David Richard Beatty, First Earl Beatty
Admiral of the Fleet THE RIGHT HONOURABLE David Richard Beatty, First Earl Beatty, G.C.B., O.M., G.C.V.O., P.C., Royal Navy (17 January, 1871 – 11 March, 1936) was an officer of the Royal Navy.
Early Life & Career
Beatty was born David Richard Beatty on 17 January, 1871 at Howbeck Lodge, Stapeley, in the Registration District of Nantwich, in the County of Chester. His birth was registered on 17 February.[1] He was the second of four sons of Captain David Longfield Beatty (1841–1904), of the Fourth Hussars, and his first wife, Catherine Edith (d. 1896), daughter of Nicholas Sadlier of Dunboyne Castle, County Meath, Ireland. David Richard and his elder brother Charles were both born out of wedlock, as David Longfield Beatty and Catherine Sadlier were not married until nearly six months after David Richard was born.[2]
A fellow officer in Trafalgar, Lieutenant Sydney Fremantle, later recalled of Beatty:
We had some enjoyable shooting trips together. He was a conscientious officer who never failed in his duties and obligations, but showed little interest in the Service outside his immediate functions, and when our ship was at Malta distinguished himself as a member of the naval polo team.[3]
On 18 November, 1896, Beatty was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) for his services in the Sudan.[4] He was specially promoted to the rank of Commander on 15 November, 1898, aged twenty-seven years, nine months, and twenty-nine days.[5]
For his service in China he was promoted to the rank of Captain on 9 November, 1900, aged just twenty-nine.[6]
Captain
Beatty was succeeded in command of Suffolk by Captain Rosslyn E. Wemyss. According to Lady Wester Wemyss, Sir John Fisher had laughingly described Suffolk as "the worst ship in the navy,"[7] and upon taking command Wemyss had supposedly "found the ship plunged in the deepest gloom, the officers discontented, the men unwilling."[8]
At a gathering of the Home Fleet at Cromarty in 1909, Beatty complained to his wife, "Many admirals, and not one that inspires a great deal of confidence, this is private, unless it be Prince Louis, and his national or birth qualifications are against him."[9]
Beatty had reached the top of the Captains' list without the necessary six years' of peacetime service, and an Order-in-Council was promulgated on 2 December, 1909 sanctioning Beatty's promotion to Flag rank, the regulations notwithstanding.[10] No-one has yet offered a satisfactory reason as to why this privilege was granted Beatty. That which Professor Lambert proffers, "Beatty was a very good seaman, had commanded four ships and had nothing left to prove,"[11] is utterly unconvincing. Hundreds of Beatty's contemporaries on the Captains' list were in command of ships. Many would be retired for age or for lack of sea time, of whom there must have been some who must have shown promise. Why was Beatty extended such extraordinary treatment? This mystery notwithstanding, he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 1 January, 1910, vice Cross, promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral.[12]
Flag Rank
He attended the June, 1911 War Course, where he placed fifth out of seven Rear-Admirals. He was judged to be "Well set, an excellent example to the juniors. Smart and able, apt to be rash in conclusion".[13] On 19 June, 1911 he was appointed a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on the occasion of the coronation of King George V.[14]
Beatty was rescued from this impasse by Winston Churchill's becoming First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911. Advised by Fisher to exercise particular care in his choice of naval secretary, Churchill selected Beatty after an interview in which he demonstrated "the profound sagacity of his comments expressed in language free from technical jargon" (R. Churchill, 550). According to Admiral Sir Dudley de Chair, when Beatty met Churchill the latter said, "You seem very young to be an admiral." To which Beatty replied, "And you seem very young to be First Lord of the Admiralty."[15]
In the absence of an organized naval staff, an able and determined naval secretary could exercise considerable influence over his political master. Beatty used the opportunity to the full, and despite his earlier suspicion began to appreciate Churchill's genuine enthusiasm for the navy and his ability in cabinet to further its interests. A paper that he addressed to Churchill in April 1912 on naval dispositions in a German war shows the maturity and perceptiveness of Beatty's contributions to their discussions (Beatty Papers, 1.36–45).
The practical result of Churchill's approbation led to Beatty's taking temporary command of the Sixth Cruiser Squadron, with his flag in Aboukir for the fleet manoeuvres of July 1912. His success in bringing his command to fighting efficiency must have reminded his critics of his high leadership qualities.
