==
Line 374: Line 378:
 
| align= left  | Half Pay
 
| align= left  | Half Pay
 
|}
 
|}
−
 
−
==Footnotes==
 
−
<small>
 
−
<references/>
 
−
</small>
 
  
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
 
{{refbegin}}
 
{{refbegin}}
−
*"Lord Beatty, O.M." (Obituaries).  ''The Times''.  Wednesday, 11 March, 1936.  Issue '''47320''', pg. 17.
+
*"Lord Beatty, O.M." (Obituaries).  ''The Times''.  Wednesday, 11 March, 1936.  Issue '''47320''', p. 17.
−
*"Funeral of Lord Beatty" (Obituaries).  ''The Times''.  Wednesday, 17 March, 1936.  Issue '''47325''', pg. 21.
+
*"Funeral of Lord Beatty" (Obituaries).  ''The Times''.  Wednesday, 17 March, 1936.  Issue '''47325''', p. 21.
 
*Beatty, Charles (1980).  ''Our Admiral''.  London: W. H. Allen / Virgin Books.  ISBN 049102388X.
 
*Beatty, Charles (1980).  ''Our Admiral''.  London: W. H. Allen / Virgin Books.  ISBN 049102388X.
 
*Beatty, Admiral of the Fleet David, First Earl Beatty (1989).  Ranft, Bryan McL.. ed. ''The Beatty Papers''.  '''Volume I'''.  London: Navy Records Society.  ISBN 0859678070.
 
*Beatty, Admiral of the Fleet David, First Earl Beatty (1989).  Ranft, Bryan McL.. ed. ''The Beatty Papers''.  '''Volume I'''.  London: Navy Records Society.  ISBN 0859678070.
 
*Beatty, Admiral of the Fleet David, First Earl Beatty (1993).  Ranft, Bryan McL.. ed. ''The Beatty Papers''.  '''Volume II'''.  London: Navy Records Society.  ISBN 0859679640.
 
*Beatty, Admiral of the Fleet David, First Earl Beatty (1993).  Ranft, Bryan McL.. ed. ''The Beatty Papers''.  '''Volume II'''.  London: Navy Records Society.  ISBN 0859679640.
−
*{{BibChalmersBeatty}}
+
*{{ChalmersBeatty}}
 
*Churchill, Randolph Spencer (1967).  ''Winston S. Churchill: Young Statesman 1910–1914''.  '''II'''.  New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.  ISBN 0395075262.
 
*Churchill, Randolph Spencer (1967).  ''Winston S. Churchill: Young Statesman 1910–1914''.  '''II'''.  New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.  ISBN 0395075262.
−
*{{BibdeChairTheSeaisStrong}}
+
*{{deChairTheSeaIsStrong}}
 
*Lambert, Andrew (2009).  ''Admirals: The Naval Commanders who made Britain Great''.  London: Faber and Faber Limited. ISBN 978-0-571-23157-7.
 
*Lambert, Andrew (2009).  ''Admirals: The Naval Commanders who made Britain Great''.  London: Faber and Faber Limited. ISBN 978-0-571-23157-7.
−
*{{BibRoskillBeatty}}
+
*{{RoskillBeatty}}
 
{{refend}}
 
{{refend}}
  
 
==Papers==
 
==Papers==
 
{{refbegin}}
 
{{refbegin}}
−
*[http://www.nmm.ac.uk/collections/archive/catalogue/record.cfm?ID=BTY Papers in the possession of the National Maritime Museum.]
+
*[http://collections.rmg.co.uk/archive/objects/492138.html Papers in the possession of the National Maritime Museum.]  For a detailed list see [[Beatty Papers at the National Maritime Museum]].
 +
*[http://collections.rmg.co.uk/archive/objects/463212.html Uncatalogued papers in the possession of the National Maritime Museum.]
 
{{refend}}
 
{{refend}}
  
−
==Service Record==
+
==See Also==
 
{{refbegin}}
 
{{refbegin}}
−
*The National Archives.  [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7918008&queryType=1&resultcount=1 ADM 196/43.]
+
{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Beatty,_1st_Earl_Beatty}}
 
{{refend}}
 
{{refend}}
  
 +
==Service Records==
 +
{{refbegin}}
 +
*{{TNA|ADM 196/87.|D8115328}}
 +
*{{TNA|ADM 196/43.|D8112204}}
 +
{{refend}}
  
