Charles Henry Coke
Admiral SIR Charles Henry Coke, K.C.V.O., R.N. (2 November, 1854 – 23 February, 1945) was an officer of the Royal Navy.
Early Life & Career
Coke was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant from the Victoria and Albert with seniority of 5 September, 1877.[1]
Coke was appointed to command the training brig Pilot on 30 August, 1889.[2]
Coke was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1892.[3]
Coke was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 January, 1899.[4]
He was appointed command of the battleship Cornwallis on 14 January, 1905.[5]
Coke was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King dated 1 March, 1907, vice Reynolds.[6]
Flag Rank
Coke was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 18 May, 1908, vice King-Hall.[7] From 29 September to 22 January, 1909, he took the War Course. He was adjudged to be "Slow."[8] In May, 1909, he sought and received permission from the Admiralty to visit Chefoo (now Yantai), China, and returned home on 24 August.[9]
He was appointed Rear-Admiral, Queenstown, on 18 April, 1911.[10] On 12 July, on the occasion of King George V's visit to Dublin, Coke was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (K.C.V.O.) and knighted.[11] He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 17 May, 1913, vice Callaghan.[12]
He was superseded on 21 April, 1914, and reappointed on 19 May.[13]
Great War
Coke gave up command on the Coast of Ireland on 22 July, 1915. On 12 February, 1917, he was granted a temporary commission as Captain, Royal Naval Reserve, and was appointed to H.M.C.S. Niobe for service under the Canadian Naval Board, as Commodore, Second Class, in command of the Newfoundland Patrol Service.[14] On 3 April he was promoted to the rank of Admiral, vice Poore[15] and was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 10 April.[16] He was superseded as Commodore of Patrols, Royal Canadian Navy, on 20 July, 1917.[17] In a letter to the Commander-in-Chief on North America and West Indies Station, Sir Montague E. Browning, the First Sea Lord, Sir John R. Jellicoe, noted, "I am sorry he was not up to the job, but he is of course aging rapidly."[18]
He died at Hughenden, Exmouth, on 23 February, 1945, aged ninety-one. He was interred at Littleham, Exmouth, on 27 February.[19] Cause of death was broncho pneumonia.[20]
Bibliography
- "Admiral Sir Charles Coke" (Obituaries). The Times. Monday, 26 February, 1945. Issue 50077, col E, p. 6.
Service Records
- The National Archives. ADM 196/87.
- The National Archives. ADM 196/38.
- The National Archives. ADM 196/19.
| Naval Appointments | ||
| Preceded by Andrew W. Rogers |
Captain of H.M.S. Pilot 30 Aug, 1889[21] |
Succeeded by Herbert W. Savory |
| Preceded by Robert S. Lowry |
Captain of H.M.S. Ganges 16 Jul, 1896[22] |
Succeeded by Walter V. Anson |
| Preceded by George A. Primrose |
Captain of H.M.S. Talbot 10 Jul, 1900[23] |
Succeeded by Frederick G. Stopford |
| Preceded by Arthur A. C. Galloway |
Captain of H.M.S. Terpsichore 7 Feb, 1901[24] – 25 Apr, 1904[25] |
Succeeded by Bernard Currey |
| Preceded by William B. Fisher |
Captain of H.M.S. Cornwallis 14 Jan, 1905[26][27] – 14 Jan, 1907[28] |
Succeeded by W. Lowther Grant |
| Preceded by Arthur A. C. Galloway |
In Command of Sheerness Gunnery School 14 Jan, 1907[29] |
Succeeded by the Chatham Gunnery School |
| Preceded by Sir Alfred W. Paget |
Senior Officer on the Coast of Ireland 18 Apr, 1911[30] – 21 Apr, 1914[31] |
Succeeded by Robert H. S. Stokes |
| Preceded by Robert H. S. Stokes |
Senior Officer on the Coast of Ireland 19 May, 1914[32] – 20 Jul, 1915[33] |
Succeeded by Sir Lewis Bayly |
Footnotes
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 24501. p. 5151. 7 September, 1877.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence". The Times. Saturday, 31 August, 1889. Issue 32792, col B, p. 7.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26309. p. 4187. 22 July, 1892.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27040. p. 84. 6 January, 1899.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 31 December, 1904. Issue 37592, col F, p. 10.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28004. p. 1832. 15 March, 1907.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28140. p. 3883. 26 May, 1908.
- ↑ ADM 203/99. f. 31.
- ↑ ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28513. p. 5265. 14 July, 1911.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28722. p. 3753. 27 May, 1913.
- ↑ ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 30012. p. 3404. 10 April, 1917.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 30017. p. 3496. 13 April, 1917.
- ↑ ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ Jellicoe to Browning. Copy of letter of 7 July, 1917. Jellicoe Papers. British Library. Add MS 49036. f. 36.
- ↑ "Deaths" (Deaths). The Times. Monday, 26 February, 1945. Issue 50077, col A, p. 1.
- ↑ ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ The Navy List. (March, 1892). p. 244.
- ↑ The Navy List. (October, 1898). p. 252.
- ↑ "The Naval Mobilization." The Times (London, England), 11 July 1900, p. 9.
- ↑ Coke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ Coke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ The Navy List. (November, 1905). p. 297.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 31 December, 1904. Issue 37592, col F, p. 10.
- ↑ Coke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 29 December, 1906. Issue 38216, col C, p. 7.
- ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 29 March, 1911. Issue 39545, col E, p. 6.
- ↑ Coke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 242.
- ↑ The Navy List. (September, 1914). p. 3.
- ↑ Coke Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/38. f. 242.