The Battle Cruiser Squadron, 1913-1914
Great War
On 9 August, 1915, Beatty was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral.[16]
Jutland
Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Fleet, 1916–1919
Asquith wrote to Balfour on 20 November of a successor to Jellicoe, "I quite realise the difficulty of taking him at this moment from the Grand Fleet, especially as his only possible successor in the command (I am sure you would agree) from the combatant point of view is Beatty, who, with all his fine fighting qualities, is yet comparatively untried in the domain of fleet administration on a large scale."[17]
First Sea Lord, 1919–1927
On 18 October, 1919, Beatty was granted an Earldom of the United Kingdom, with the courtesy titles Baron Beatty of the North Sea, and of Brooksby in the County of Leicester, and Viscount Borodale of Wexford in the County of Wexford.[18]
Beatty's Service
Chronological Record of Services of Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty[19] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Ship | Rank | Period of Service | Remarks | |
From | To | |||
Britannia | Naval Cadet | 15 January, 1884 | 14 January, 1886 | |
Alexandra | Naval Cadet | 15 January, 1886 | 14 May, 1886 | |
Alexandra | Midshipman | 15 May, 1886 | 20 July, 1888 | |
Cruiser | Midshipman | 21 July, 1888 | 20 October, 1888 | |
Alexandra | Midshipman | 21 October, 1888 | 19 March, 1889 | |
Duke of Wellington | Midshipman | 20 March, 1889 | 14 September, 1889 | |
Ruby | Midshipman | 15 September, 1889 | 13 May, 1890 | |
Ruby | Sub-Lieutenant | 14 May, 1890 | 15 May, 1890 | |
Duke of Wellington | Sub-Lieutenant | 16 May, 1890 | 10 June, 1890 | |
Ruby | Sub-Lieutenant | 11 June, 1890 | 31 August, 1890 | |
Duke of Wellington | Sub-Lieutenant | 1 September, 1890 | 1 September, 1890 | |
Excellent | Sub-Lieutenant | 2 September, 1890 | 13 January, 1892 | |
Victory II | Sub-Lieutenant | 14 January, 1892 | 4 February, 1892 | |
Nile | Sub-Lieutenant | 5 February, 1892 | 6 July, 1892 | |
Victoria and Albert | Sub-Lieutenant | 7 July, 1892 | 30 August, 1892 | |
Ruby | Lieutenant (Seniority of 25 August, 1892) |
31 August, 1892 | 30 September, 1893 | |
Camperdown | Lieutenant | 1 October, 1893 | 2 October, 1895 | |
Trafalgar | Lieutenant | 3 October, 1895 | 18 May, 1896 | |
Victory I | Lieutenant | 19 May, 1896 | 2 June, 1896 | |
Egyptian Government | Lieutenant | 3 June, 1896 | 19 November, 1896 | Half Pay |
Victory III for Ranger in command |
Lieutenant | 9 January, 1897 | 30 June, 1897 | |
Egyptian Government | Lieutenant | 1 July, 1897 | 24 October, 1898 | Half Pay |
— | Commander | 15 November, 1898 | ||
Barfleur | Commander | 20 April, 1899 | 12 September, 1900 | Wounded |
Duke of Wellington | Commander | 13 September, 1900 | 30 September, 1900 | |
— | Captain | 9 November, 1900 | Half Pay | |
Juno | Captain | 2 June, 1902 | 17 December, 1902 | Half Pay |
Arrogant | Captain | 3 November, 1903 | 29 September, 1904 | |
Diana | Captain | 30 September, 1904 | 11 October, 1904 | |
Mars | Captain | 12 October, 1904 | 24 October, 1904 | |
Suffolk | Captain | 25 October, 1904 | 19 September, 1905 | |
Victory I | Captain | 20 September, 1905 | 14 October, 1905 | Half Pay |
Naval Adviser to the Army Council | Captain | 21 December, 1906 | 14 December, 1908 | |
Queen | Captain | 15 December, 1908 | 3 January, 1910 | Half Pay |
Naval Secretary to the First Lord | Rear-Admiral (Seniority of 1 January, 1910) |
8 January, 1912 | 1 July, 1912 | |
Aboukir (Sixth Cruiser Squadron) | Rear-Admiral | 2 July, 1912 | 27 July, 1912 | |
Naval Secretary to the First Lord | Rear-Admiral | 28 July, 1912 | 8 January, 1913 | Half Pay |
Lion | Rear-Admiral | 1 March, 1913 | 2 August, 1914 | |
Lion | Acting Vice-Admiral | 3 August, 1914 | 28 January, 1915 | |
Princess Royal | Acting Vice-Admiral | 29 January, 1915 | 8 April, 1915 | |
Lion | Acting Vice-Admiral | 9 April, 1915 | 8 August, 1915 | |
Lion | Vice-Admiral | 9 August, 1915 | 27 November, 1916 | |
Iron Duke | Acting Admiral (Seniority of 27 November, 1916) |
28 November, 1916 | 15 February, 1917 | |
Queen Elizabeth | Acting Admiral | 16 February, 1917 | 31 December, 1918 | |
Queen Elizabeth | Admiral | 1 January, 1919 | 2 April, 1919 | |
Queen Elizabeth | Admiral of the Fleet | 3 April, 1919 | 7 April, 1919 | |
President | Admiral of the Fleet | 8 April, 1919 | 31 October, 1919 | |
First Sea Lord | Admiral of the Fleet | 1 November, 1919 | 29 July, 1927 | Half Pay |
Footnotes
- ↑ Beatty. Our Admiral. p. 2.
