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[[Admiral of the Fleet]] Lord '''Walter Talbot Kerr''', G.C.B. (28 September, 1839 – 12 May, 1927) was an officer of the [[Royal Navy]].
[[File:Lord Walter Kerr 1901.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Lord Walter Kerr, First Naval Lord of the Admiralty, in the study of his Cromwell Road residence in 1901.<br><small>Photograph: ''Navy & Army Illustrated''.</small>]]
 
[[Admiral of the Fleet]] {{RIGHTHON}} '''Lord Walter Talbot Kerr''', G.C.B. (28 September, 1839 &ndash; 12 May, 1927) was an officer of the [[Royal Navy]].


==Early Life & Career==
==Early Life & Career==
Kerr was born at Newbattle Abbey, Midlothian, on 28 September 1839, the fourth son of John William Robert Kerr, seventh marquess of Lothian (1794–1841), and his wife, Lady Cecil Chetwynd Talbot (1808–1877) [see Kerr, Cecil Chetwynd], daughter of Charles Chetwynd, second Earl Talbot. Their second son was Schomberg Henry Kerr, ninth marquess of Lothian. Kerr was educated at Radley College from 1851 to 1853, when he joined the Prince Regent as a naval cadet. During the Baltic operations of the Crimean War (1854–5) he served in the Neptune and Cornwallis and was promoted midshipman in August 1855. The next year he was appointed to the steam frigate Shannon (50 guns, Captain William Peel) on the China station. On the outbreak of the Indian mutiny in 1857 the Shannon was ordered to Calcutta, and Peel landed with most of his ship's company as a naval brigade. Kerr served with it throughout the mutiny, was wounded in an action near Cawnpore, and was given an independent command at the siege and capture of Lucknow. For this service he was specially rated mate for the rest of the Shannon's commission, and in the following year served for a few months in the same rank in the royal yacht Victoria and Albert, and was promoted lieutenant in September 1859. In 1860 he was appointed to the Emerald for three years' service in the channel, and in 1864 he went to the Princess Royal, flagship on the East Indies and Cape station, for another three years. He was promoted commander in 1868 and served in the Hercules, channel squadron, until 1871, and afterwards in the Lord Warden, Mediterranean flagship—an appointment John Fisher wanted—until promotion to captain in November 1872. While in the Hercules he was awarded the Royal Humane Society's silver medal for jumping overboard from a height of 30 feet into the Tagus to rescue a man who had fallen from the rigging.
Lord Walter Talbot Kerr was born on 28 September, 1839, at Newbattle Abbey, Midlothian, the fourth son of John Robert William Kerr, Seventh Marquess of Lothian, by Cecil Chetwynd Talbot, the Marchioness of Midlothian. His father died in 1841. From 1851 to 1853 Kerr was educated at Radley School in Oxfordshire.  On 10 August, 1853, he joined the [[Royal Navy]] as a {{NavCadRN}} in the ''Prince Regent''.  He was appointed to the ''Neptune'' on 7 March, 1854, and to the ''Cornwallis'' on 1 May, 1855. Both ships served in the Baltic Campaign of the Crimean War, and Kerr received the Baltic Medal.  He was rated {{MidRN}} on 10 August, 1855. On 14 August, 1856, he was appointed to the ''Shannon''.
 
Kerr wrote to his mother from Cawnpore, dated "3rd December, 1857, in Camp, Cawnpore:"
 
<blockquote>We proceeded up to Lucknow, and joined General Grant's force at Alumbagh, about five miles from Lucknow. We halted there for two of three days, when we were joined by Sir Colin Campbell and staff, Captain Peel with some of the Naval Brigade and four heavy guns; and a large reinforcement joined afterwards in the shape of 23rd and 53rd, and some sappers and miners, and artillery with a lot of guns and mortars.  Two days afterwards we stowed all our tents in Alumbagh and proceeded on a flank march on Lucknow. This was the first day of our fighting; the advanced guard, Cavalry, and Horse Artillery were skirmishing all day.  About 1 p.m. we heard a great deal of firing TBC.<ref>''Navy & Army Illustrated''.  '''XII'''.  pp. 281-282.</ref></blockquote> 
 
Kerr was one of three officers later to achieve high rank in the Navy to be awarded the India 1857-1858 campaign medal with the "Relief of Lucknow" clasp, the other two being [[Nowell Salmon]] and [[Edmund John Church|Edmund J. Church]].  He was appointed Mate on 28 September, 1858.
 
