Godfrey Ratcliffe Chambers

Commander (retired) Godfrey Ratcliffe Chambers (15 June, 1888 – 4 January, 1933) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Born in Downton Lodge, Hants, Chambers gained two months' time on passing out of Britannia.

Chambers was appointed to the Duncan of the Channel Fleet on 10 August, 1906. She dropped him off at Gibraltar, sick, in April, 1907. He returned to England in Spartiate in May.

Chambers was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 June, 1910. On 21 August, he was appointed to the Venus.

On 12 July 1911 Chambers was admitted to Haslar Hospital to be treated for an intestinal disease. He was found fit on the 18th despite having been granted two weeks.

On 13 September, 1913 he was appointed to Ghurka as first lieutenant. When she paid off on 2 February, 1914, he briefly went to Marlborough for trials but on 5 March he was sent to join Midge, becoming her first lieutenant at some later point. On 4 February, 1915 he left Midge when he was appointed in command of the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 1. His conduct in her "under dangerous and trying circumstances" on the night of 11/12 November 1915 elicited praise from the Admiralty.

In the wake of this first command appointment in T.B. 1, Chambers served in a variety of other torpedo craft commands: moving to Musketeer from August 1916, then Liffey from October 1916, Nymphe from April 1917, and Orcadia from July, 1917.

Chambers was appointed in command of the destroyer Moresby on 5 March, 1918.

Chambers was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 June, 1918.

Post-War

Apart from a stint as Divisional Officer at Inverness which was extended to four years from its commencement in 1920, the ensuing decade of peacetime appointments for him were strictly of the type typically offered to wartime destroyer captains, such as watching over groups of destroyers in reserve and periods of unpaid time. Following these, Chambers was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Commander on 11 October, 1929.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Hilary P. Mead	Captain of H.M. T.B. 1 4 Feb, 1915 – Aug, 1916	Succeeded by Arthur K. Gibson
Preceded by Richard M. King	Captain of H.M.S. Musketeer 25 Aug, 1916 – 18 Oct, 1916	Succeeded by John M. Porter
Preceded by John M. Porter	Captain of H.M.S. Liffey 18 Oct, 1916 – 31 Mar, 1917	Succeeded by Samuel B. Graves
Preceded by Sydney L. K. Lawford	Captain of H.M.S. Nymphe 31 Mar, 1917 – Jul, 1917	Succeeded by Hugh E. Raymond
Preceded by Guy P. Bowles	Captain of H.M.S. Orcadia Jul, 1917 – 5 Mar, 1918	Succeeded by A. Paul Bush
Preceded by John A. P. Legh	Captain of H.M.S. Moresby 5 Mar, 1918 – 20 Feb, 1919	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by George C. H. Lawson	Captain of H.M.S. Termagant 20 Feb, 1919 – 25 Feb, 1919	Succeeded by Astley D. C. Cooper-Key
Preceded by Astley D. C. Cooper-Key	Captain of H.M.S. Matchless 25 Feb, 1919 – 5 Mar, 1919	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Harold S. Gillett	Captain of H.M.S. Tyrant 10 Jul, 1924 – 16 Mar, 1925	Succeeded by Harry McDonald
Preceded by Salisbury H. Simpson	Captain of H.M.S. Sportive 28 Feb, 1928 – 16 Aug, 1928	Succeeded by Vessel Inactivated