Guy Percival Bowles

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Captain (retired) Guy Percival Bowles, D.S.O., (18 December, 1885 – ) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Bowles was born in London and was raised by his mother.

Bowles was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 May, 1907 and spent four years in a series of four separate torpedo boat commands based in the Nore, at the outset of which Bowles applied to take but failed to pass a navigation course. Bowles suffered his first misstep when he grounded his first command, the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 053, though he got away with a simple request that he be more cautious in future. Although he'd been "strongly recd for cd of large torpedo craft" by Commander Dawson in January of 1911, upon completing his fourth command, of T.B. 28 on 4 June 1912, Bowles was appointed to join H.M.S. Lion.[1]

While in Lion, Bowles applied to go to Germany to study the language and was told he should first complete two years in his current appointment. In the meantime, he prepared a report on landing facilities on the Scottish coast which was appreciated by the Admiralty. Bowles's time in the battlecruiser proved prolonged, as he was still there when he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 May, 1915, having recently asked if he could receive a destroyer command appointment. He was superseded on 9 October 1915 and soon thereafter was appointed to Blake for the new "M" Class destroyer Mindful, to take command upon her commissioning.[2]

On 8 March 1916, Rifleman collided with a trawler and Bowles's services in dealing with the aftermath were commended.[3]

Bowles was appointed, temporarily, to command Obedient on 18 August, 1916, but this was cancelled and he may never have joined the ship. Instead, he was appointed to Sandhurst for Orcadia on 26 August, to take command upon her commissioning.[4]

Bowles was appointed in command of the destroyer Venturous on 5 November, 1917.[5]

In early 1918, Captain (D), Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla was asked to report in three months on Bowles's fitness for command. This apparent lack of confidence in the Lieutenant-Commander is not explained, and on 30 May, Captain (D) Arthur Brandreth Scott Dutton reported that Bowles was "quite fit [for?] cmd & handles his ship well". Bowles completed his command appointment in Venturous while also working on the staff of Captain Superintendent, T.B.Ds. in January, 1921.[6]

Post-War

Bowles was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1921.[7]

After so many small ship command appointments, it is a bit odd to consider that Bowles's last seagoing appointment was one in H.M.S. Tiger dated 16 December, 1926 and extending to 2 January, 1929.[8]

Bowles was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Captain on 2 March, 1931.[9]

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Clive Phillipps-Wolley
as Captain of H.M. T.B. 53
Captain of H.M. T.B. 053
25 Jul, 1908[10][11] – 31 May, 1910[12]
Succeeded by
Claude B. Evans
Preceded by
John A. Scott
Captain of H.M. T.B. 115
31 May, 1910[13] – Dec, 1910[14]
Succeeded by
Harold F. Alderton
Preceded by
Bernard M. Harvey
Captain of H.M. T.B. 6
Dec, 1910[15] – 15 Feb, 1911[16]
Succeeded by
Hugh C. Johnson
Preceded by
Hugh C. Johnson
Captain of H.M. T.B. 28
15 Feb, 1911[17][18] – 4 Jun, 1912[19]
Succeeded by
Horace Walker
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Mindful
19 Oct, 1915[20] – Nov, 1915[21]
Succeeded by
Arthur G. H. Bond
Preceded by
Arthur G. H. Bond
Captain of H.M.S. Rifleman
c. Nov, 1915[22] – 20 Jul, 1916[23]
Succeeded by
Alexander L. Fletcher
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Orcadia
26 Aug, 1916[24][25] – 17 Jul, 1917[26]
Succeeded by
Godfrey R. Chambers
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Urchin
17 Jul, 1917[27][28] – 13 Oct, 1917[29]
Succeeded by
George A. Scott
Preceded by
Henry E. Horan
Captain of H.M.S. Nereus
13 Oct, 1917[30] – 5 Nov, 1917[31]
Succeeded by
Reginald Nash
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Venturous
5 Nov, 1917[32][33] – 15 Jan, 1921[34]
Succeeded by
John H. Jauncey
Preceded by
Lawrence L. Dundas
Captain of H.M.S. Phaeton
15 Jan, 1921[35] – 13 Jun, 1922[36]
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
Reginald B. C. Hutchinson
Captain of H.M.S. Clematis
10 Sep, 1922[37][38] – Jul, 1924[39]
Succeeded by
Hugh J. Woodward

Footnotes

  1. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  2. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  3. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  4. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  5. The Navy List. (December, 1920). p. 880.
  6. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  7. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  8. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  9. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  10. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  11. The Navy List. (October, 1908). p. 399.
  12. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  13. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  14. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  15. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  16. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  17. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  18. The Navy List. (April, 1911). p. 399.
  19. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  20. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  21. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  22. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  23. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  24. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  25. The Navy List. (December, 1916). p. 396h.
  26. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  27. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  28. The Navy List. (November, 1917). p. 398o.
  29. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  30. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  31. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  32. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  33. The Navy List. (December, 1920). p. 880.
  34. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  35. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  36. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  37. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.
  38. The Navy List. (January, 1923). p. 737.
  39. Bowles Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/50/144. f. 245.