- ↑ Beatty. Our Admiral. p. 3.
- ↑ Fremantle. My Naval Career. p. 68.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 26795. p. 6271. 17 November, 1896.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 27023. p. 6692. 15 November, 1898.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 27245. p. 6855. 9 November, 1900.
- ↑ Quoted in Wester Wemyss. Life and Letters. p. 76.
- ↑ Wester Wemyss. Life and Letters. p. 78.
- ↑ Letter of 13 April, 1909. National Maritime Museum. Beatty Papers. BTY/17/13/68-71. Reproduced in Beatty Papers. p. 22.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 28317. p. 9514. 14 December, 1909.
- ↑ Lambert. Admirals. p. 344.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 28325. p. 30. 4 January, 1910.
- ↑ Jones. The Making of the Royal Navy Officer Corps. p. 208.
- ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28505. p. 4588. 19 June, 1911.
- ↑ de Chair. The Sea is Strong. p. 142.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 29262. p. 8016. 13 August, 1915.
- ↑ Letter of 20 November, 1916. Balfour Papers. British Library. Add. MSS. 49692. ff. 175-178.
- ↑ London Gazette: no. 31610. p. 12889. 21 October, 1919.
- ↑ Chalmers. Life and Letters of David Beatty. pp. 434-435.
Bibliography
- "Lord Beatty, O.M." (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 11 March, 1936. Issue 47320, pg. 17.
- "Funeral of Lord Beatty" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 17 March, 1936. Issue 47325, pg. 21.
- Beatty, Charles (1980). Our Admiral. London: W. H. Allen / Virgin Books. ISBN 049102388X.
- Beatty, Admiral of the Fleet David, First Earl Beatty (1989). Ranft, Bryan McL.. ed. The Beatty Papers. Volume I. London: Navy Records Society. ISBN 0859678070.
- Beatty, Admiral of the Fleet David, First Earl Beatty (1993). Ranft, Bryan McL.. ed. The Beatty Papers. Volume II. London: Navy Records Society. ISBN 0859679640.
- Template:BibChalmersBeatty
- Churchill, Randolph Spencer (1967). Winston S. Churchill: Young Statesman 1910–1914. II. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0395075262.
- Template:BibdeChairTheSeaisStrong
- Lambert, Andrew (2009). Admirals: The Naval Commanders who made Britain Great. London: Faber and Faber Limited. ISBN 978-0-571-23157-7.
- Template:BibRoskillBeatty
Papers
Service Record
- The National Archives. ADM 196/43.
Naval Offices | ||
Preceded by Sir John R. Jellicoe |
Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet 1916 – 1919 |
Succeeded by Command Dispersed |
Preceded by Sir Rosslyn E. Wemyss |
First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff 1919 – 1927 |
Succeeded by Sir Charles E. Madden, Bart. |
- 1871 births
- 1936 deaths
- Personalities
- H.M.S. Britannia (Training Ship) Entrants of January, 1884
- Commanding Officers of H.M.S. Ranger (1895)
- Commanding Officers of H.M.S. Juno (1895)
- Commanding Officers of H.M.S. Arrogant (1896)
- Commanding Officers of H.M.S. Suffolk (1903)
- Naval Advisers to the Army Council
- Commanding Officers of H.M.S. (1902)
- Naval Secretaries to the First Lord of the Admiralty
- Rear-Admirals Commanding, Sixth Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)
- Rear-Admirals Commanding, First Battle Cruiser Squadron (Royal Navy)
- Vice-Admirals Commanding, Battle Cruiser Fleet (Royal Navy)
- Commanders-in-Chief, Grand Fleet
- First Sea Lords
- Royal Navy Admirals of the Fleet
- Royal Navy Flag Officers