Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson

Admiral Douglas R. L. Nicholson, April, 1925.
Portrait: © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Admiral SIR Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson, K.C.M.G., K.C.V.O., Royal Navy (4 March, 1867 – 8 February, 1946) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Life & Career

Nicholson was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 April, 1889.

Nicholson was appointed Flag Lieutenant to Admiral Sir Frederick W. Richards, Commander-in-Chief on the China Station, on 29 November, 1890.

On 16 September, 1892, Nicholson was appointed to the Anson as Flag Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral Edward H. Seymour, the new Second-in-Command of the Channel Squadron.

He was appointed Flag Lieutenant to Vice-Admiral Compton E. Domvile on 8 June, 1897.

Nicholson was promoted to the rank of Commander on 19 August, 1899.

Captain

Nicholson was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1904. He was reappointed as Superintendent of Signal Schools on the same date. On 20 August, 1905, he was appointed to the second class protected cruiser Hyacinth, as Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral Edmund S. Poë, the new Commander-in-Chief on the East Indies Station. At some point Poë's flag was transferred to Hyacinth's sister ship, Hermes. He was superseded in command on 20 August, 1908.

Back in Britain, he was appointed to H.M.S. President to take the War Course at the Royal Naval War College, Portsmouth. He was placed first in order of merit out of six captains with a First Class pass on the course, which ran from 9 February to 28 May, 1909. From 1 September to 19 October he served in the battlecruiser Inflexible as Flag Captain to Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward H. Seymour on a voyage to New York City for the Hudson-Fulton celebrations.

On 17 January, 1910, he was appointed to Victory for command of the new battleship St. Vincent, building at Portsmouth dockyard. However, on 31 January he was appointed in command of the battleship Lord Nelson, after her captain, Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot, was summarily relieved of command for making intemperate political remarks in a public address.

Nicholson was reappointed to St. Vincent on 31 March, and remained in command until 5 January, 1912. He was appointed to Vivid on 15 May for command of the battleship Conqueror, building at William Beardmore & Company's, Parkhead.

On 16 December, 1913, Nicholson was appointed to the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert as Commodore, Second Class in command of H.M. Yachts.

Great War

On 8 August, 1914, Nicholson was appointed in command of the battleship Agincourt of the Fourth Battle Squadron

He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 10 January, 1916, vice Dundas of Dundas. He was superseded in command of Agincourt on the same day.

After a bout of haemorrhoids he was appointed Rear-Admiral in the Third Battle Squadron on 13 March, 1917, flying his flag in Zealandia, and, from 26 March, Hibernia. When Roger Keyes was appointed out of the Fourth Battle Squadron to the new position of Director of Plans at the Admiralty, squadron commander Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee requested "White Nick" to succeed Keyes. Nicholson hoisted his flag on 25 September in Colossus. On 11 February, 1918, Sturdee wrote of him, "Has not served long in Squadron but fulfils my expectations when I applied for him. A most loyal second & an addition to the Squadron."

Post-War

Nicholson was appointed an Additional Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (K.C.M.G.) on 24 March, 1919. After the dispersal of the Grand Fleet on 8 April, he was appointed Rear-Admiral Commanding, Third Battle Squadron in the Home Fleet. In recognition of his services during the war, on the occasion of the King's birthday he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (K.C.V.O.) dated 24 April.

He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 29 January, 1920, vice Miller.

Nicholson was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 10 March, 1925, vice Gaunt.

He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 1 March, 1926.