−
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="center"
+
<div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}}
−
|-
+
{{TabNaval}}
−
| colspan="3" align="center" style="background:#CEDFF2" | '''Naval Offices'''
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Ernest Kindersley Loring|Ernest K. Loring]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Ranger (1895)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Ranger'']]'''<br>9 Jan, 1897<ref>Chalmers.  ''Life and Letters of David Beatty''.  pp. 434-435.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Francis Gerald St. John|Francis G. St. John]]'''}}
−
|-
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Henry Peter Routh|Henry P. Routh]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Juno (1895)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Juno'']]'''<br>9 Mar, 1902{{CN}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[William Fane De Salis|William F. De Salis]]'''}}
−
| width="220" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;" align="center"| Preceded by<br>'''[[John Rushworth Jellicoe, First Earl Jellicoe|Sir John R. Jellicoe]]'''
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Henry Charles Bertram Hulbert|Henry C. B. Hulbert]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Arrogant (1896)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Arrogant'']]'''<br>3 Mar, 1903{{CN}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[John Philip Rolleston|John P. Rolleston]]'''}}
−
| width="220" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;"  align="center"| '''[[Grand Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet]]'''<br>1916 &ndash; 1919
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Edmond John Warre Slade|Edmond J. W. Slade]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Diana (1895)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Diana'']]'''<br>30 Sep, 1904{{NLOct04|p. 301}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Robert Stewart Phipps Hornby|Robert S. P. Hornby]]'''}}
−
| width="220" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;"  align="center"| Succeeded by<br>'''Command Dispersed'''
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[George Neville|George Neville]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Mars (1896)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Mars'']]'''<br>12 Oct, 1904<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 156.</ref> &ndash; Oct, 1904<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 156.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[John Locke Marx|John L. Marx]]'''}}
−
|-
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[John Locke Marx|John L. Marx]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Suffolk (1903)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Suffolk'']]'''<br>25 Oct, 1904<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 156.</ref> &ndash; 1 Sep, 1905<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 156.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Edward George Lowther-Crofton|Edward G. Lowther-Crofton]]'''}}
−
| width="220" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;"  align="center"| Preceded by<br>'''[[Rosslyn Erskine Wemyss, First Baron Wester Wemyss|Sir Rosslyn E. Wemyss]]'''
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Richard Purefoy FitzGerald Purefoy|Richard P. F. Purefoy]]'''|'''[[Naval Adviser to the Army Council|Naval Adviser to the Army Council]]'''<br>21 Dec, 1906<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/144.}}</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''?'''}}
−
| width="220" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;"  align="center"| '''[[First Sea Lord|First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff]]'''<br>1919 &ndash; 1927
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Ernest Charles Thomas Troubridge|Ernest C. T. Troubridge]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Queen (1902)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Queen'']]'''<br>15 Dec, 1908{{NLJan10|p. 363}}<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 156.</ref> &ndash; 4 Jan, 1910<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 156.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Ernest Frederick Augustus Gaunt|Ernest F. A. Gaunt]]'''}}
−
| width="220" style="border-bottom:1px solid grey;"  align="center"| Succeeded by<br>'''[[Charles Edward Madden, First Baronet|Sir Charles E. Madden, Bart.]]'''
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Ernest Charles Thomas Troubridge|Ernest C. T. Troubridge]]'''<br><small>as '''Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty'''</small>|'''[[Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty|Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty]]'''<br>8 Jan, 1912<ref>"Changes and Appointments" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 8 January, 1912.  Issue '''39789''', col B, p. 10.</ref> &ndash; 9 Jan, 1913<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 156.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair|Dudley R. S. de Chair]]'''}}
−
|-
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Douglas Austin Gamble|Sir Douglas A. Gamble]]'''|'''[[Sixth Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)|Rear-Admiral Commanding, Sixth Cruiser Squadron]]'''<br>2 Jul, 1912<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}}  f. 156.</ref> &ndash; 27 Jul, 1912<ref>Beatty Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43.}} f. 156.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Dudley Rawson Stratford de Chair|Dudley R. S. de Chair]]'''}}
−
|}
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Lewis Bayly|Lewis Bayly]]'''<br><small>as '''Rear-Admiral Commanding, First Battle Cruiser Squadron'''</small>|'''[[First Battle Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)|Vice-Admiral Commanding, First Battle Cruiser Squadron]]'''<br>1 Mar, 1913{{NLSep14|p. 4}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Osmond de Beauvoir Brock|Osmond de B. Brock]]'''<br><small>as '''Rear-Admiral Commanding, First Battle Cruiser Squadron'''</small>}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''New Command'''|'''[[Battle Cruiser Force|Vice-Admiral Commanding Battle Cruiser Fleet]]'''<br>8 Feb, 1915{{UKCeased|f. 8}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[William Christopher Pakenham|Sir William C. Pakenham]]'''<br><small>as '''Vice-Admiral Commanding Battle Cruiser Force'''</small>}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[John Rushworth Jellicoe, First Earl Jellicoe|Sir John R. Jellicoe]]'''|'''[[Grand Fleet|Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet]]'''<br>28 Nov, 1916{{FC}}|Succeeded by<br>'''Command Dispersed'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Rosslyn Erskine Wemyss, First Baron Wester Wemyss|Sir Rosslyn E. Wemyss]]'''|'''[[First Sea Lord|First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff]]'''<br>1 Nov, 1919{{UKNavalStaff|p. 119}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Charles Edward Madden, First Baronet|Sir Charles E. Madden, Bart.]]'''}}
 +
{{TabEnd}}
 +
</div name=fredbot:appts>
 +
 
