Admiral Edward Montgomery Phillpotts, CB (1 August 1871 – 9 April 1952) 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

Background and early life and career

The son of

William Phillpotts William John Philpotts (26 May 1807 in Bishop Middleham – 10 July 1888 in St Gluvias) was Archdeacon of Cornwall from 1845 until his death. Life William John Phillpotts was the eldest son of Henry Phillpotts, Bishop of Exeter and Deborah Phil ...

Archdeacon of Cornwall The Archdeacon of Cornwall is a senior cleric in the Church of England Diocese of Truro. History and composition The archdeaconry of Cornwall was created in the Diocese of Exeter in the late 11th century. The area and the archdeacon remained p ...

, Phillpotts entered HMS ''Britannia'' as a cadet in July 1884. He went to sea in 1886 and was made an acting sub-lieutenant in August 1890. He joined the cruiser HMS ''Mohawk'' in 1892; the same year, he was confirmed as sub-lieutenant, and promoted to lieutenant, with seniority backdated to 1891. He then joined the gunnery school HMS ''Excellent'' in 1893, and HMS ''Thesus'' in 1896 as gunnery lieutenant. In 1897, he was landed for service in the

Benin Expedition The Benin Expedition of 1897 was a punitive expedition by a British force of 1,200 men under Sir Harry Rawson in response to the ambush of a previous British party under Acting Consul General James Phillips, of the Niger Coast Protectorate. ...

under Rear-Admiral

Rawson Rawson may refer to: Places *Rawson, Chubut, the capital of Chubut Province, Argentina *Rawson Department, Chubut, Argentina *Rawson Department, San Juan, Argentina **Villa Krause, also named Rawson, the capital city of the department * Rawson, Vic ...

. He was appointed gunnery lieutenant of HMS ''Renown'', the flagship of Vice-Admiral

Sir John Fisher John Arbuthnot Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher, (25 January 1841 – 10 July 1920), commonly known as Jacky or Jackie Fisher, was a British Admiral of the Fleet. With more than sixty years in the Royal Navy, his efforts to reform the service helped ...

, Commander-in-Chief,

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 ...

, in 1900. Promoted to commander in 1902, he joined HMS ''Bulwark'', serving as its acting

flag captain In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First ...

from 1905 to 1906. Promoted to captain in 1906, he took command of the protected cruiser HMS ''Grafton'' the same year. He was appointed to command the armoured cruiser HMS ''Euryalus'' in 1907 and the battleship HMS ''Prince of Wales'' in 1909, as flag captain to

Prince Louis of Battenberg Admiral of the Fleet Louis Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven, (24 May 185411 September 1921), formerly Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg, was a British naval officer and German prince related by marriage to the British ...

, Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet. From 1911 to 1912 he was Captain of Signal School, Portsmouth and Superintendent of Signal Schools. In 1912, he was appointed Naval Assistant to the Second Sea Lord, Prince Louis of Battenberg.

First World War

Taking command of the new battleship HMS ''Warspite'' in 1915, Phillpotts grounded her on 17 September 1915, incurring the "severe displeasure" of the Admiralty. Phillpotts commanded ''Warspite'' at the

Battle of Jutland The Battle of Jutland (german: Skagerrakschlacht, the Battle of the Skagerrak) was a naval battle fought between Britain's Royal Navy Grand Fleet, under Admiral John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, Sir John Jellicoe, and the Imperial German Navy ...

in 1916, where she scored hits on the German battlecruiser ''Von der Tann'' and battleship ''Markgraf'', being hit fifteen times in return. On 24 August 1916, Phillpotts was in command when ''Warspite'' collided with her sister ship HMS ''Valiant'' after a night-shooting exercise: he was sentenced to be reprimanded by court-martial, but the sentence was later quashed. He was

Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord The Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord also known as the Executive Assistant to the First Sea Lord was a senior appointment of the Royal Navy established in 1905 until 2014. The post holder was responsible for assisting the First Sea Lord in ...

Sir John Jellicoe Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, (5 December 1859 – 20 November 1935) was a Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War and the Boxer Rebellion and commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutla ...

, from December 1916 to October 1917. He was appointed a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregive ...

in 1916.

Scouting

In 1928, he succeeded

Earl Jellicoe Earl Jellicoe is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Brocas, of Southampton in the County of Southampton, on 29 June 1925 for Admiral of the Fleet John Jellicoe, 1st Viscoun ...

as the

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

for London Boy Scouts, until 1936 when he retired due to ill-health. In early 1932, Phillpotts attended a

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

staged by

Rover Scout Rover Scouts, Rovers, Rover Scouting or Rovering is a program associated with some Scouting organizations for adult men and women. A group of Rovers is called a 'Rover Crew'. Rovers was originated by The Boy Scouts Association in the United K ...

s from

Holborn Holborn ( or ) is a district in central London, which covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part ( St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Ward of Farringdon Without in the City of London. The area has its roots ...

District; he suggested to the producer,

Ralph Reader William Henry Ralph Reader (25 May 1903 – 18 May 1982), known as Ralph Reader, was a British actor, theatrical producer and songwriter, known for staging the original Gang Show, a variety entertainment presented by members of the Scouti ...

, that he might arrange a larger-scale production to raise funds for Scouting in London and the result was the first London

Gang Show A Gang Show is a theatrical performance by members of Scouts and Guides A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others t ...

, which opened at the

Scala Theatre The Scala Theatre was a theatre in Charlotte Street, London, off Tottenham Court Road. The first theatre on the site opened in 1772, and the theatre was demolished in 1969, after being destroyed by fire. From 1865 to 1882, the theatre was kn ...

in October of that year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillpotts, Edward Montgomery 1871 births 1952 deaths Royal Navy admirals of World War I Companions of the Order of the Bath Place of birth missing