Kerr was promoted to the rank of {{LieutRN}} on 5 September, 1859.<ref>Clowes.  '''VII'''.  p. 579.</ref>
 
Kerr was promoted to the rank of {{CommRN}} on 3 April, 1868.{{Gaz|23368|2106|7 April, 1868}}
 
In 1870, Kerr was awarded the [[Royal Humane Society's Silver Medal]] for saving life from drowning.{{NLOct78|p. 577}}
 
==Captain==
On 30 November, 1872 he was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}}.{{Gaz|23925|6104|3 December, 1872}}  He went on Half Pay until 1 October, 1874, when he was appointed in command of the ''Agincourt'' as Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral F. Beauchamp P. Seymour, Senior Officer in Command of the [[Channel Squadron (Royal Navy)|Channel Squadron]].  He took command of the ''Minotaur'' in the same capacity on 6 August, 1875.  Seymour, by now Vice-Admiral Sir Beauchamp Seymour, hauled down his flag on 9 November, 1877, and was superseded by Rear-Admiral [[John Hay|Lord John Hay]].  Kerr was superseded on the same day by Captain [[Harry Holdsworth Rawson|Harry H. Rawson]], and went on Half Pay. In 1878 he was appointed to the Committee on Signal Books.
 
On 5 February, 1880, Kerr was again appointed Flag Captain to Seymour, now Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, first in the ''Inconstant'', and then in the ''Alexandra'' on 12 March. 
 
On 17 December, 1881, he was appointed to ''Pembroke'' for command of the Medway Steam Reserve, joining on 2 January, 1882.  He was appointed to the ''Devastation'' on 30 April, 1885, before being discharged on 26 June.


Kerr married in 1873 Lady Amabel Cowper (d. 15 Oct 1906), the youngest daughter of George Augustus Frederick, sixth Earl Cowper, and sister of Francis Thomas De Grey, seventh Earl Cowper. They had four sons and two daughters. On the seventh earl's death in 1905 Lady Amabel succeeded to the properties of Brocket Hall, Hertfordshire, and Melbourne Hall, Derbyshire, and became coheir, with Lady Desborough and Lord Lucas, of the barony of Butler.
Kerr was invited by [[George Francis Hamilton|Lord George Hamilton]], Conservative [[First Lord of the Admiralty]], to be his [[Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty|Private Secretary]], to which position Kerr was appointed on 3 July. When the Liberal government took office, Kerr was reappointed as Private Secretary to the Marquess of Ripon, First Lord from February to August, 1886.  Lord George Hamilton returned as First Lord on 6 August, and Kerr remained in post.


During his first eleven years on the captains' list, four of them on half pay, Kerr's principal commands were as flag-captain to Sir Beauchamp Seymour (afterwards Lord Alcester) in the channel squadron (1874–7), and in the Mediterranean (1880–81). In September 1880 he was sent by Seymour (who commanded the combined fleet of the five naval powers assembled to enforce, under the terms of the treaty of Berlin, the surrender of Dulcigno to Montenegro by Turkey) on a special mission to Rıza Pasha, the Turkish governor of Albania. He then had a shore appointment as captain of the Medway steam reserve until 1885, when Lord George Hamilton, on becoming first lord of the Admiralty in Lord Salisbury's Conservative government, appointed him his naval private secretary.
==Flag Rank==
[[File:WKerr.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Admiral Lord Walter Kerr and staff on board H.M.S. ''Majestic'' in 1896.<br><small>Photograph: ''Navy & Army Illustrated''.</small>]]
Lord George Hamilton, First Lord of the Admiralty from 1886 to 1892, later wrote of Kerr:


Kerr retained this appointment at the Admiralty until nearly a year after his promotion to rear-admiral in January 1889. He then hoisted his flag in the Trafalgar, as second in command in the Mediterranean until 1892, when he returned to the Admiralty as junior naval lord: the fifth Earl Spencer (first lord of the Admiralty in Gladstone's fourth government), on taking office, included him in his board for the duties of fourth naval lord, although he was senior to John Fisher, third naval lord and controller. In November 1893 Kerr became second naval lord. The naval lords, led by Sir Frederick Richards (first lord, 1893–9), pressed for a large shipbuilding programme to counter the Franco-Russian threat. Spencer agreed, but Gladstone and Harcourt opposed it. Late in 1893 the naval lords threatened resignation; as Fisher wrote, ‘We got the ships and Mr. Gladstone went’ (Mackay, 210). Promoted vice-admiral in February 1894, in May 1895 Kerr was appointed vice-admiral commanding the channel squadron, with his flag in the Majestic, for two years. In June 1895 he took part with his squadron in the celebration of the opening of the Kiel Canal. In May 1899 G. J. Goschen (Unionist first lord, 1895–1900) brought him back to his former post on the Board of Admiralty, preparatory to succeeding Sir Frederick Richards as first naval lord the following August: Fisher was bitterly disappointed not to be chosen. In 1901 Custance (director of naval intelligence) and in 1902 H. O. Arnold-Forster warned against the German naval threat but Lord Selborne (Unionist first lord, 1900–05) and Kerr considered the Franco-Russian threat the more important, and rejected any immediate anti-German naval redistribution. Kerr continued as first naval lord and was promoted to the rank of {{AdmRN}} on 21 March 1900;<ref>''London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27178/pages/2131 no. 27178.  p. 2131.]  30 March, 1900.</ref> by a special order in council he was then promoted admiral of the fleet in June 1904, until Trafalgar day (21 October) of that year, when Selborne brought Fisher back from Portsmouth to succeed him. He remained on half pay until he retired on account of age in September 1909.
<blockquote>Kerr was the embodiment of accuracy, moderation and reliability. During the latter part of his career, when at the top of his profession, his decision or ruling upon any disputed question, either personal, disciplinary or administrative, was accepted without cavil by the whole Service. Cautious in making changes or reforms, he never went back upon his work nor stultified his previous utterance by pyrotechnic capitulations. For five years he was my head Naval Secretary and a rock upon whom to rest. He was as good afloat as he was in Council, a splendid specimen of disinterested loyalty and devotion to the highest demands of duty.<ref>Hamilton.  p. 132.</ref></blockquote>