 +
==Footnotes==
 +
{{reflist}}
 +
 
 +
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beatty, David}}
  
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{{CatPerson|UK|1871|1936}}
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[[Category:Personalities|Beatty]]
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[[Category:Naval Advisers to the Army Council]]
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[[Category:H.M.S. Britannia (Training Ship) Entrants of January, 1884|Beatty]]
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[[Category:Commanding Officers of H.M.S. Ranger (1895)|Beatty]]
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[[Category:Commanding Officers of H.M.S. Juno (1895)|Beatty]]
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[[Category:Featured Articles]]
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[[Category:Commanding Officers of H.M.S. Arrogant (1896)|Beatty]]
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[[Category:Commanding Officers of H.M.S. Suffolk (1903)|Beatty]]
 
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[[Category:Naval Advisers to the Army Council|Beatty]]
 
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[[Category:Commanding Officers of H.M.S. (1902)|Beatty]]
 
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[[Category:Naval Secretaries to the First Lord of the Admiralty|Beatty]]
 
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[[Category:Rear-Admirals Commanding, Sixth Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)|Beatty]]
 
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[[Category:Rear-Admirals Commanding, First Battle Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)|Beatty]]
 
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[[Category:Vice-Admirals Commanding, Battle Cruiser Fleet (Royal Navy)|Beatty]]
 
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[[Category:Royal Navy Flag Officers|Beatty, David]]
 

Latest revision as of 22:06, 6 April 2022

Admiral of the Fleet David, Earl Beatty.
Portrait: Sir William Orpen.

Admiral of the Fleet THE RIGHT HONOURABLE David Richard Beatty, First Earl Beatty, G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O., D.S.O., P.C., Royal Navy (17 January, 1871 – 11 March, 1936) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early Life & Career

Beatty was born David Richard Beatty on 17 January, 1871 at Howbeck Villa, Stapeley, in the Registration District of Nantwich, in the County of Chester. His birth was registered on 17 February.[1] He was the second of four sons of Captain David Longfield Beatty (1841–1904), of the Fourth Hussars, and his first wife, Catherine Edith (d. 1896), daughter of Nicholas Sadlier of Dunboyne Castle, County Meath, Ireland. David Richard and his elder brother Charles were both born out of wedlock, as David Longfield Beatty and Catherine Sadlier were not married until nearly six months after David Richard was born.[2]

On 28 January, 1892, he was confirmed in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant, dated 14 May, 1890.[3] On 25 August, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant.[4]

A fellow officer in Trafalgar, Lieutenant Sydney Fremantle, later recalled of Beatty:

We had some enjoyable shooting trips together. He was a conscientious officer who never failed in his duties and obligations, but showed little interest in the Service outside his immediate functions, and when our ship was at Malta distinguished himself as a member of the naval polo team.[5]

On 18 November, 1896, Beatty was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) for his services in the Sudan.[6] He was specially promoted to the rank of Commander on 15 November, 1898, aged twenty-seven years, nine months, and twenty-nine days.[7]

For his service in China he was promoted to the rank of Captain on 9 November, 1900, aged just twenty-nine.[8] C. S. Forester was later to claim, and Andrew Gordon to repeat, that the average age of officers promoted Captain at the time was forty-two.[9] Actually the average of forty-two was for 1899, and with Beatty's promotion the average age in 1900 was forty years and seven months. Apart from a slight rise in 1901 the average would be forty or thirty-nine years old for the next decade.[10]

