Edmond John Warre Slade

Admiral Sir Edmond J. W. Slade.

Admiral SIR Edmond John Warre Slade, K.C.I.E., K.C.V.O., Royal Navy (20 March, 1859 – 20 January, 1928) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Slade was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with seniority of 8 December, 1879.

He was appointed to Vernon on 9 September, 1883 to qualify as a torpedo Lieutenant.

On 4 July, 1888, Slade was loaned to command the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 60 for manoeuvres.

A fellow officer of Slade's in Trafalgar, Lieutenant Sydney Fremantle, later recalled that, "Slade (the first lieutenant), usually known as "Nutty", was a highly accomplished officer, though he found little favour with the ship's company …"

Slade was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1894.

After serving three years in Cockatrice (formerly Bramble) during which escaped blame for grounding her on 4 September 1895, Slade was appointed to the screw sloop Algerine from 4 March 1898 to 16 May, 1900, but took passage in S.S. Yokohama between unstated termini from 25 October to 6 December, 1898.

On 31 December, 1899, Slade was promoted to the rank of Captain.

At the turn of the century, Slade received an evaluation that illustrated an uncommon skill in linguistics: he had some ability in French, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian and Rumanian.

On 25 April 1902, he relieved Arthur Murray Farquhar in command of the second class protected cruiser Diana, staying in her until 8 June.

On the occasion of the King's visit to Malta Slade was appointed a Member of the Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) on 21 April, 1903.

In early 1904, he prepared an "interesting" report on Russian wireless telegraph signalling at Suez.

He was appointed President of the Royal Naval War College - the most junior in rank to hold that post, before being appointed Director of Naval Intelligence in 1907.

Collard Court-Martial

On 4 December, 1906 Slade was called upon to sit as a member of the Court trying Lieutenant Bernard St. G. Collard. Collard was accused of two charges, namely (1) committing an act to the prejudice of good order and naval discipline by punishing a stoker, and (2) improperly using a disciplinary order in punishing the stoker.

The case had drawn much attention in the media of the day, due to the perceived flouting of authority by Collard, a new arrival at the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth. After deliberating for the afternoon, the Court found the first charge partly proved and ordered Collard reprimanded, an insignificant sign of guilt. The second charge was dismissed, and Slade returned to Terpsichore and command of the Royal Naval War College.

He was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King Edward VII on 1 March, 1908, vice Bethell.

Flag Rank

Imperial War Museum photograph.

While serving as Director of Naval Intelligence, Slade was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 5 November, 1908, vice Niblett. Francis C. B. Bridgeman told Herbert G. King-Hall, who then told his brother George F. King-Hall, that Slade was being sent to the East Indies to get him out of the Admiralty. He relieved Sir George Warrender as Commander-in-Chief on the East Indies Station on 17 April, 1909. He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire (K.C.I.E.) on 2 January, 1911.

Slade spent much of 1911 and 1912 working on committees to explore how the Royal Navy might shed some local duties to ships of the Royal Indian Marine. His work was not entirely clerical, however, as the Indian government would express its appreciation for his work suppressing arms trade in the Persian Gulf during 1911.

He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (K.C.V.O.) on 12 December, 1911.

In April 1913, he was appointed Chairman of the Committee on the Organization of the War College.

Slade was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 25 April, 1914.

He was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 19 August, 1917, vice Lowry, and was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 1 September.

Bibliography

• "Admiral Sir Edmond Slade" (Obituaries). The Times. Monday, 23 January, 1928. Issue 44797, col C, p. 17.

Papers

• Papers in the possession of the National Maritime Museum.
• Diaries in the possession of the National Maritime Museum.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/87.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/39.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/20.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Arthur William Waymouth	Captain of H.M. T.B. 60 4 Jul, 1888 – 25 Aug, 1888	Succeeded by Dudley R. S. de Chair
Preceded by Henry J. L. Clarke	Captain of H.M. T.B. 53 18 Jul, 1889 – 3 Sep, 1889	Succeeded by Berkeley Holme-Sumner
Preceded by William Maitland-Dougall	Captain of H.M.S. Skipjack 21 Jul, 1892 – 3 Sep, 1892	Succeeded by James P. Montgomery
Preceded by Ernest G. Rason	Captain of H.M.S. Cocktrice 1 Jan, 1895 – 28 Jan, 1898	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Ewen F. Domville	Captain of H.M.S. Algerine 4 Mar, 1898 – 31 Dec, 1899	Succeeded by Robert H. J. Stewart
Preceded by Henry E. F. Worthington	Captain of H.M.S. Spartan 16 Jul, 1901	Succeeded by Algernon W. Heneage
Preceded by Arthur M. Farquhar	Captain of H.M.S. Diana 25 Apr, 1902 – 12 May, 1904	Succeeded by David Beatty
Preceded by Henry J. May	Captain of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich 13 May, 1904	Succeeded by Edward C. Villiers
Preceded by Henry J. May as In Command of the War Course College	Captain of the War Course College 13 May, 1904 – 31 Oct, 1907	Succeeded by Robert S. Lowry as In Command of the Royal Naval War College
Preceded by Frank H. Henderson	Captain of H.M.S. Goliath 18 Jul, 1904 – 18 Aug, 1904	Succeeded by John Casement
Preceded by William H. Baker-Baker	Captain of H.M.S. Terpsichore 10 Nov, 1906 – 1 Nov, 1907	Succeeded by George P. W. Hope
Preceded by Herbert G. King-Hall	Director of Naval Intelligence 1 Nov, 1907 – 2 Mar, 1909	Succeeded by The Hon. Alexander E. Bethell
Preceded by Sir George J. S. Warrender, Bart.	Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station 3 Mar, 1909 – 11 Apr, 1912	Succeeded by The Hon. Sir Alexander E. Bethell