Vice-Admiral Cecil Dacre Staveley Raikes,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(29 May 1874 – 15 February 1947) was a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

officer.

Biography

The son of the Conservative politician Henry Cecil Raikes, he entered the Royal Navy in 1888. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in 1895. His first command came on 15 January 1901, when he was appointed to the

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

HMS ''Electra'', serving in the Portsmouth instructional flotilla. On 5 December 1901 he was appointed to command of HMS ''Thrasher'', set to serve as tender to the battleship ''Formidable'' on the

Mediterranean station The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a military formation, formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vita ...

, for which she left Devonport in January the following year. While at

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

the ''Thrasher'' was in May 1902 involved in a collision with the destroyer ''Coquette'', and had her stern damaged. Raikes was found at fault and warned to be more cautions in the future, but continued in command of the ship. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Raikes saw action in Gallipoli, in the Red Sea, and in East African waters. Appointed CBE in 1923, he was promoted to rear-admiral and retired in 1924. He was promoted to vice-admiral on the Retired list on 23 May 1929.{{London Gazette, issue=33504, page=3756, date=7 June 1929

References

1874 births 1947 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Royal Navy admirals of World War I Commanders of the Order of the British Empire