Captain

On 2 March, 1902, Beatty was appointed Captain of the cruiser Juno in the Cruiser Squadron. He was appointed Captain of the protected cruiser second class Arrogant in the Mediterranean Cruiser Division on 3 March, 1903. When Arrogant's propeller was fouled by a 2½-inch wire he was "cautioned to take better precautions" in January, 1904.[11] On 30 September he took command of the cruiser Diana. On 12 October he was given command of the battleship Mars in the Channel Fleet.[12] On 25 October he was transferred to the new armoured cruiser Suffolk in the Mediterranean. He was disciplined in 1905 after fouling Suffolk's port propeller at Port Said on 26 June. He was adjudged to have committed an "error of judgement." A story from this time has it that Beatty damaged the engines of the ship in order to return to Malta as quickly as possible, overriding the warnings of the Chief Engineer. Having heard that Beatty might be censured for this, Ethel is supposed to have said, "What — court martial my David? I'll buy them a new ship."[13] The story is supported by Arthur Longmore, who served as Beatty's "doggie" in Suffolk, who wrote:

Not so long afterwards the Suffolk and Cornwall had a race during a full power trial in which David Beatty had backed his ship against Christopher Craddock of the Cornwall [he presumably means most likely actually Bacchante, but possibly Leviathan] for a mere £500, or so the story goes. Soon after starting, the Chief Engineer of the Suffolk reported that the starboard engine was running hot, to which D.B. reacted with indifference, suggesting some more cold water on the bearing. Yes, they were cooled with cold water, those big reciprocating engine bearings. Later still he insisted on holding on, to the further detriment of the engine, which eventually packed up.[14]

Beatty was succeeded in command of Suffolk on 1 September, 1905, by Captain Rosslyn E. Wemyss. According to Lady Wester Wemyss, Sir John Fisher had laughingly described Suffolk as "the worst ship in the navy,"[15] and upon taking command Wemyss had supposedly "found the ship plunged in the deepest gloom, the officers discontented, the men unwilling."[16] Beatty meanwhile returned to Britain and on 21 December, 1906, was appointed Naval Adviser to the Army Council. He was discharged from this duty on 15 December, 1908, upon the abolition of the position, and on 26 December the "War Office express apprecn of ready co operation & expert knowledge as Adviser to Army Council."

On 15 December Beatty was appointed Captain of the battleship Queen in the Atlantic Fleet. At a gathering of the Home Fleet at Cromarty in 1909, Beatty complained to his wife, "Many admirals, and not one that inspires a great deal of confidence, this is private, unless it be Prince Louis, and his national or birth qualifications are against him."[17]

Beatty had reached the top of the Captains' list without the necessary six years of peacetime service, and an Order in Council was obtained on 2 December, 1909, sanctioning Beatty's promotion to Flag rank, the regulations notwithstanding.[18] No-one has yet offered a satisfactory reason as to why this privilege was granted Beatty. Roskill merely comments that the Order in Council was "exceptional proof of the high regard in which he [Beatty] was held."[19] That explanation which Professor Lambert proffers, that "Beatty was a very good seaman, [who] had commanded four ships and had nothing left to prove,"[20] is really rather unconvincing. Ranft doesn't even attempt to explain away the dispensation.[21]

The real reason would appear to lie in a letter the Fourth Sea Lord, Vice-Admiral Sir Alfred L. Winsloe, wrote to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Reginald McKenna, on 12 August, 1909:

I want to bring to your special notice the case of Capt Beatty who will get to the top of the Captains List before he has his 6 years time in. He has had a distinguished career in the service and was badly wounded in China, so much so that he was 1½ years before reported fit to serve. He will only be some 3 months short of his time and as this has undoubtedly been brought about by the changes introduced by Admiralty whereby the time of Captains has been shortened from 12½ years to 9 years on the Captains List, I would like to recommend to you that a special O in C [Order in Council] and Treasury sanction should be asked for his promotion when he comes to the top of the List, and I shall be much indebted to you if you will favourably consider this.[22]

Beatty was accordingly promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 1 January, 1910, vice Cross, promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral.[23]

Flag Rank

He attended the June, 1911 War Course, where he placed fifth out of seven Rear-Admirals. He was judged to be "Well set, an excellent example to the juniors. Smart and able, apt to be rash in conclusion".[24] On the occasion of King George V's coronation he was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 19 June.[25]

He had apparently asked the Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Captain Ernest C. T. Troubridge, to be considered for a number of positions, for on 5 July Troubridge wrote to him about his choices. He had evidently asked to be Rear-Admiral Second-in-Command in either the First or Second Divisions of the Home Fleet, or to succeed Rear-Admiral Herbert G. King-Hall as Director of Naval Mobilisation at the Admiralty:

You want:

1st Division H.F. vice Peirse Jan 12

or

2nd Division H.F. vice Patey Oct 11

Director of Mobilisation - when vacant.

