Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

Sir Compton Edward Domvile, (10 October 1842 – 19 November 1924) was a distinguished

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 in the

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

and

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

Early life

Compton Domvile was born on 10 October 1842 to Henry Barry Domvile (1813–1843) and Frances Domvile (née Winnington-Ingram) (d 1884). He was educated at the Royal Academy, Gosport.

Career

Early career

Compton Domvile joined the Royal Navy in 1856. He served in the Royal Yacht and 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 ...

on 28 October 1862. He commanded the steam-gunboat HMS ''Algerine'' from 16 April 1866 and was promoted to

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. ...

on 2 September 1868 for service against piracy.

HMS ''Dryad''

On 3 August 1874 he became captain of the

screw sloop A screw sloop is a propeller-driven sloop-of-war. In the 19th century, during the introduction of the steam engine, ships driven by propellers were differentiated from those driven by paddle-wheels by referring to the ship's ''screws'' (propelle ...

HMS ''Dryad'' from commissioning at Devonport. ''Dryad'' served on the

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the t ...

until December 1877. Domvile was promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 27 March 1876, whilst serving in ''Dryad''. Commander John Edward Stokes replaced him as ''Dryad''s captain some time in 1877.

HMS ''Dido''

He became captain of the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equiv ...

until 19 September 1879, followed by a return to sea as captain of the steam

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

HMS ''Dido'', replacing Captain Arthur Richard Wright who had died on 19 August 1879. ''Dido'' served on the west coast of Africa, including service in the first Boer War (1880–1881). After the

Battle of Laing's Nek The Battle of Laing's Nek was a major battle fought at Laing's Nek during the First Boer War on 28 January 1881. Background Following the Boer declaration of independence for the Transvaal in 1880 the British suffered a series of disastrous def ...

, ''Dido'' contributed 50 men and two field guns to a Naval Brigade, which went to the front under Lieutenant Henry Ogle. This brigade shared in the disaster at the

Battle of Majuba Hill The Battle of Majuba Hill on 27 February 1881 was the final and decisive battle of the First Boer War that was a resounding victory for the Boers. The British Major General Sir George Pomeroy Colley occupied the summit of the hill on the night ...

on 27 February, where ''Dido'' lost 3 killed and 3 wounded. Captain Domvile took charge of the Naval Brigade, but no further action took place before a peace was concluded. In October 1881, ''Dido'' crossed the Atlantic and joined the

North America and West Indies squadron The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the t ...

, with Domvile serving as an

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

in 1882. She was paid off at

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...

on 16 February 1883.

Flag rank

From 1884 to 1886 Domville was the captain of HMS ''Temeraire'' in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

, and from there he went to become the captain of the

stone frigate A stone frigate is a naval establishment on land. "Stone frigate" is an informal term that has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, an island off Martinique, as a ' sloop of war' to harass the French in 1803–04 ...

(shore establishment) HMS ''Excellent'', the gunnery school at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

. In 1888, Domvile became naval aide-de-camp to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

, and served on the Ordnance Committee from 1890 to 1891. On 4 January 1891 he was promoted to

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarded ...

and was appointed Director of Naval Ordnance from 1891 to 1894. He went to the Mediterranean as second-in-command of the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a 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 vital sea link between t ...

from 1894 to 1896, and on promotion to vice-admiral on 23 February 1897, he was appointed Superintendent of Naval Reserves. In 1898 he was appointed as a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved Bathing#Medieval ...

Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet

On 25 January 1902 he was promoted to

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

, and later that year replaced Jackie Fisher as commander-in-chief of the

, then Britain's largest fleet. He was received in audience at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

by King

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...

on 26 May, departed for the Mediterranean the following week, and took up the position on 4 June. His flagship in the Mediterranean was the newly commissioned

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

HMS ''Bulwark'', on which he had hoisted his flag on 1 May 1902 at Devonport. In 1903 he was appointed a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, and in 1904 the Knight of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. He was also appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Saviour of Greece, and 1st Class in Brilliants of the Medijie. He served in the Mediterranean until 1905.

Death

He died on 19 November 1924.

Family

Compton married on 3 November 1876 Isabella Peel, the daughter of Captain Edmund Yates Peel, son of

Jonathan Peel Jonathan Peel, PC (12 October 1799 – 13 February 1879) was a British soldier, Conservative politician and racehorse owner. Background and education Peel was the fifth son of Sir Robert Peel, 1st Baronet, and his first wife Ellen (née Yates ...

PC. They had five children: * Adelaide Mary Domvile (b 1877, died unmarried) * Admiral Sir Barry Edward Domvile, KBE, CB, CMG (1878–1971), who followed his father in the Royal Navy, and after a distinguished career became a leading

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

. * Capt. Archibald Compton Winnington Domvile (19 May 1884 – 1959); Sara Palma Guzman (d. 28 August 1938), daughter of Don Gabriel Palma Guzman, President of the Supreme Court of Chile. They had one daughter, Margaret Domvile (b. 17 May 1916). * Georgiana Isabella Francis Domvile (25 May 1888 – 23 Dec. 1967); married Lt.-Col. Dudley George Blois, son of Sir John Ralph Blois, 8th Baronet. They had a son, John, and a daughter, Jane. John became a Wing Commander in the Royal Air Force, and married Elizabeth Catharine Maxwell, daughter of Rear-Adm. Sir Wellwood George Courtenay Maxwell and Elizabeth Cavendish, granddaughter of

William George Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham William George Cavendish, 2nd Baron Chesham (29 October 1815 – 26 June 1882) was a British Liberal politician. Early life Chesham was born on 29 October 1815 into the Cavendish family, headed by the Duke of Devonshire. He was the eldest son o ...

and also

Sir William Baillie, 1st Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

. * May Louise Domvile (3 Apr 1893 – 25 July 1970). She married Cosmo George Romilly (20 June 1890 – 11 Aug 1915), great grandson of

Sir Samuel Romilly Sir Samuel Romilly (1 March 1757 – 2 November 1818), was a British lawyer, politician and legal reformer. From a background in the commercial world, he became well-connected, and rose to public office and a prominent position in Parliament. A ...

and also

John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford, (6 July 1766 – 20 October 1839), known as Lord John Russell until 1802, was a British Whig politician who notably served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in the Ministry of All the Talents. He was the fathe ...

. He was killed during the First World War, and nine years later married Lt.-Col. Richard Laurence Stapylton Pemberton. Both marriages were without issue.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Domvile, Compton Edward Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy officers 1842 births 1924 deaths Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order British military personnel of the First Boer War Recipients of the Order of the Medjidie