Bibliography

• "Admiral Sir Douglas Nicholson" (Obituaries). The Times. Saturday, 9 February, 1946. Issue 50372, col E, p. 7.
• Keyes, Admiral of the Fleet Roger John Brownlow, First Baron Keyes (1972). Halpern, Paul G.. ed. The Keyes Papers. Volume I: 1914-1918. London: Navy Records Society.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/88.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/42.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Morgan Singer	Captain of H.M.S. Flying Fish 11 Jan, 1901	Succeeded by Hugh P. Buckle
Preceded by John B. Sparks	Captain of H.M.S. Spiteful 11 Jan, 1901 – 14 Feb, 1902	Succeeded by Algernon W. Abbott
Preceded by Geoffrey T. Bowles	Captain of H.M.S. Dove 14 Feb, 1902 – 10 Jun, 1902	Succeeded by Archibald C. Goolden
Preceded by ?	Captain of H.M.S. Success 10 Jun, 1902 – 20 Dec, 1902	Succeeded by The Hon. Hubert G. Brand
Preceded by Erasmus D. St. A. Ommanney	Captain of H.M.S. Calliope 20 Dec, 1902 – 1 Jan, 1904	Succeeded by Robert E. R. Benson
Preceded by Allan F. Everett	Captain of Portsmouth Signal School 1 Jan, 1904 – 31 Dec, 1904	Succeeded by Henry G. G. Sandeman
Preceded by Allan F. Everett	Superintendent of Signal Schools 1 Jan, 1904 – 20 Aug, 1905	Succeeded by Henry G. G. Sandeman
Preceded by The Hon. Horace L. A. Hood	Captain of H.M.S. Hyacinth 20 Aug, 1905 – Dec, 1905	Succeeded by Price V. Lewes
Preceded by P. Vaughan Lewes	Captain of H.M.S. Hermes 1906 – 20 Aug, 1908	Succeeded by Philip W. Dumas
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. St. Vincent 17 Jan, 1910 – 31 Jan, 1910	Succeeded by Douglas R. L. Nicholson
Preceded by Sackville H. Carden	Captain of H.M.S. Lord Nelson 31 Jan, 1910 – 31 Mar, 1910	Succeeded by Alfred E. A. Grant
Preceded by Douglas R. L. Nicholson	Captain of H.M.S. St. Vincent 31 Mar, 1910 – 5 Jan, 1912	Succeeded by The Hon. Herbert E. Holmes-à-Court
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Conqueror 15 May, 1912 – 16 Dec, 1913	Succeeded by Norman C. Palmer
Preceded by Norman C. Palmer	Captain of H.M.Y. Victoria and Albert 16 Dec, 1913 – 7 Aug, 1914	Succeeded by Henry F. D. Jelf
Preceded by Norman C. Palmer	Commodore, Second Class Commanding, H.M. Yachts 16 Dec, 1913 – 7 Aug, 1914	Succeeded by The Hon. Sir Hubert G. Brand as Rear-Admiral Commanding, H.M. Yachts
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Agincourt 7 Aug, 1914 – 10 Jan, 1916	Succeeded by Henry M. Doughty
Preceded by Cecil F. Dampier	Rear-Admiral, Second-in-Command, Third Battle Squadron 13 Mar, 1917 – 21 Sep, 1917	Succeeded by Position Abolished
Preceded by Roger J. B. Keyes	Rear-Admiral in the Fourth Battle Squadron 25 Sep, 1917 – 3 Dec, 1918	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Sir Montague E. Browning	Vice-Admiral Commanding, Fourth Battle Squadron 3 Dec, 1918 – 1 Feb, 1919	Succeeded by Sir Montague E. Browning
Preceded by New Command	Rear-Admiral Commanding, Devonport Reserve 1 Feb, 1919 – 18 Mar, 1919	Succeeded by James A. Fergusson
Preceded by Sir William E. Goodenough	Rear-Admiral, Second-in-Command, Second Battle Squadron 1 Apr, 1919 – 7 Apr, 1919	Succeeded by Lewis Clinton-Baker
Preceded by Sir Dudley R. S. de Chair	Vice-Admiral Commanding, Third Battle Squadron 8 Apr, 1919 – 31 Oct, 1919	Succeeded by Hugh D. R. Watson as Rear-Admiral Commanding, Third Battle Squadron
Preceded by Vivian H. G. Bernard as Senior Naval Officer, Portland	Rear-Admiral, Reserve Fleet, Portland, etc 1 Nov, 1919 – 1 Apr, 1920	Succeeded by James R. P. Hawksley as Captain in Charge, Portland
Preceded by ?	Rear-Admiral Commanding, Portland Reserve 1 Nov, 1919 – 1 Apr, 1920	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by E. Hyde Parker	Vice-Admiral Commanding, Reserve Fleet 3 Oct, 1922 – 3 Oct, 1923	Succeeded by Sir William E. Goodenough