Kerr's early promotions made him a senior captain when he came to the Admiralty as private secretary, but although some naval members of the board were his juniors, he did not presume on his seniority to take a too prominent part in the administration, while his high rank enabled him to be of good service to the first lord in difficulties with members of the board, notably with the disagreement between Lord Charles Beresford, junior or fourth naval lord, and Sir Arthur Hood, senior or first naval lord. By temperament Kerr was unassuming and not opinionative and therefore got on well with his colleagues, naval and civilian, while his moderation and judgement ensured respect for his opinions. He was a thorough seaman with a great love of the service, and was conservative and resistant to change. He was not a man to initiate reform, but when he recognized its necessity he adopted and supported it. His sound common sense and knowledge of the service were of great help to Lord George Hamilton in carrying out the programme of the Naval Defence Act of 1889. Again, as fourth naval lord and second naval lord from 1892 to 1895, his moderation and firmness were of much help to Lord Spencer, when confronted with cabinet difficulties in the carrying out of the second shipbuilding programme.
Kerr was promoted to the rank of {{ViceRN}} on 20 February, 1895, vice [[Walter James Hunt-Grubbe|Hunt-Grubbe]],{{Gaz|26601|1067|22 February, 1895}} and in May, 1895 he was appointed Vice-admiral commanding the channel squadron, with his flag in the ''Majestic'', for two years.


==Senior Naval Lord==
On the occasion of the Queen's birthday he was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 20 May, 1896.{{Gaz|26741|3053|20 May, 1896}}
On 19 August, 1899 Kerr succeeded Sir Frederick Richards as Senior Naval Lord.<ref>"The First Naval Lord of the Admiralty" (News). ''The Times''. Monday, 21 August, 1899. Issue '''35913''', col F, pg. 4.</ref>


In a 1901 letter to [[Hugh Oakeley Arnold-Forster|Arnold-Forster]], Lord Selborne stated that he believed Kerr's views on current strategy to be, "quite as good as Fisher's and Beresford's."<ref>Letter of 26 June, 1901.  British Library.  Selborne Papers.  Add. MSS. 50288.  Quoted in Mackay.  ''Fisher of Kilverstone''.  p. 277.</ref>
==First Naval Lord==
On 19 August, 1899 Kerr succeeded Sir Frederick Richards as Senior Naval Lord.<ref>"The First Naval Lord of the Admiralty" (News).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 21 August, 1899.  Issue '''35913''', col F, p. 4.</ref>  He was promoted to the rank of {{AdmRN}} on 21 March, 1900, vice [[Henry Fairfax|Fairfax]].{{Gaz|27178|2131|30 March, 1900}}
 
In a 1901 letter to [[Hugh Oakeley Arnold-Forster|Arnold-Forster]], Lord Selborne stated that he believed Kerr's views on current strategy to be, "quite as good as Fisher's and Beresford's."<ref>Letter of 26 June, 1901.  British Library.  Arnold-Forster Papers.  Add. MSS. 50288.  Quoted in Mackay.  ''Fisher of Kilverstone''.  p. 277.</ref>
 
Kerr was appointed an Ordinary Member of the First Class, or Knight Grand Cross, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (G.C.B.) on 26 June, 1902.{{GazSup|27448|4189|26 June, 1902}}
 
On 16 June, 1904, Kerr was promoted to the rank of {{FleetRN}} by Order in Council, "in recognition of his distinguished services."{{Gaz|27692|4259|5 July, 1904}}
 
In 1905, Selborne informed the Prime Minister that he placed Kerr "in the same flight" as Fisher, Wilson and Beresford.<ref>Letter of 16 January, 1905.  British Library.  Balfour Papers.  Add. MSS. 49708.  Quoted in Mackay.  ''Fisher of Kilverstone''.  p. 277.</ref>


