George John Scott Warrender, Seventh Baronet
Sir George John Scott Warrender, 7th baronet, (31 July, 1860 – 8 January, 1917) was an officer of the Royal Navy in the First World War.
Early Life and Career
Warrender was born at Bruntsfield House, Edinburgh, on 31 July 1860, the second son of Sir George Warrender of Lochend, sixth baronet (1825–1901), of Lochend, Haddingtonshire, and his wife, Helen (d. 1875), the only child of Sir Hugh Hume Campbell, seventh baronet, of Marchmont, Berwickshire. He entered the navy as a cadet at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, in 1873 and as a midshipman in the corvette Boadicea was part of the naval brigade landed during the Anglo-Zulu War in 1879. He was in the Eshowe relief column and was present at the battle of Gingindlovu, receiving the South Africa medal and clasp. He was promoted lieutenant in 1880 with three firsts in his examinations, specialized in gunnery, and was on the staff of the gunnery school HMS Excellent (1884–5). He was promoted commander in 1893 and after further service, including three years as commander in the royal yacht Victoria and Albert, was promoted captain in 1899.
On 6 February 1894 Warrender married Lady Ethel Maud Ashley-Cooper (1870–1945), daughter of the eighth earl of Shaftesbury. They had two sons and a daughter. Warrender's older brother, John, had died unmarried in 1894. Consequently Warrender succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father in June 1901. The family connections of both Warrender and his wife gave them the entrée into society and they were well known in the London social world. In addition his eldest son, Victor Alexander (later first Baron Bruntisfield), was a godson of Queen Victoria.
At the time of the Boxer uprising Warrender was flag captain (1899–1902) in the battleship Barfleur to Rear-Admiral Sir James Bruce, second in command of the China station. He commanded the East India station (1907–9), first as a commodore and then as a rear-admiral after his promotion in July 1908. He then commanded the 2nd cruiser squadron (1910–12), and the 2nd battle squadron (1912–15). He was created a KCVO in 1911 and a KCB in 1913. He was promoted vice-admiral in June 1913 and is remembered for the visit of his battle squadron to Germany for Kiel week in June 1914 shortly before the outbreak of the First World War. His famous though not very prophetic signal on departure was: ‘Friends in the past, friends forever’ (Goldrick, 2). A few weeks later Warrender, in the absence of the commander-in-chief, commanded the movement of the Grand Fleet from the south coast to its point of concentration at Scapa Flow.
Warrender, flying his flag in the dreadnought King George V, had a squadron that enjoyed an excellent record in gunnery. He was an old friend of Admiral J. R. Jellicoe, visiting him so frequently in his flagship that Jellicoe later complained he delayed his work. Warrender enjoyed a high reputation in the navy but, as Jellicoe was slowly and reluctantly to realize, as an admiral during time of peace, not war.
Warrender played a leading and disappointing role in the events of 16 December 1914, generally known to the British as the Scarborough raid. The British by means of their ability to intercept and decode German wireless transmissions learned of a plan for Rear-Admiral Hipper's battle cruisers to raid the north-east coast. The Admiralty planned to trap them on their return with Admiral Beatty's battle cruisers and Rear-Admiral Goodenough's light cruiser squadron. Warrender, with the six dreadnoughts of the 2nd battle squadron, screened by eight destroyers, was ordered by Jellicoe to support them at a rendezvous off the south-east corner of the Dogger Bank. Warrender was in overall command of the interception force, something some historians in retrospect consider a bad choice for, whatever his skill in fleet work, initiative was not his strongest trait. Admiralty intelligence did not know that the high sea fleet would also be out to a position roughly halfway across the North Sea in support of the German raid. Consequently Warrender was standing into danger, and the Germans, who did not know the British would be at sea, might have had an opportunity to do what they had always dreamed of, that is trap and destroy a portion of the Grand Fleet with the entire high sea fleet. Warrender was saved on 16 December when in the poor visibility and squally weather the German commander Admiral Ingenohl, after his screening force of destroyers and light cruisers had clashed with Warrender's destroyers, decided he was facing the entire Grand Fleet and turned away because he did not have the Kaiser's permission for a general engagement. However, the German battle cruisers returning from their raid on the north-east coast also escaped. Goodenough made contact with a German light cruiser and destroyers screening the German battle cruisers but he failed to inform Beatty other German cruisers were in sight. This would have indicated Hipper's battle cruisers were probably behind them. Beatty therefore ordered two of Goodenough's four light cruisers to resume their position as lookouts in advance of his squadron. Unfortunately, a badly worded signal seemed to indicate that the entire squadron was to join Beatty, and Goodenough, not realizing that Beatty did not comprehend the complete situation, turned away and lost contact with the Germans. The German cruisers then passed Warrender's squadron and Rear-Admiral Arbuthnot commanding his 2nd division reported them but did not open fire, awaiting orders. Warrender, however, did not give the order to fire and merely reported the sighting and sent three armoured cruisers (which had joined from Beatty's force) in pursuit. Warrender's signal had the unfortunate effect of diverting Beatty from a course that probably would have permitted him to meet Hipper. In the end the Germans escaped.
The British made many mistakes that day and the most egregious probably were not made by Warrender. Nevertheless Warrender came in for his share of criticism and the redoubtable first sea lord Admiral Fisher called for his head, particularly for his perceived misuse of his cruiser and destroyer screen and failure to spread them properly. Jellicoe, whose retention of old friends and general kindliness was one of his faults, preserved Warrender for a year but lost confidence in him. He still regarded Warrender's experience in fleet work as ‘unique’ even though ‘I am not always quite happy with him’ (Patterson, 1.167). Nevertheless Warrender's increasing deafness and fits of absent-mindedness indicating deteriorating health led eventually to his replacement in December 1915. Jellicoe still regretted his departure, considering him ‘the soul of his squadron and the most loyal of commanders’ (ibid., 1.189). Warrender became commander-in-chief, Plymouth, in 1916 and thereby missed a role in the Grand Fleet's major action of the war, the battle of Jutland. His health continued to deteriorate and in December 1916 he asked to be placed on the retired list. He died at his home in London, 23 Great Cumberland Place, on 8 January 1917. He was cremated at Golders Green on 12 January, and his ashes were interred at the church of the Annunciation, Bryanston Street, London. Warrender remains one of the prime examples of a naval leader who, whatever his personal qualities and distinguished record in time of peace, did not rise to the very different demands of war.