"Your not wanting the IIIrd Division or Atlantic has rather narrowed the choice, it must be admitted," wrote Troubridge, "and the business of the other post [Director of Naval Mobilisation] is so far in the future that I am at somewhat at a loss to give you any reply."[26] On 25 July Beatty wrote to the First Lord, Reginald McKenna, apologising for the delay in replying to his letter of the 21st (he had been "up North"), and:

I thank you for the time to think it over which you kindly gave and regret extremely that I am unable to accept the offer of the 2nd in Command of the Atlantic Fleet. As I informed your Private Secretary in the course of several conversations I was ready for service anywhere at the Admiralty or at sea where there was work to do and experience to be gained. But preferably a sea appointment — and being invited by him where, I as early as the beginning of March, asked that my name might be listed for the Home Fleet, where the greatest experience afloat is to be gained, where the work is continuous. I was given to understand that this was quite like to be favourably considered and I stood as good a chance as any and that my seniority would be about right. I have always stated that the one appointment I did not wish to be considered for was that of 2nd in Command Atlantic Fleet. There the work to be done and experience to be gained is of the minimum quality & a Rear-Admiral with a nominal squadron of 6 ships frequently reduced to 5 and even 4 ships, has absolutely nothing to do and occupy himself with — except a study of naval history.[27]

Troubridge replied the following day:

I have your letter today and am truly sorry you have decided to refuse, for one can never tell from day to day whether an appointment afloat will turn out strenuous or otherwise. The fact is that the Admiralty view is that officers should serve where they, i.e. the Admiralty, wish and not where they themselves wish. This is the cold and brutal explanation of your being offered the appointment although I informed the Powers That Be that you did not wish to be offered it.[28]

Beatty was rescued from half pay by Winston Churchill's becoming First Lord of the Admiralty in late 1911. Fisher gave Churchill a list and told him, "you have heaps of time to choose and it must be a personal choice."[29] Churchill selected Beatty. According to Admiral Sir Dudley de Chair, when Beatty met Churchill the latter said, "You seem very young to be an admiral." To which Beatty replied, "And you seem very young to be First Lord of the Admiralty."[30]

Churchill's approbation led to Beatty's taking temporary command of the Sixth Cruiser Squadron, with his flag in Aboukir for the fleet manoeuvres of July 1912.

The Battle Cruiser Squadron, 1913-1914

On the occasion of King George V's birthday Beatty was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 22 June, 1914.[31]

Great War

On 3 August, 1914, Beatty was granted the Acting Rank of Vice-Admiral under the provisions of the Order in Council of 21 November, 1855, and became the senior cruiser flag officer in the Grand Fleet. On 31 January, 1915, an order in council was obtained, dated 3 February, allowing Beatty:

to take rank and command, while holding his present command during the period of hostilities, as Vice-Admiral in Your Majesty's Fleet, with seniority of the 3rd August, 1914, notwithstanding anything in the regulations for the government of Your Majesty's Naval Service to the contrary.[32]

On 9 August, 1915, he was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral.[33]

Jutland and After

Around 7 p.m., G.M.T., various sources allege that the battlecruisers following H.M.S. Lion circled to starboard – a full 32 point turn around the time when Captain Chatfield left the bridge to inspect damage to his ship. Andrew Gordon implies that David Beatty sought to expunge this from the record of the battle,[34] a suggestion supported by the B.C.F.'s track chart (as prepared under Beatty's authority) showing not a circle but an inquisitively aggressive slalom towards the High Sea Fleet.[35][36] Gordon further supposes that the turn may have been attributable to a steering casualty in Lion of some kind or to a human failure to arrest an intended but more modest turn in an attempt to conform to the Grand Fleet's then southerly heading heading, which he'd just declared by wireless broadcast addressed to Beatty et alia at 6.54.[37] But the track chart of sloop Falmouth, flagship leading Third Light Cruiser Squadron in the Official Despatches shows this turn commencing at 6.52 and ending at 7.06,[38] as does the officially submitted track for H.M.S. New Zealand,[39] at just the same time. Moreover, Lion's own gunnery report of the battle indicates the ship was in a protracted turn to starboard from 6.38 to 7.07.[40]

No record of executive intent regarding the turn has been found in the narrative reports of the action. Why Beatty might choose to alter the nature such a turn is also worthy of discussion, as it would seem that a line of ships performing an "S" turn toward an enemy rather than wheeling in place would suffer much the same penalties in masking his own ships – only the final range to the enemy would differ substantially. If Beatty were indeed trying to tune the record regarding such a widely witnessed navigational matter, his success seems partial, at best.

