Difference between revisions of "William Milbourne James"

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(Early Life & Career)
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When a {{LieutGRN}}, James created the [[James Calculator]], a slide rule and plotting board intended to assist in applying the experimental [[Torpedo Control|torpedo control]] method of [[Deflection Plotting|deflection plotting]].{{ARTS1912|p. 27. (G. Branch No. 518, G. 4009/12).  That "W. M. James" is this James is inferred}}
 
When a {{LieutGRN}}, James created the [[James Calculator]], a slide rule and plotting board intended to assist in applying the experimental [[Torpedo Control|torpedo control]] method of [[Deflection Plotting|deflection plotting]].{{ARTS1912|p. 27. (G. Branch No. 518, G. 4009/12).  That "W. M. James" is this James is inferred}}
  
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==Great War==
 
James's father-in-law noted in his diary:
 
James's father-in-law noted in his diary:
  
<blockquote>It appears that James is getting himself disliked, or rather has a bad name for being constantly onshore.  This failing is of long standing.  he apparently has the young Lieutenants view that days off are days when one must go onshore, a very unfortunate view in the case of a Commander.<ref>Duff diary entry for 11 July, 1915.  National Maritime Museum.  DFF/15.</ref></blockquote>
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<blockquote>It appears that James is getting himself disliked, or rather has a bad name for being constantly onshore.  This failing is of long standing.  He apparently has the young Lieutenant's view that days off are days when one must go onshore, a very unfortunate view in the case of a Commander.<ref>Duff diary entry for 11 July, 1915.  National Maritime Museum.  DFF/15.</ref></blockquote>
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In March, 1916, James was appointed Flag Commander to Vice-Admiral [[Frederick Charles Doveton Sturdee, First Baronet|Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee, Bart.]], Vice-Admiral Commanding the {{UK-BS|4}}.  On 1 January, 1917, he was also appointed for War Staff duties.<ref>ADM 196/46.  f. 146.</ref>
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On 2 June, 1917, he was appointed to ''President'' for service in the [[Intelligence Division (Royal Navy)|Intelligence Division]] of the [[Naval Staff (Royal Navy)|Naval Staff]].  From 7 July he was appointed a II Grade Staff Officer and was to receive a consolidated salary of £600 a year.  He was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 18 October.<ref>ADM 196/46.  f. 146.</ref>  In the Intelligence Division he took responsibility of [[I.D. 25]] (Room 40), but did not impress one of the codebreakers there, W. F. Clarke:
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<blockquote>He was a very different type to Hope <nowiki>[</nowiki>[[Herbert Willes Webley Hope|Herbert W. W. Hope]]<nowiki>]</nowiki>, very pushing, very self confident.  He had been a remarkable success as a Commander at sea but he came to a job which required other qualifications which, in my opinion, he did not possess.  But luckily by then everything was so organised that we required little but a figurehead and for that he was admirably suited.  For the changes in procedure which took place he was not responsible.  When he came only about three of us were in uniform, within two months we all were.  He vastly increased our numbers, impelled by the so prevalent idea that the larger one's staff the more important one was, a mistake from the efficiency point of view [which] was too often the rule in the last war.  He got his promotion very soon.  He has written the story of his work in Room 40 in a volume of his own reminiscences about which I can only say that I have never seen to many misstatements of fact, not of opinion, on so few pages.<ref>"Room 40 O.B.  Chapter 3.  The Overlords."  f. 6.  {{TNA|HW 3/3.}}</ref></blockquote>
  
 
==Inter-War Years==
 
==Inter-War Years==

Revision as of 07:30, 6 July 2014

Admiral SIR William Milbourne James, G.C.B., Royal Navy (22 December, 1881 – 17 August, 1973) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early Life & Career

When a Template:LieutGRN, James created the James Calculator, a slide rule and plotting board intended to assist in applying the experimental torpedo control method of deflection plotting.[1]

Great War

James's father-in-law noted in his diary:

It appears that James is getting himself disliked, or rather has a bad name for being constantly onshore. This failing is of long standing. He apparently has the young Lieutenant's view that days off are days when one must go onshore, a very unfortunate view in the case of a Commander.[2]

In March, 1916, James was appointed Flag Commander to Vice-Admiral Sir F. C. Doveton Sturdee, Bart., Vice-Admiral Commanding the Fourth Battle Squadron. On 1 January, 1917, he was also appointed for War Staff duties.[3]

On 2 June, 1917, he was appointed to President for service in the Intelligence Division of the Naval Staff. From 7 July he was appointed a II Grade Staff Officer and was to receive a consolidated salary of £600 a year. He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 18 October.[4] In the Intelligence Division he took responsibility of I.D. 25 (Room 40), but did not impress one of the codebreakers there, W. F. Clarke:

He was a very different type to Hope [Herbert W. W. Hope], very pushing, very self confident. He had been a remarkable success as a Commander at sea but he came to a job which required other qualifications which, in my opinion, he did not possess. But luckily by then everything was so organised that we required little but a figurehead and for that he was admirably suited. For the changes in procedure which took place he was not responsible. When he came only about three of us were in uniform, within two months we all were. He vastly increased our numbers, impelled by the so prevalent idea that the larger one's staff the more important one was, a mistake from the efficiency point of view [which] was too often the rule in the last war. He got his promotion very soon. He has written the story of his work in Room 40 in a volume of his own reminiscences about which I can only say that I have never seen to many misstatements of fact, not of opinion, on so few pages.[5]

Inter-War Years

On 12 February, 1919, James was appointed a Companion in the Civil Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) for his services during the war.[6]

In April 1920, he was appointed in command of the light cruiser Curlew.[7]

In June 1921, he assumed command of the cruiser Hawkins.[8]

James was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V on 9 April, 1928, vice Hallett.[9]

James was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 1 March, 1929, vice Strutt.[10]

See Also

Bibliography

  • Beesly, Patrick (1982). Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914–1918. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192814680.
  • James, Admiral Sir W. M. James (1946). The Portsmouth Letters. London: Macmillan & Co..
  • James, Admiral Sir William (1956). The Eyes of the Navy: A Biographical Study of Admiral Sir Reginald Hall. London: Methuen & Co..
  • James, Admiral Sir William (1951). The Sky was Always Blue. London: Methuen & Co..

Service Records

 

Footnotes

  1. Annual Report of the Torpedo School, 1912. p. 27. (G. Branch No. 518, G. 4009/12). That "W. M. James" is this James is inferred.
  2. Duff diary entry for 11 July, 1915. National Maritime Museum. DFF/15.
  3. ADM 196/46. f. 146.
  4. ADM 196/46. f. 146.
  5. "Room 40 O.B. Chapter 3. The Overlords." f. 6. The National Archives. HW 3/3.
  6. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31176. p. 2741. 17 April, 1928.
  7. Mackie, Colin. ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS.
  8. Mackie, Colin. ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS.
  9. The London Gazette: no. 33376. p. 2741. 17 April, 1928.
  10. The London Gazette: no. 33474. p. 1575. 5 March, 1929.
  11. The Navy List. (January, 1921). p. 756.
  12. Mackie, Colin. ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS.
  13. "The Services" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 13 August, 1932. Issue 46211, col E, p. 13.
  14. "Flag Changes" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 12 August, 1935. Issue 47140, col F, p. 10.
  15. "Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Friday, 17 February, 1939. Issue 48232, col F, p. 4.

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