Thomas Henry Martyn Jerram

Admiral Jerram, 1917.
Portrait: © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Admiral SIR Thomas Henry Martyn Jerram, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., Royal Navy (6 September, 1858 – 19 March, 1933) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Jerram was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with seniority of 1 January, 1881.

In 1884, Jerram was placed in command of the new first-class torpedo boat Childers and tasked with delivering her to the Victorian Government in Melbourne. The journey was to prove epic and demanding on the crew, as the small torpedo boat could only manage the heavy seas by shaking and wetting them continually. On arrival at Aden along the way, Jerram recorded, "I and the two other officers were unable to walk or even to wear socks for nearly three weeks, as we had been knocking about without boots, and were covered with blisters from the knees downwards. These were cut open and painted with white lead at Aden; a severe but effective remedy. The fact of being wet through day and night, and the want of sleep from anxiety and the excessive motion, rather pulled me down." The ordeal lasted four months and twenty days.

Jerram was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1894.

Jerram was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 January, 1899.

From March 1902 to September 1903, he was captain of the battleship Albion.

In April of 1904, Jerram was appointed to command Russell, remaining in command until the end of December of the next year.

Flag Rank

Jerram (left) and Rear-Admiral Frederic E. E. Brock leaving Buckingham Palace after being invested with the insignia of Companions of the Order of the Bath on 10 October, 1912.
Photo: Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Jerram was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 30 June, 1908, vice Battenberg.

He was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Civil Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 21 September, 1912. He was invested with the insignia of the order by the King in an investiture at Buckingham Palace on 10 October.

Jerram and his wife left Liverpool in the liner Empress of Britain in late January, 1913, accompanied by his Flag Lieutenant, Hector Boyes, and his Secretary Charles Edward Lynes. They disembarked at Halifax and travelled by train to Vancouver and took another Canadian Pacific Liner to Hong Kong, stopping at Victoria, B.C., Yokohama and Shanghai. His appointment as Commander-in-Chief on the China Station, with the acting rank of Vice-Admiral, was dated 25 January, 1913.

He was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral on 4 June, 1913.

On 1 January, 1914, he 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.).

Jutland

After the battle, the battle cruisers visited Scapa Flow, and, according to Sir Shane Leslie, at a concert held on King George V "Beatty markedly cut Jerram dead … His bitterness was reserved for Admiral Jerram … Jerram remained in the line [of battle]. This Beatty never forgave."

On 15 September he was appointed an Additional Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (K.C.M.G.) for his services at Jutland, dated 31 May.

Post-Grand Fleet

Jerram was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 10 April, 1917, vice Coke.

Jerram was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 30 January, 1918.

On the occasion of the King's birthday he was appointed an Additional Member of the First Class, or Knight Grand Cross, of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (G.C.M.G.) on 3 June, 1919.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• "Admiral Sir Martyn Jerram" (Obituaries). The Times. Tuesday, 21 March, 1933. Issue 46398, col B, p. 16.

Papers

• Papers in the possession of the National Maritime Museum. For a detailed list see Jerram Papers at the National Maritime Museum.
• Uncatalogued papers in the possession of the National Maritime Museum.

Images

• 1920 Neville S Lytton portrait in the possession of the Imperial War Museum. Catalogue Number IWM ART 3141.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/87.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/80.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/38.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/22.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/19.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.V.S. Childers 1884	Succeeded by Michael Fitzgerald
Preceded by Herbert W. S. Gibson	Captain of H.M.S. Curacoa 2 Jun, 1896	Succeeded by Herbert Lyon
Preceded by William McC. F. Castle	Captain of H.M.S. Mersey 11 Jul, 1899 – 21 Aug, 1899	Succeeded by Morris H. Smyth
Preceded by Cecil Burney	Captain of Training Ship H.M.S. Boscawen 1 Sep, 1899 – 13 Mar, 1902	Succeeded by Lionel G. Tufnell
Preceded by William C. Pakenham	Captain of H.M.S. Albion 14 Mar, 1902 – 23 Dec, 1903	Succeeded by Sydney R. Fremantle
Preceded by Francis R. Pelly	Captain of H.M.S. Russell 18 Apr, 1904 – Dec, 1905[Inference]	Succeeded by Robert S. Lowry
Preceded by Robert S. Lowry	Captain of Royal Naval Engineering College, Keyham 6 Dec, 1905	Succeeded by Lionel G. Tufnell
Preceded by Sir George A. Callaghan	Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Station 9 Aug, 1910 – 31 Jul, 1912	Succeeded by Sir Cecil Burney
Preceded by Sir Alfred L. Winsloe	Commander-in-Chief, China Station 25 Jan, 1913 – 28 Jul, 1915	Succeeded by Sir William L. Grant
Preceded by Sir George J. S. Warrender, Bart.	Vice-Admiral Commanding, Second Battle Squadron 16 Dec, 1915 – 29 Nov, 1916	Succeeded by Sir John M. de Robeck