On 15 September he was appointed an Additional Member of the First Class, or Knight Grand Cross, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (G.C.B.) dated 31 May.[41]

Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, 1916–1919

Asquith wrote to Balfour on 20 November of a successor to Jellicoe, "I quite realise the difficulty of taking him at this moment from the Grand Fleet, especially as his only possible successor in the command (I am sure you would agree) from the combatant point of view is Beatty, who, with all his fine fighting qualities, is yet comparatively untried in the domain of fleet administration on a large scale."[42]

On 1 January, 1919, Beatty was confirmed in the rank of Admiral, with seniority of 27 November, 1916 while holding command of the Grand Fleet.[43]

First Sea Lord, 1919–1927

On 18 October, 1919, Beatty was granted an Earldom of the United Kingdom, with the courtesy titles Baron Beatty of the North Sea, and of Brooksby in the County of Leicester, and Viscount Borodale of Wexford in the County of Wexford.[44]

Beatty's Service

Chronological Record of Services of Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty[45]
Ship Rank Period of Service Remarks
From To
Britannia Naval Cadet 15 January, 1884 14 January, 1886
Alexandra Naval Cadet 15 January, 1886 14 May, 1886
Alexandra Midshipman 15 May, 1886 20 July, 1888
Cruiser Midshipman 21 July, 1888 20 October, 1888
Alexandra Midshipman 21 October, 1888 19 March, 1889
Duke of Wellington Midshipman 20 March, 1889 14 September, 1889
Ruby Midshipman 15 September, 1889 13 May, 1890
Ruby Sub-Lieutenant 14 May, 1890 15 May, 1890
Duke of Wellington Sub-Lieutenant 16 May, 1890 10 June, 1890
Ruby Sub-Lieutenant 11 June, 1890 31 August, 1890
Duke of Wellington Sub-Lieutenant 1 September, 1890 1 September, 1890
Excellent Sub-Lieutenant 2 September, 1890 13 January, 1892
Victory II Sub-Lieutenant 14 January, 1892 4 February, 1892
Nile Sub-Lieutenant 5 February, 1892 6 July, 1892
Victoria and Albert Sub-Lieutenant 7 July, 1892 30 August, 1892
Ruby Lieutenant
(Seniority of 25 August, 1892) 		31 August, 1892 30 September, 1893
Camperdown Lieutenant 1 October, 1893 2 October, 1895
Trafalgar Lieutenant 3 October, 1895 18 May, 1896
Victory I Lieutenant 19 May, 1896 2 June, 1896
Egyptian Government Lieutenant 3 June, 1896 19 November, 1896 Half Pay
Victory III for Ranger
in command 		Lieutenant 9 January, 1897 30 June, 1897
Egyptian Government Lieutenant 1 July, 1897 24 October, 1898 Half Pay
— Commander 15 November, 1898
Barfleur Commander 20 April, 1899 12 September, 1900 Wounded
Duke of Wellington Commander 13 September, 1900 30 September, 1900
— Captain 9 November, 1900 Half Pay
Juno Captain 2 June, 1902 17 December, 1902 Half Pay
Arrogant Captain 3 November, 1903 29 September, 1904
Diana Captain 30 September, 1904 11 October, 1904
Mars Captain 12 October, 1904 24 October, 1904
Suffolk Captain 25 October, 1904 19 September, 1905
Victory I Captain 20 September, 1905 14 October, 1905
Half Pay
Naval Adviser to the Army Council Captain 21 December, 1906 14 December, 1908
Queen Captain 15 December, 1908 3 January, 1910 Half Pay
Naval Secretary to the First Lord Rear-Admiral
(Seniority of 1 January, 1910) 		8 January, 1912 1 July, 1912
Aboukir (Sixth Cruiser Squadron) Rear-Admiral 2 July, 1912 27 July, 1912
Naval Secretary to the First Lord Rear-Admiral 28 July, 1912 8 January, 1913
Half Pay
Lion Rear-Admiral 1 March, 1913 2 August, 1914
Lion Acting Vice-Admiral 3 August, 1914 28 January, 1915
Princess Royal Acting Vice-Admiral 29 January, 1915 8 April, 1915
Lion Acting Vice-Admiral 9 April, 1915 8 August, 1915
Lion Vice-Admiral 9 August, 1915 27 November, 1916
Iron Duke Acting Admiral
(Seniority of 27 November, 1916) 		28 November, 1916 15 February, 1917
Queen Elizabeth Acting Admiral 16 February, 1917 31 December, 1918
Queen Elizabeth Admiral 1 January, 1919 2 April, 1919
Queen Elizabeth Admiral of the Fleet 3 April, 1919 7 April, 1919
President Admiral of the Fleet 8 April, 1919 31 October, 1919
First Sea Lord Admiral of the Fleet 1 November, 1919 29 July, 1927 Half Pay

