Lionel Halsey

Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, as a Rear-Admiral, 1920.
© National Portrait Gallery, London.

Admiral SIR Lionel Halsey, G.C.M.G., G.C.V.O., K.C.I.E., C.B., R.N., Retired (26 February, 1872 – 26 October, 1949) was a British Royal Navy officer and courtier.

Early Life & Career

Halsey was born in London, the fourth son of Sir Thomas Frederick Halsey, First Baronet. After primary education at the Stubbington House School, Fareham, Hampshire, and entered H.M.S. Britannia in January, 1885. He was commissioned a Sub-Lieutenant on 14 July, 1891. In July, 1893 he was posted to the Royal Yacht and was promoted Lieutenant on 28 August, 1893. He served with the Mediterranean Fleet and then on the North America and West Indies Station, before joining H.M.S. Powerful. In the South African War, he commanded a battery of naval guns in the Defence of Ladysmith, for which he was mentioned in dispatches.

Halsey was specially promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1901, for services in South Africa. He was appointed to the second class protected cruiser Diana in the Mediterranean as Executive Officer on 15 January, and served in her until 24 June, 1902, when was appointed to Victory for the Coronation Naval Review at Portsmouth. From 15 October, 1902, to 8 October, 1904, he served as Executive Officer in the new armoured cruiser Good Hope, in the Cruiser Squadron.

In January, 1905 Halsey was appointed Naval Member of the new Volunteer Reserve Committee at the Admiralty.

Captain

Halsey was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1905. He ceased duty on the Admiralty Volunteer Committee on 26 August, on which date he was appointed in command of Powerful, as Flag Captain to Sir Wilmot H. Fawkes, Commander-in-Chief, Australia.

Upon Fawkes's three years as Commander-in-Chief on the station ending, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth. Halsey went with him as Flag Captain, being appointed to Impregnable as such on 28 April, 1908.

On 11 April, 1911 he was appointed in comman of the armoured cruiser Donegal in the Fourth Cruiser Squadron. He was superseded in command of Donegal on 20 September, 1912.

On 23 September, 1912, Halsey was appointed to Victory for command of the new battle cruiser New Zealand for her trials.

In August, 1913, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, noted that:

Captain Halsey having made a great success of his mission in the "New Zealand", and having achieved by all accounts an oratorical success not at all in keeping with the ordinary duties of a naval officer, has established special claims upon the Colonial Office, that Department should, in my opinion, be invited to reward him with a C.M.G.

He was accordingly appointed a Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (C.M.G.) on 8 December.

Great War

On 19 September Halsey was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King. He had been ordered to transfer to Invincible when that ship was detached following the Battle of Coronel. For some unknown reason, however, he remained in New Zealand, becoming Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral Sir A. Gordon H. W. Moore when he transferred from Invincible.

Halsey commanded the New Zealand at the Battle of Dogger Bank on 24 January, 1915, for which he was again mentioned in dispatches. In June, 1915 he was appointed Captain of the Fleet to Sir John R. Jellicoe in H.M.S. Iron Duke with the rank of Commodore, First Class. Before the war Jellicoe had already earmarked him for Captain of the Fleet if he had taken over in the usual course in December, 1914. He was present at the Battle of Jutland. In the King's Birthday Honours of 3 June, 1916, 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 15 September, 1916 he was appointed an Officer of the Légion d'honneur and was promoted to Commander in 1917.

On 4 December Halsey was appointed Fourth Sea Lord at the Admiralty, becoming Third Sea Lord in May, 1917. On 26 April, 1917, he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral. Upon relinquishing the office of Third Sea Lord he was appointed an Additional Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (K.C.M.G.) on 2 August, 1918. He was appointed to H.M.A.S. Australia as Rear-Admiral Commanding the Second Battle Cruiser Squadron in the Grand Fleet on 1 September and assumed command on 4 September.

Post-War

In February, 1919, Halsey was offered the position of First Naval Member on the Commonwealth Naval Board by Sir Joseph Cook, the Minister of the Navy, who along with Prime Minister Billy Hughes, was in Europe for the Versailles Peace Conference. His salary was to have been £2,500 a year, with £500 allowance, and he had provisionally accepted. However, the Cabinet back in Australia refused to countenance more than £2,000. He served at the Admiralty from March to August, 1919, when he became chief of staff to the Prince of Wales for his tour of Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, and other colonies in H.M.S. Renown. For this he was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (K.C.V.O.) on 1 December, 1919 and promoted Knight Grand Cross (G.C.V.O.) on 11 October, 1920.

In November, 1920 Halsey was appointed Comptroller and Treasurer to the Prince of Wales. He became an extra equerry in 1921. He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 5 July, 1921, vice Charlton, and was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 1 November, 1922, "in order to facilitate the promotion of younger officers." He was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (K.C.I.E.) on 23 June, 1922, following the Prince's visit to India, promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (G.C.M.G.) on 16 October, 1925 following the Prince's visit to Africa and South America, and advanced to the rank of Admiral on the Retired List on 4 October, 1926. He was also awarded the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun 1st Class in 1922.

In 1936 he was dismissed from the staff of King Edward VIII, as the Prince of Wales had now become. This was probably due to his opposition to Wallis Simpson becoming queen. In 1937, however, he was appointed an extra equerry to the new King George VI and took part in the coronation procession.

Regrettably all his papers were burnt in a fire at his home after the Great War. Despite this loss, some correspondence, including at least 88 letters he'd sent to his parents Sir Frederick and Lady Halsey while serving on the Australian Station as Flag Captain to Admiral Sir Wilmot Fawkes in H.M.S. Powerful 1905–08 survived and were house at the Hertfordshire Record Office.

See Also

• Wikipedia

Bibliography

• "Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 27 October, 1949. Issue 51523, col E, p. 7.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/88.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/43.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Frederick St. G. Rich	Captain of H.M.S. Powerful 26 Aug, 1905 – 1 Jan, 1908	Succeeded by Cecil I. Prowse
Preceded by Edward S. Fitzherbert	Flag Captain, Plymouth Station 28 Apr, 1908 – 11 Apr, 1911	Succeeded by Arthur L. Cay
Preceded by Thomas D. L. Sheppard	Captain of H.M.S. Donegal 11 Apr, 1911 – 20 Sep, 1912	Succeeded by George H. Borrett
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. New Zealand 23 Sep, 1912 – Jun, 1915	Succeeded by John F. E. Green
Preceded by Allan F. Everett	Captain of the Fleet, Grand Fleet Jun, 1915 – Dec, 1916	Succeeded by Hubert G. Brand
Preceded by Cecil F. Lambert	Fourth Sea Lord 4 Dec, 1916 – 31 May, 1917	Succeeded by Sir Hugh H. D. Tothill as Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Supplies and Transport
Preceded by Frederick C. T. Tudor as Third Sea Lord	Third Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Materiel 31 May, 1917 – 17 Jun, 1918	Succeeded by Charles Bartolomé as Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy
Preceded by Arthur C. Leveson	Rear-Admiral Commanding the Australian Fleet 1 Sep, 1918 – 21 Mar, 1919	Succeeded by John S. Dumaresq
Preceded by Arthur C. Leveson	Rear-Admiral Commanding, Second Battle Cruiser Squadron 1 Sep, 1918 – 21 Mar, 1919	Succeeded by Command Abolished