In 1905, Selborne informed the Prime Minister that he placed Kerr "in the same flight" as Fisher, Wilson and Beresford.<ref>Letter of 16 January, 1905.  British Library.  Selborne Papers.  Add. MSS. 49708.  Quoted in Mackay.  ''Fisher of Kilverstone''.  p. 277.</ref>
===Submarines===
===Submarines===
In March, 1900, Kerr wrote, "The matter of submarine boats cannot be ignored and must be taken up by us.  Our first want is a design."<ref>Kerr Minute of 22 May, 1900.  The National Archives.  ADM 1/7462.</ref>  He recognised the limited potential of the early submarines and the inherent difficulty in obtaining funds for such an unknown quantity.  He minuted on 26 October that the submarine had "a very limited sphere of usefulness", and suggested that they be used "for any purpose to which they can be adapted" and that "it is desirable to word the letter to give the impression that the sphere of usefulness of these vessels may be very wide if found to be a success."<ref>Kerr Minute.  The National Archives.  ADM 1/7515.</ref>
In March, 1900, Kerr wrote, "The matter of submarine boats cannot be ignored and must be taken up by us.  Our first want is a design."<ref>Kerr Minute of 22 May, 1900.  The National Archives.  ADM 1/7462.</ref>  He recognised the limited potential of the early submarines and the inherent difficulty in obtaining funds for such an unknown quantity.  He minuted on 26 October that the submarine had "a very limited sphere of usefulness", and suggested that they be used "for any purpose to which they can be adapted" and that "it is desirable to word the letter to give the impression that the sphere of usefulness of these vessels may be very wide if found to be a success."<ref>Kerr Minute.  The National Archives.  ADM 1/7515.</ref>
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On 20 January, 1901, Kerr minuted:
On 20 January, 1901, Kerr minuted:


:In doing this I think that we have not only adopted the best course that was open to us, but also done all that we can prudently do … While we are bound to follow up the development of the submarine boats and thus have at our disposal whatever advantages they may possess, it is not desirable to plunge too heavily as it must first be in the dark, nor until experience points us in the direction in which we should work.<ref name=20Jan01>Kerr Memorandum.  The National Archives.  ADM 1/7515.</ref>
<blockquote>In doing this I think that we have not only adopted the best course that was open to us, but also done all that we can prudently do … While we are bound to follow up the development of the submarine boats and thus have at our disposal whatever advantages they may possess, it is not desirable to plunge too heavily as it must first be in the dark, nor until experience points us in the direction in which we should work.<ref name=20Jan01>Kerr Memorandum.  The National Archives.  ADM 1/7515.</ref></blockquote>


Taking note of the French exercises in which submarines were pitted against forces representing a British close blockade, Kerr went on to write that the French submarines, "have achieved considerable success and a blockade must in consequence be maintained at
Taking note of the French exercises in which submarines were pitted against forces representing a British close blockade, Kerr went on to write that the French submarines, "have achieved considerable success and a blockade must in consequence be maintained at
Line 32: Line 62:
In 1904, Kerr put forward the case that the submarine was no longer an instrument of coast defence, writing on 6 January, "In no case can the submarine, in my opinion, be classified as 'fixed defences'. They are free to move, up to the extent of their limitations."<ref>Kerr Minute.  The National Archives.  ADM 1/7717.</ref>
In 1904, Kerr put forward the case that the submarine was no longer an instrument of coast defence, writing on 6 January, "In no case can the submarine, in my opinion, be classified as 'fixed defences'. They are free to move, up to the extent of their limitations."<ref>Kerr Minute.  The National Archives.  ADM 1/7717.</ref>