Bibliography

  • "Lord Beatty, O.M." (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 11 March, 1936. Issue 47320, p. 17.
  • "Funeral of Lord Beatty" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 17 March, 1936. Issue 47325, p. 21.
  • Beatty, Charles (1980). Our Admiral. London: W. H. Allen / Virgin Books. ISBN 049102388X.
  • Beatty, Admiral of the Fleet David, First Earl Beatty (1989). Ranft, Bryan McL.. ed. The Beatty Papers. Volume I. London: Navy Records Society. ISBN 0859678070.
  • Beatty, Admiral of the Fleet David, First Earl Beatty (1993). Ranft, Bryan McL.. ed. The Beatty Papers. Volume II. London: Navy Records Society. ISBN 0859679640.
  • Chalmers, Rear-Admiral W. S. (1951). The Life and Letters of David, Earl Beatty Admiral of the Fleet. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
  • Churchill, Randolph Spencer (1967). Winston S. Churchill: Young Statesman 1910–1914. II. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395075262.
  • De Chair, Admiral Sir Dudley (1961). The Sea is Strong. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd..
  • Lambert, Andrew (2009). Admirals: The Naval Commanders who made Britain Great. London: Faber and Faber Limited. ISBN 978-0-571-23157-7.
  • Roskill, Captain Stephen Wentworth (1980). Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty: The Last Naval Hero: An Intimate Biography. London: Collins. ISBN 0-689-11119-3. (on Bookfinder.com).

Papers

See Also

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Ernest K. Loring 		Captain of H.M.S. Ranger
9 Jan, 1897[46] 		Succeeded by
Francis G. St. John
Preceded by
Henry P. Routh 		Captain of H.M.S. Juno
9 Mar, 1902[Citation needed] 		Succeeded by
William F. De Salis
Preceded by
Henry C. B. Hulbert 		Captain of H.M.S. Arrogant
3 Mar, 1903[Citation needed] 		Succeeded by
John P. Rolleston
Preceded by
Edmond J. W. Slade 		Captain of H.M.S. Diana
30 Sep, 1904[47] 		Succeeded by
Robert S. P. Hornby
Preceded by
George Neville 		Captain of H.M.S. Mars
12 Oct, 1904[48] – Oct, 1904[49] 		Succeeded by
John L. Marx
Preceded by
John L. Marx 		Captain of H.M.S. Suffolk
25 Oct, 1904[50] – 1 Sep, 1905[51] 		Succeeded by
Edward G. Lowther-Crofton
Preceded by
Richard P. F. Purefoy 		Naval Adviser to the Army Council
21 Dec, 1906[52] 		Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
Ernest C. T. Troubridge 		Captain of H.M.S. Queen
15 Dec, 1908[53][54] – 4 Jan, 1910[55] 		Succeeded by
Ernest F. A. Gaunt
Preceded by
Ernest C. T. Troubridge
as Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty 		Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty
8 Jan, 1912[56] – 9 Jan, 1913[57] 		Succeeded by
Dudley R. S. de Chair
Preceded by
Sir Douglas A. Gamble 		Rear-Admiral Commanding, Sixth Cruiser Squadron
2 Jul, 1912[58] – 27 Jul, 1912[59] 		Succeeded by
Dudley R. S. de Chair
Preceded by
Lewis Bayly
as Rear-Admiral Commanding, First Battle Cruiser Squadron 		Vice-Admiral Commanding, First Battle Cruiser Squadron
1 Mar, 1913[60] 		Succeeded by
Osmond de B. Brock
as Rear-Admiral Commanding, First Battle Cruiser Squadron
Preceded by
New Command 		Vice-Admiral Commanding Battle Cruiser Fleet
8 Feb, 1915[61] 		Succeeded by
Sir William C. Pakenham
as Vice-Admiral Commanding Battle Cruiser Force
Preceded by
Sir John R. Jellicoe 		Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet
28 Nov, 1916[Fact Check] 		Succeeded by
Command Dispersed
Preceded by
Sir Rosslyn E. Wemyss 		First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff
1 Nov, 1919[62] 		Succeeded by
Sir Charles E. Madden, Bart.

