Frederick Avenel Sommerville

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Vice-Admiral Frederick Avenel Sommerville, D.S.O, Royal Navy, Retired (21 February, 1883 – ) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

The son of paper manufacturer William Sommerville, Frederick Avenel Sommerville was born on 21 February, 1883 in Bilton.[1] He underwent examinations for several days commencing on 20 July, 1897 and gained entrance to the Britannia term of August, 1897, his 1104 marks placing him second-to-last in merit among the sixty-three candidates accepted as naval cadets.[2]

Sommerville was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 April, 1903.[3]

Sommerville was appointed in command of the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 33 on 18 June, 1903, for manoeuvres.[4]

Sommerville was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 April, 1911.[5]

Sommerville was appointed to Arrogant on 1 July, 1911. On 5 February 1912 he was re-appointed the ship for submarine service.

While in this appointment, he married Gladys Rothes Barlow on 7 February, 1912 and was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1914.[6]

The Great War

Sommerville was still working with submarines under Adamant at the outset of war, and was thanked for his service in conducting trials of submarine indicating nets on 1 January, 1915.[7]

Sommerville was landed in the Dardanelles for service in combined operations on 24 April, 1915 and re-embarked in Adamant on 3 May.[8]

Sommerville was invalided out of command of Adamant in August, 1915 with severe typhoid, as reported in a telegram of 6 August. He left Alexandria for England on 18 September in the hospital ship Tagus and was admitted to Haslar Hospital on 28 September, 1915. A series of protracted hospitalisations followed, and he was not again found fit until 8 February, 1916. Three days later, he was appointed to Dolphin, additional, for work with submarines. On 26 September, he was promoted to Assistant to Commander (S) while still commanding submarines.[9]

On 28 October, 1918, Sommerville was appointed in command of the depot ship Titania and as Commander (S) of a submarine flotilla.[10]

Post-War

Sommerville was promoted to the rank of Captain on 31 December, 1918.[11]

He was appointed in command of Fort Blockhouse in Gosport and in command of a submarine flotilla on 27 July, 1921. Fort Blockhouse perhaps indicates a transition from Dolphin being the old composite screw sloop Dolphin and the shore training establishment at Gosport that would be forming.[12]

Sommerville was appointed in command of the battleship Emperor of India in May, 1929.

He was appointed in command of the battleship Valiant in 1930.

Sommerville was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 1 April, 1931 and was placed on the Retired List the following day.[13]

Sommerville was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on the Retired List on 17 September, 1935.[14]

World War II

Sommerville was appointed as a Commodore, Second Class, R.N.R. on 16 September, 1939 and, in November sent to help with the Liverpool Convoy Pool. He was reverted to the Retired List when he took up an appointment with the Ministry of Aircraft Production on 23 September, 1941.[15]

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Edward M. Hewett 		Captain of H.M. T.B. 33
18 Jun, 1903[16] – 3 Oct, 1903[17] 		Succeeded by
Guy W. Hallifax
Preceded by
David de B. Stocks 		Captain of H.M.S. D 1
4 Feb, 1911[18][19] – 15 May, 1911[20] 		Succeeded by
Robert B. Ramsay
Preceded by
? 		Captain of H.M.S. D 3
15 May, 1911[21][22] – 1 Jul, 1911[23] 		Succeeded by
Francis H. H. Goodhart
Preceded by
New Command 		Captain of H.M.S. Adamant
27 Apr, 1912[24] – Aug, 1915[25] 		Succeeded by
Charles G. Brodie
Preceded by
Stanley L. Willis 		Captain of H.M.S. Titania
28 Oct, 1918[26][27] – Dec, 1920[28] 		Succeeded by
Charles S. Benning
Preceded by
? 		Captain (S), Eleventh Submarine Flotilla
28 Oct, 1918[29][30] – Dec, 1920[31] 		Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
Arthur K. Betty 		Captain of Training Ship H.M.S. Fisgard
2 May, 1927[32] – 6 May, 1929[33] 		Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
Arthur K. Betty 		Inspecting Captain of Mechanical Training Establishments
2 May, 1927[34] – 6 May, 1929[35] 		Succeeded by
Eric G. Robinson
Preceded by
William F. Sells 		Captain of H.M.S. Emperor of India
7 May, 1929[36] – 6 May, 1930[37] 		Succeeded by
George W. Taylor
Preceded by
Herbert Fitzherbert 		Captain of H.M.S. Coventry
8 May, 1930[38] – 10 Jul, 1930[39] 		Succeeded by
Philip H. Calderon
Preceded by
Alfred H. Norman 		Captain of H.M.S. Valiant
7 Oct, 1930[40] – 1 Dec, 1930[41] 		Succeeded by
Charles A. Scott
Preceded by
Norman A. Wodehouse 		Captain of H.M.S. Ceres
10 Feb, 1931[42] – 1 Apr, 1931[43] 		Succeeded by
James R. C. Cavendish

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  2. ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), Friday, Aug 13, 1897; pg. 8; Issue 35281.
  3. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  4. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  5. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  6. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  7. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  8. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  9. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  10. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1919). p. 920a.
  11. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  12. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  13. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  14. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  15. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  16. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  17. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  18. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  19. ↑ The Navy List. (April, 1911). p. 344.
  20. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  21. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1912). p. 401.
  22. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  23. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  24. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 268.
  25. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  26. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1919). p. 920a.
  27. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  28. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  29. ↑ The Navy List. (January, 1919). p. 920a.
  30. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  31. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  32. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  33. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  34. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  35. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  36. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  37. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  38. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  39. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  40. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  41. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  42. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.
  43. ↑ Sommerville Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/48/10. f. 413.


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