The relationship between Kerr and Fisher was inherently difficult. Fisher at first feared that Kerr's elevation to senior naval lord doomed his own chances, as he might be too old to succeed Kerr when the latter stepped down. Fisher ‘unceasingly harassed’ (Boyce, 108) and irritated Kerr by his correspondence demanding strengthening of the Mediterranean Fleet, and Kerr rightly believed that Fisher fed information to ‘Navy Leaguers and kindred spirits’ (ibid., 138). Kerr was scathing in some of his minutes on Fisher's proposals, describing them as based on impulse rather than calm and deliberate judgement. Kerr asserted they ‘had a right to expect something better than a demand for impossibilities from an officer holding the position of the C. in C. in the Mediterranean’ (Marder, 400). Kerr advised Selborne against appointing Fisher second and first naval lord, alleging the latter appointment would be ‘universally condemned’ (Boyce, 137). Fisher, in turn, worked to undermine Kerr's reputation, suggesting that the Board of Admiralty was more concerned with the details of uniforms—‘Kerr is humbugging about the oak leaves on the admirals' full-dress coat, etc’ (Bennett, 243)—than what he regarded as the dangerous situation in the Mediterranean. Kerr, however, could be equally critical of Fisher's future rival Beresford, then second in command in the Mediterranean, remarking that Beresford's ‘impetuosity leads him to launch forth reckless condemnations on insufficient and ill-thought out grounds’ (Bennett, 237). Kerr was described as ‘politely neutral’ in 1903 on the Fisher question and in 1904 he welcomed the prospect of freedom from ‘this unpleasant job’ (Mackay, 211, 308). During Fisher's absence as commander-in-chief at Portsmouth (1903–4) the implementation of the new scheme rested largely with Kerr, and it was owing to his firmness that things proceeded well until Fisher returned as first sea lord. Kerr had no share in the changes made in the organization of the fleet in 1905. His was not a creative mind, but his character was esteemed by some of his fellow officers, including Selborne. In Lord George Hamilton's words, he might well be termed the preux chevalier of the navy. He was created KCB in 1896 and GCB in 1902.
==Retirement==
After Fisher was announced as Kerr's successor, Cyprian Bridge wrote to Gerard Noel, "I look with dismay upon the loss of W. Kerr's honesty and straightforwardness in a place where both are much wanted."<ref>Letter of 20 August, 1905. National Maritime Museum. Noel Papers. NOE 5. Quoted in Mackay.  p. 310.</ref>


Soon after Kerr entered the navy his widowed mother became, with her younger children, Roman Catholic, and Kerr was thenceforth a devoted Catholic. His religion made him widely suspect in the navy. Fisher wrote in 1901 that Kerr was ‘a slave to the Roman Catholic hierarchy … he is a pervert and has all the antagonism of the pervert to the faith he has left’ (Hough, 132). He was president of the Catholic Union of Great Britain from 1917 to 1921. After his retirement Kerr resided at Melbourne Hall, Derby, and died there on 12 May 1927. A funeral service was held on 17 May at St David's, Dalkeith.
Soon after Kerr entered the navy his widowed mother became, with her younger children, Roman Catholic, and Kerr was thenceforth a devoted Catholic. Fisher claimed in 1901 that Kerr was "a slave to the Roman Catholic hierarchy" and because of it would "not be allowed to leave the Admiralty, however much he may wish it."  To Arnold White he wrote that Kerr "is a pervert and has all the antagonism of the pervert to the faith he has left!  &hellip; In the Navy [the Roman Catholics'] one mainstay is Walter Kerr and they will make him die at his post!"<ref>Quoted in Hough.  p. 132</ref>  He was president of the Catholic Union of Great Britain from 1917 to 1921. After his retirement Kerr resided at Melbourne Hall, Derby, and died there on 12 May 1927. A funeral service was held on 17 May at St David's, Dalkeith. In his ''Who's Who'' entry for 1907 his recreations are listed as cycling, photography and botany.<ref>''Who's Who'' (1907).  p. 979.</ref>


'''Wealth at death;''' £79,988 0''s''. 11''d''.: Probate; 22 October, 1927.
==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
*"Admiral of the Fleet Lord Walter Kerr" (Obituaries).  ''The Times''.  Friday, 13 May, 1927.  Issue '''44580''', col A, p. 11.
*Verney, Edmund Hope (1862).  ''The Shannon's Brigade in India: Being Some Account of Sir William Peel's Naval Brigade in the Indian Campaign of 1857&mdash;1858''. London: Saunders, Otley, and Co.
{{refend}}


==Footnotes==
==Papers==
{{reflist}}
 
==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
*"Admiral of the Fleet Lord Walter Kerr" (Obituaries). ''The Times''. Friday, 13 May, 1927. Issue '''44580''', col A, pg. 11.
*[http://collections.rmg.co.uk/archive/objects/563683.html Papers in the possession of the National Maritime Museum.]
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


==Service Records==
==Service Records==
{{refbegin}}
{{refbegin}}
*The National Archives.  [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7894101&queryType=1&resultcount=3 ADM 196/36.]
*{{ADM196|86|D8115087}}
*The National Archives.  [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7902941&queryType=1&resultcount=3 ADM 196/14.]
*{{ADM196|70|D7607732}}
*The National Archives.  [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/details-result.asp?Edoc_Id=7923295&queryType=1&resultcount=3 ADM 196/70.]
*{{ADM196|36|D7578635}}
*{{ADM196|14|D7587471}}
{{refend}}
{{refend}}