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Beatty. Our Admiral. p. 2. The 1871 Census shows the Beattys as living in Howbeck VIlla, not Howbeck Lodge as is commonly recorded. The census has been deemed to be more accurate.
  2. ↑ Beatty. Our Admiral. p. 3. Apparently Beatty Senior's marriage certificate may be found in volume 8b, f. 121, for the district of Liverpool.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26253. p. 544. 2 February, 1892.
  4. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26322. p. 5016. 2 September, 1892.
  5. ↑ Fremantle. My Naval Career. p. 68.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26795. p. 6271. 17 November, 1896.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27023. p. 6692. 15 November, 1898.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27245. p. 6855. 9 November, 1900.
  9. ↑ Chalmers. p. xxi. Gordon. p. 26.
  10. ↑ "Report of the Conference on the Executive Lists of the Royal Navy. 1913." f. 21. in The National Archives. ADM 1/8370/65.
  11. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 196/87. f. 102.
  12. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  13. ↑ Quoted in Roskill. p. 41.
  14. ↑ Longmore. "Midshipman Days". The Naval Review. L:I. p. 51.
  15. ↑ Quoted in Wester Wemyss. Life and Letters. p. 76.
  16. ↑ Wester Wemyss. Life and Letters. p. 78.
  17. ↑ Letter of 13 April, 1909. National Maritime Museum. Beatty Papers. BTY/17/13/68-71. Reproduced in Beatty Papers. I. p. 22.
  18. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28317. p. 9514. 14 December, 1909.
  19. ↑ Roskill. Earl Beatty. p. 43.
  20. ↑ Lambert. Admirals. p. 344.
  21. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
  22. ↑ Winsloe to McKenna. Letter of 12 August, 1909. McKenna Papers. Churchill Archives Centre. MCKN 3/5/6.
  23. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28325. p. 30. 4 January, 1910.
  24. ↑ ADM 203/99. f. 45.
  25. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28505. p. 4588. 19 June, 1911.
  26. ↑ BTY 2/2/1. Beatty Papers. I. p. 32.
  27. ↑ Draft in BTY 2/2/24. Beatty Papers. I. p. 33.
  28. ↑ BTY 2/2/2. Beatty Papers. I. p. 34.
  29. ↑ Quoted in Churchill. Winston S. Churchill. p. 532.
  30. ↑ de Chair. The Sea is Strong. p. 142.
  31. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28842. p. 4876. 22 June, 1914.
  32. ↑ Beatty Service Record.The National Archives. ADM 196/43/154.
  33. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 29262. p. 8016. 13 August, 1915.
  34. ↑ The Rules of the Game. p. 457.
  35. ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. boxed chart 8a.
  36. ↑ The Rules of the Game. p. 559.
  37. ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. p. 461. Relating Gordon's meaning to a specific order is Tone's inference.
  38. ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. Plate 10.
  39. ↑ Battle of Jutland Official Despatches. Plate 31.
  40. ↑ Beatty Papers at the National Maritime Museum. BTY 6/6.
  41. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29751. p. 9070. 15 September, 1916.
  42. ↑ Letter of 20 November, 1916. Balfour Papers. British Library. Add. MSS. 49692. ff. 175-178.
  43. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 31104. p. 199. 3 January, 1919.
  44. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 31610. p. 12889. 21 October, 1919.
  45. ↑ Chalmers. Life and Letters of David Beatty. pp. 434-435.
  46. ↑ Chalmers. Life and Letters of David Beatty. pp. 434-435.
  47. ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1904). p. 301.
  48. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  49. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  50. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  51. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  52. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/144.
  53. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1910). p. 363.
  54. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  55. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  56. ↑ "Changes and Appointments" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 8 January, 1912. Issue 39789, col B, p. 10.
  57. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  58. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  59. ↑ Beatty Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43. f. 156.
  60. ↑ The Navy List. (September, 1914). p. 4.
  61. ↑ Squadrons and Senior Naval Officers in Existence on 11th November, 1918. f. 8.
  62. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 119.

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