Charles Napier Robinson (27 January 1849 – 14 September 1936) was an English journalist and story writer. After a career in the Royal Navy, during which he achieved the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

, he became a journalist, specialising in naval matters. In his lifetime Robinson witnessed the Naval Review of 1854 and the Silver Jubilee Review of 1936 and as a participant, spectator or correspondent he witnessed all the Naval Reviews of the 80 years between. During his military service he witnessed fighting during the American Civil War. He was born in

Thanet Thanet may refer to: *Isle of Thanet, a former island, now a peninsula, at the most easterly point of Kent, England *Thanet District, a local government district containing the island *Thanet College, former name of East Kent College *Thanet Canal, ...

in Kent in 1849, one of five children of Anne and Alexander Robinson, a Paymaster 1st Class and Purser in the Royal Navy. In 1861 aged 13 Charles Robinson joined the Royal Navy and was promoted Lieutenant in September 1872. He was

Mentioned in Despatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

for actions against slaving dhows off the East African coast. After twenty years of service he retired early in July 1882 under the Childers Scheme with the rank of Commander. In 1882 at St. George's church in

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest mus ...

in London he married 20 year-old Alice Wilson (1862-) with whom he had three children. His son was Rear Admiral Sir Cloudesley Varyl Robinson, KCB (1883-1959). Between 1895 and 1903 Robinson was the editor of the periodical '' The Navy and Army Illustrated''. He was assistant editor of the ''Army and Navy Gazette'' and a founder of the Society for Nautical Research being a member of the original Council of 1910-11 and was a member of the Publication Committee. In 1921 he became a Vice-President and in 1931 was appointed an Honorary Vice-President. After his long and a distinguished service in the Royal Navy he became the Naval Correspondent for '' The Times'', a position he held for 45 years and was editor of ''

The Naval Annual ''The Naval Annual'' was a periodical that provided considerable text and graphic information (largely concerning the British Royal Navy) which had previously been obtainable only by consulting a wide range of often foreign language publications ...

''. Robinson was also "a prolific author who had a considerable impact on how naval history was both written and understood" and was a writer of naval fiction. He received the Royal United Services Institute’s Chesney Medal for his contribution to naval literature.Obituary for Commander Charles Napier Robinson
- Society for Nautical Research (1937) His book ''The British Fleet, the Growth, Achievements, and Duties of the Navy of the Empire'' (1894) became essential reading for naval officers from many countries. A

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, in 1898 as a 'Retired Commander (RN)' he joined the Navy Lodge No.2612. His daughter Marjorie (1898–1984) married Geoffrey Lawrence, 1st Baron Oaksey. In his later years Robinson lived at 19 Esmond Gardens in Bedford Park in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

. On his death his estate was valued at £4,316 8s 11d.England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Charles Napier Robinson: 1936 - Ancestry.com
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Works

* *Robinson, Charles Napier
''China of Today or the Yellow Peril''
'' The Navy and Army Illustrated'' : Geo. Newnes, c.1900 * * Introduction of - * Editor/Publisher of -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Charles Napier 1849 births 1936 deaths Royal Navy officers 19th-century Royal Navy personnel English male journalists English short story writers English male short story writers British maritime historians Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England