[[Category:1839 births|Kerr]]
<div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}}
[[Category:1927 deaths|Kerr]]
{{TabNaval}}
[[Category:Personalities|Kerr]]
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Lewis Anthony Beaumont|Lewis A. Beaumont]]'''|'''[[Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty|Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty]]'''<br>3 Jul, 1885<ref>Kerr Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/36.}}  f. 734.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Alfred Taylor Dale|Alfred T. Dale]]'''}}
[[Category:Second Sea Lords|Kerr]]
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''New Appointment'''|'''[[Mediterranean Station|Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Station]]'''<br>2 Apr, 1890{{NLDec91|p. 191}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Albert Hastings Markham|Albert H. Markham]]'''}}
[[Category:First Sea Lords|Kerr]]
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Frederick George Denham Bedford|Frederick G. D. Bedford]]'''|'''[[Fourth Sea Lord|Junior Naval Lord]]'''<br>25 Aug, 1892|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Gerard Henry Uctred Noel|Gerard H. U. Noel]]'''}}
[[Category:Royal Navy Admirals of the Fleet|Kerr]]
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Frederick William Richards|Sir Frederick W. Richards]]'''|'''[[Second Sea Lord|Second Naval Lord]]'''<br>1 Nov, 1893{{UKNavalStaff|p. 119}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Frederick George Denham Bedford|Sir Frederick G. D. Bedford]]'''}}
[[Category:Royal Navy Flag Officers|Kerr, Lord Walter]]
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Robert O'Brien FitzRoy|Sir Robert O'B. FitzRoy]]'''|'''[[Channel Squadron (Royal Navy)|Senior Officer in Command, Channel Squadron]]'''<br>27 May, 1895<ref>Kerr service record. {{TNA|ADM 196/36/2069.}}</ref> &ndash; 7 Jun, 1897<ref>Kerr service record. {{TNA|ADM 196/36/2069.}}</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Henry Frederick Stephenson|Sir Henry F. Stephenson]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Frederick George Denham Bedford|Sir Frederick G. D. Bedford]]'''|'''[[Second Sea Lord|Second Naval Lord]]'''<br>1 May, 1899{{UKNavalStaff|p. 119}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Archibald Lucius Douglas|Archibald L. Douglas]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Frederick William Richards|Sir Frederick W. Richards]]'''|'''[[First Sea Lord|First Naval Lord]]'''<br>14 Aug, 1899{{UKNavalStaff|p. 118}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[John Arbuthnot Fisher, First Baron Fisher|The Rt. Hon. The Lord Fisher]]'''<br><small>as '''First Sea Lord'''</small>}}
{{TabEnd}}
</div name=fredbot:appts>
 
==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr, Walter Talbot}}
 
{{CatPerson|UK|1839|1927}}
{{CatAdmOfTheFleet|UK}}
{{CatBritannia|Pre}}
 
[[Category:Roman Catholics in the Royal Navy]]
{{CatRN}}

Latest revision as of 21:14, 30 October 2022

Lord Walter Kerr, First Naval Lord of the Admiralty, in the study of his Cromwell Road residence in 1901.
Photograph: Navy & Army Illustrated.

Admiral of the Fleet THE RIGHT HONOURABLE Lord Walter Talbot Kerr, G.C.B. (28 September, 1839 – 12 May, 1927) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early Life & Career

Lord Walter Talbot Kerr was born on 28 September, 1839, at Newbattle Abbey, Midlothian, the fourth son of John Robert William Kerr, Seventh Marquess of Lothian, by Cecil Chetwynd Talbot, the Marchioness of Midlothian. His father died in 1841. From 1851 to 1853 Kerr was educated at Radley School in Oxfordshire. On 10 August, 1853, he joined the Royal Navy as a Naval Cadet in the Prince Regent. He was appointed to the Neptune on 7 March, 1854, and to the Cornwallis on 1 May, 1855. Both ships served in the Baltic Campaign of the Crimean War, and Kerr received the Baltic Medal. He was rated Midshipman on 10 August, 1855. On 14 August, 1856, he was appointed to the Shannon.

Kerr wrote to his mother from Cawnpore, dated "3rd December, 1857, in Camp, Cawnpore:"

We proceeded up to Lucknow, and joined General Grant's force at Alumbagh, about five miles from Lucknow. We halted there for two of three days, when we were joined by Sir Colin Campbell and staff, Captain Peel with some of the Naval Brigade and four heavy guns; and a large reinforcement joined afterwards in the shape of 23rd and 53rd, and some sappers and miners, and artillery with a lot of guns and mortars. Two days afterwards we stowed all our tents in Alumbagh and proceeded on a flank march on Lucknow. This was the first day of our fighting; the advanced guard, Cavalry, and Horse Artillery were skirmishing all day. About 1 p.m. we heard a great deal of firing TBC.[1]

Kerr was one of three officers later to achieve high rank in the Navy to be awarded the India 1857-1858 campaign medal with the "Relief of Lucknow" clasp, the other two being Nowell Salmon and Edmund J. Church. He was appointed Mate on 28 September, 1858.

