Gilbert Hilton Kellett

Commander Gilbert Hilton Kellett (26 July, 1884 – 6 February, 1935) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Kellett ranked twelfth among 62 successful candidates in examinations for entry to the Britannia intake term of September 1899, with 2462 marks.

Serving first in the battleship Jupiter in the Channel in 1901, Kellett was appointed to the armoured cruiser Cressy in mid-January, 1902. In June, 1903, Kellett was caught improperly sending off whiskey to the gun room mess of Cressy and was penalised three months time.

Kellett was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 December, 1905.

In December, 1909, Vice Admiral Neville blamed Kellett for damaging C 4.

Kellett was appointed to Dolphin for command of the submarine S 1 on 6 November, 1913, and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 December.

Great War

In June, 1915, Kellett captured a German trawler with S 1 and was thanked by the Admiralty for his resource in having the captured vessel then tow the submarine.

On 28 March, 1917, Kellett was hospitalised for rubella in Haslar Hospital. On 7 April, he emerged fit.

Kellett was in command of the submarine K 7 on 16 June, 1917 when she torpedoed U 95 but failed to sink her.

Kellett was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1917.

Kellett was appointed in command of the second class protected cruiser Forth on 15 November, 1917.

On 20 February, 1918, he was admitted to Shotley hospital for seven days, suffering from hemorrhoids and rectal polyps.

Post-War

Kellett was appointed to Hermione, additional, for command of sloops on 4 October, 1919.

He was appointed to Sutton for sloops other than Racehorse class and as Senior Officer, Netley on 1 April, 1920 and then in command of the first class protected cruiser Royal Arthur on 10 June, 1920.

In 1922, Kellett was tried by Court Martial in H.M.S. Gibraltar for "neglect of duty & drunkenness." It was found that he had failed to report a large number of liberty men sent ashore – so many that it was impossible to bring them back – and that he had failed to tell the Senior Naval Officer that a motorboat had gone adrift, thus imperiling the boat's crew. Kellett was dismissed Pandora and severely reprimanded.

Seemingly finished by this finding, Kellett was placed on the Retired List at his own request four months later, on 23 June, 1922.

Kellett was denied a customary step in rank upon reaching age 45 in 1929 and was informed that he would have to wait two more years. He died in 1935.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Edward C. Boyle	Captain of H.M.S. C 4 1 Jan, 1909 – 1911	Succeeded by George A. Saltren-Willett
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. S 1 6 Nov, 1913 – 1 Sep, 1915	Succeeded by Frederick C. C. Kennedy
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. S 3 1 Sep, 1915 – 25 Sep, 1915	Succeeded by Transferred to Italy
Preceded by Thomas C. B. Harbottle	Captain of H.M.S. E 55 25 Sep, 1915 – Dec, 1916	Succeeded by John B. Glencross
Preceded by Geoffrey Layton	Captain of H.M.S. K 7 8 Dec, 1916 – 14 Nov, 1917	Succeeded by Samuel M. G. Gravener
Preceded by Martin E. Nasmith	Captain of H.M.S. J 2 Dec, 1916 – 8 Dec, 1916	Succeeded by Vincent M. Cooper
Preceded by Nicholas E. Archdale	Captain of H.M.S. Forth 15 Nov, 1917 – 25 Feb, 1919	Succeeded by Brownlow V. Layard
Preceded by Robert S. Connolly	Captain of H.M.S. Spearmint 25 Feb, 1919 – 7 Jul, 1919	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by ?	Captain of H.M.S. Repton 7 Jul, 1919 – 4 Oct, 1919	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by William R. D. Crowther	Captain of H.M.S. Royal Arthur 10 Jun, 1920 – Dec, 1920	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Victor L. A. Campbell	Captain of H.M.S. Pandora Dec, 1920 – 24 Feb, 1922	Succeeded by John G. Bower