Kerr was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 5 September, 1859.[2]

Kerr was promoted to the rank of Commander on 3 April, 1868.[3]

In 1870, Kerr was awarded the Royal Humane Society's Silver Medal for saving life from drowning.[4]

Captain

On 30 November, 1872 he was promoted to the rank of Captain.[5] He went on Half Pay until 1 October, 1874, when he was appointed in command of the Agincourt as Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral F. Beauchamp P. Seymour, Senior Officer in Command of the Channel Squadron. He took command of the Minotaur in the same capacity on 6 August, 1875. Seymour, by now Vice-Admiral Sir Beauchamp Seymour, hauled down his flag on 9 November, 1877, and was superseded by Rear-Admiral Lord John Hay. Kerr was superseded on the same day by Captain Harry H. Rawson, and went on Half Pay. In 1878 he was appointed to the Committee on Signal Books.

On 5 February, 1880, Kerr was again appointed Flag Captain to Seymour, now Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean, first in the Inconstant, and then in the Alexandra on 12 March.

On 17 December, 1881, he was appointed to Pembroke for command of the Medway Steam Reserve, joining on 2 January, 1882. He was appointed to the Devastation on 30 April, 1885, before being discharged on 26 June.

Kerr was invited by Lord George Hamilton, Conservative First Lord of the Admiralty, to be his Private Secretary, to which position Kerr was appointed on 3 July. When the Liberal government took office, Kerr was reappointed as Private Secretary to the Marquess of Ripon, First Lord from February to August, 1886. Lord George Hamilton returned as First Lord on 6 August, and Kerr remained in post.

Flag Rank

Admiral Lord Walter Kerr and staff on board H.M.S. Majestic in 1896.
Photograph: Navy & Army Illustrated.

Lord George Hamilton, First Lord of the Admiralty from 1886 to 1892, later wrote of Kerr:

Kerr was the embodiment of accuracy, moderation and reliability. During the latter part of his career, when at the top of his profession, his decision or ruling upon any disputed question, either personal, disciplinary or administrative, was accepted without cavil by the whole Service. Cautious in making changes or reforms, he never went back upon his work nor stultified his previous utterance by pyrotechnic capitulations. For five years he was my head Naval Secretary and a rock upon whom to rest. He was as good afloat as he was in Council, a splendid specimen of disinterested loyalty and devotion to the highest demands of duty.[6]

Kerr was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 20 February, 1895, vice Hunt-Grubbe,[7] and in May, 1895 he was appointed Vice-admiral commanding the channel squadron, with his flag in the Majestic, for two years.

On the occasion of the Queen's birthday he was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 20 May, 1896.[8]

First Naval Lord

On 19 August, 1899 Kerr succeeded Sir Frederick Richards as Senior Naval Lord.[9] He was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 21 March, 1900, vice Fairfax.[10]

In a 1901 letter to Arnold-Forster, Lord Selborne stated that he believed Kerr's views on current strategy to be, "quite as good as Fisher's and Beresford's."[11]

Kerr was appointed an Ordinary Member of the First Class, or Knight Grand Cross, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (G.C.B.) on 26 June, 1902.[12]

On 16 June, 1904, Kerr was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet by Order in Council, "in recognition of his distinguished services."[13]

In 1905, Selborne informed the Prime Minister that he placed Kerr "in the same flight" as Fisher, Wilson and Beresford.[14]

Submarines

In March, 1900, Kerr wrote, "The matter of submarine boats cannot be ignored and must be taken up by us. Our first want is a design."[15] He recognised the limited potential of the early submarines and the inherent difficulty in obtaining funds for such an unknown quantity. He minuted on 26 October that the submarine had "a very limited sphere of usefulness", and suggested that they be used "for any purpose to which they can be adapted" and that "it is desirable to word the letter to give the impression that the sphere of usefulness of these vessels may be very wide if found to be a success."[16]

On 20 January, 1901, Kerr minuted:

In doing this I think that we have not only adopted the best course that was open to us, but also done all that we can prudently do … While we are bound to follow up the development of the submarine boats and thus have at our disposal whatever advantages they may possess, it is not desirable to plunge too heavily as it must first be in the dark, nor until experience points us in the direction in which we should work.[17]

Taking note of the French exercises in which submarines were pitted against forces representing a British close blockade, Kerr went on to write that the French submarines, "have achieved considerable success and a blockade must in consequence be maintained at a greater distance from their ports than formerly, thus affording greater facilities for their ships to evade an enemy."[17]

On 5 July, 1902 Kerr vetoed Captain Bacon's request that his submarines be named, noting that, "The names … suggested by Captain Bacon are rather formidable." The Hollands were to be named Discosaurus, Piscosaurus, Nothosaurus, Pleisiosaurus and Somosaurus. A1 was to be called Icthyosaurus.[18]

In 1904, Kerr put forward the case that the submarine was no longer an instrument of coast defence, writing on 6 January, "In no case can the submarine, in my opinion, be classified as 'fixed defences'. They are free to move, up to the extent of their limitations."[19]

Retirement

After Fisher was announced as Kerr's successor, Cyprian Bridge wrote to Gerard Noel, "I look with dismay upon the loss of W. Kerr's honesty and straightforwardness in a place where both are much wanted."[20]

Soon after Kerr entered the navy his widowed mother became, with her younger children, Roman Catholic, and Kerr was thenceforth a devoted Catholic. Fisher claimed in 1901 that Kerr was "a slave to the Roman Catholic hierarchy" and because of it would "not be allowed to leave the Admiralty, however much he may wish it." To Arnold White he wrote that Kerr "is a pervert and has all the antagonism of the pervert to the faith he has left! … In the Navy [the Roman Catholics'] one mainstay is Walter Kerr and they will make him die at his post!"[21] He was president of the Catholic Union of Great Britain from 1917 to 1921. After his retirement Kerr resided at Melbourne Hall, Derby, and died there on 12 May 1927. A funeral service was held on 17 May at St David's, Dalkeith. In his Who's Who entry for 1907 his recreations are listed as cycling, photography and botany.[22]

Bibliography

  • "Admiral of the Fleet Lord Walter Kerr" (Obituaries). The Times. Friday, 13 May, 1927. Issue 44580, col A, p. 11.
  • Verney, Edmund Hope (1862). The Shannon's Brigade in India: Being Some Account of Sir William Peel's Naval Brigade in the Indian Campaign of 1857—1858. London: Saunders, Otley, and Co.

Papers

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Lewis A. Beaumont 		Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty
3 Jul, 1885[23] 		Succeeded by
Alfred T. Dale
Preceded by
New Appointment 		Second-in-Command, Mediterranean Station
2 Apr, 1890[24] 		Succeeded by
Albert H. Markham
Preceded by
Frederick G. D. Bedford 		Junior Naval Lord
25 Aug, 1892 		Succeeded by
Gerard H. U. Noel
Preceded by
Sir Frederick W. Richards 		Second Naval Lord
1 Nov, 1893[25] 		Succeeded by
Sir Frederick G. D. Bedford
Preceded by
Sir Robert O'B. FitzRoy 		Senior Officer in Command, Channel Squadron
27 May, 1895[26] – 7 Jun, 1897[27] 		Succeeded by
Sir Henry F. Stephenson
Preceded by
Sir Frederick G. D. Bedford 		Second Naval Lord
1 May, 1899[28] 		Succeeded by
Archibald L. Douglas
Preceded by
Sir Frederick W. Richards 		First Naval Lord
14 Aug, 1899[29] 		Succeeded by
The Rt. Hon. The Lord Fisher
as First Sea Lord

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Navy & Army Illustrated. XII. pp. 281-282.
  2. ↑ Clowes. VII. p. 579.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 23368. p. 2106. 7 April, 1868.
  4. ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1878). p. 577.
  5. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 23925. p. 6104. 3 December, 1872.
  6. ↑ Hamilton. p. 132.
  7. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26601. p. 1067. 22 February, 1895.
  8. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26741. p. 3053. 20 May, 1896.
  9. ↑ "The First Naval Lord of the Admiralty" (News). The Times. Monday, 21 August, 1899. Issue 35913, col F, p. 4.
  10. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27178. p. 2131. 30 March, 1900.
  11. ↑ Letter of 26 June, 1901. British Library. Arnold-Forster Papers. Add. MSS. 50288. Quoted in Mackay. Fisher of Kilverstone. p. 277.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 27448. p. 4189. 26 June, 1902.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27692. p. 4259. 5 July, 1904.
  14. ↑ Letter of 16 January, 1905. British Library. Balfour Papers. Add. MSS. 49708. Quoted in Mackay. Fisher of Kilverstone. p. 277.
  15. ↑ Kerr Minute of 22 May, 1900. The National Archives. ADM 1/7462.
  16. ↑ Kerr Minute. The National Archives. ADM 1/7515.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Kerr Memorandum. The National Archives. ADM 1/7515.
  18. ↑ Kerr Minute. The National Archives. ADM 138/180B.
  19. ↑ Kerr Minute. The National Archives. ADM 1/7717.
  20. ↑ Letter of 20 August, 1905. National Maritime Museum. Noel Papers. NOE 5. Quoted in Mackay. p. 310.
  21. ↑ Quoted in Hough. p. 132
  22. ↑ Who's Who (1907). p. 979.
  23. ↑ Kerr Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/36. f. 734.
  24. ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1891). p. 191.
  25. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 119.
  26. ↑ Kerr service record. The National Archives. ADM 196/36/2069.
  27. ↑ Kerr service record. The National Archives. ADM 196/36/2069.
  28. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 119.
  29. ↑ The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 118.

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