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 William Frederic Wake-Walker KCB

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 ...

(24 March 1888 – 24 September 1945) was a British admiral who served in the

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 ...

during

World War I 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 ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, taking a leading part in the destruction of the , and in Operation ''Dynamo'', the evacuation at

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Baldwin Wake Walker Admiral Sir Baldwin Wake Walker, 1st Baronet, (6 January 1802 – 12 February 1876) was Surveyor of the Navy from 1848 to 1861. and was responsible for the Royal Navy's warship construction programme during the 1850s naval arms race and at th ...

, who was

Surveyor of the Navy The Surveyor of the Navy also known as Department of the Surveyor of the Navy and originally known as Surveyor and Rigger of the Navy was a former principal commissioner and member of both the Navy Board from the inauguration of that body in 15 ...

from 1848 to 1861. After attending Haileybury school, Wake-Walker entered the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth as a

cadet A cadet is an officer trainee or candidate. The term is frequently used to refer to those training to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. Its meaning may vary between countries which can include youths in ...

in 1903, and went to sea the following year as

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

aboard , the flagship of the 1st Cruiser Squadron.

World War I

By the start of

Wake-Walker had risen to the rank of

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 ...

, and served as torpedo lieutenant on from 1913 to 1915. He was promoted to

lieutenant-commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding rank i ...

in July 1916 and after training at , was appointed to the new

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 ...

, serving in her until the end of the war.

Inter-war years

Commands and promotions

Wake-Walker 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. ...

in June 1920, serving aboard from 1919 to 1921. Between 1921 and 1925 he served at 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 ...

, then at the Tactical School, Portsmouth. He returned to sea as executive officer of from 1925 to 1927. Wake-Walker achieved

flag rank A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

on 10 January 1939.

Liability for the collision between HMS ''Dragon'' and ''Maplebranch''

On 13 August 1934, ''Dragon'' under Wake-Walker's command was entering the Market (or Victoria) Basin in the harbour of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, when the ship collided with an oil bunkering steamer, ''Maplebranch'', which was securely moored at the time of the collision. ''Maplebranch'' sank. The steamer's owners sued Wake-Walker for the damages to ''Maplebranch'' and its cargo, alleged to have been caused solely by the improper and negligent navigation and mismanagement of ''Dragon'' by Wake-Walker. In his defence, Wake-Walker pleaded inevitable accident, caused by the maneuvering of a third vessel, ''Saguenay Trader'', which Wake-Walker was trying to avoid hitting.''Wake-Walker v. SS. Colin W. Ltd.''
[1937
/nowiki> UKPC 49">937"> [1937
/nowiki> UKPC 49 [1937">937<nowiki><_a><br>_nowiki>_UKPC_49.html" ;"title="937"> [1937
/nowiki> UKPC 49">937"> [1937
/nowiki> UKPC 49 [19372 D.L.R. 753 (P.C.), at p. 761. The Admiralty action was heard by the Exchequer Court of Canada (Quebec Admiralty District), which held that Wake-Walker was liable. Wake-Walker appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, which upheld the finding of liability on a 3-2 majority. Speaking for the majority, Justice Davis held that when a vessel under steam collides with a moored vessel, the commander of the vessel under steam is presumed liable for the collision, and has the onus of proving that he was not negligent. Wake-Walker had not done so. In addition, the trial judge had found actual fault by Wake-Walker in his navigation of ''Dragon'' and there was no basis to set aside that finding on appeal. Wake-Walker then appealed to the Judicial Committee of the Imperial Privy Council, at that time the highest court of appeal for the British Empire. That court dismissed the appeal. Speaking for the Judicial Committee,

Viscount Sankey A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

agreed with the courts below that Wake-Walker had not discharged the onus to prove that the accident had been inevitable.

World War II

Wake-Walker was first appointed was

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 ...

commanding the 12th Cruiser Squadron in September 1939. This appointment lasted only a short time as he soon returned to the Admiralty as head of a special group created to develop

magnetic mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, any ve ...

countermeasures. In May 1940 Wake-Walker was appointed rear-admiral in command of all ships and vessels off the Franco-Belgian coast for the evacuation of

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Ju 87 Stukas, and he thereafter directed operations from the motor torpedo boat ''

MTB 102 ''MTB 102'' is one of few surviving motor torpedo boats that served with the Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy in the Second World War. She was built as a prototype, but was purchased and taken into service by the Admiralty. She was the smalles ...

'' in the harbour. For his role in the evacuation he was appointed

Companion of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...

Sinking ''Bismarck''

In late May 1941, two of Wake-Walker's heavy cruisers – and his flagship - were positioned north west of

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

to intercept and shadow the if she attempted to break out into the Atlantic. ''Bismarck'' sortied from

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

towards the Denmark Strait on 21 May in company with the heavy cruiser . On 23 May 1941 at 19:22 ''Suffolk'' sighted ''Bismarck'' and ''Prinz Eugen''. After a brief exchange of fire, the out-gunned British ships took cover in nearby fog and tracked the enemy by

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

. They maintained contact with the two German ships through the night despite appalling weather, and successfully guided Vice-Admiral

Lancelot Holland Vice-Admiral Lancelot Ernest Holland, (13 September 1887 – 24 May 1941) was a Royal Navy officer who commanded the British force in the Battle of the Denmark Strait in May 1941 against the German battleship ''Bismarck''. Holland was lost ...

's two capital ships and into position to intercept ''Bismarck''. The two forces came together in the

Battle of the Denmark Strait The Battle of the Denmark Strait was a naval engagement in the Second World War, which took place on 24 May 1941 between ships of the Royal Navy and the ''Kriegsmarine''. The British battleship and the battlecruiser fought the German battlesh ...

the next day. In the subsequent battle, Vice-Admiral Holland was killed when ''Hood'' was destroyed, and many of ''Prince of Wales''s senior officers were killed or wounded, which left Wake-Walker in command of the surviving ships, ''Norfolk'', ''Suffolk'' and the damaged ''Prince of Wales''. He decided not to risk continuing the battle and decided to continue to shadow the German ships, believing that Admiral John Tovey, with powerful elements of the

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the First ...

, was approaching. Wake-Walker stayed in the trail of ''Bismarck'', but radar contact was lost early on 25 May. Wake-Walker sent ''Suffolk'' to search to the southwest, and thus she played no further role in the battle. However ''Norfolk'' turned east, and was at the final part of the battle, the following day. Later, moves were made to court-martial Wake-Walker and Captain John Leach of ''Prince of Wales''. The view was taken that they were wrong not to have continued the battle with ''Bismarck'' after ''Hood'' had sunk. John Tovey, Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, was appalled at this criticism. A row ensued between Tovey and his superior, Admiral Sir

Dudley Pound Admiral of the Fleet Sir Alfred Dudley Pickman Rogers Pound, (29 August 1877 – 21 October 1943) was a British senior officer of the Royal Navy. He served in the First World War as a battleship commander, taking part in the Battle of Jutland ...

. Tovey stated that the two officers had acted correctly, not endangering their ships needlessly and ensuring that the German ships were tracked. Tovey threatened to resign his position and appear at any court-martial as 'defendant's friend' and defence witness. No more was heard of the proposal. For his part in the destruction of ''Bismarck'', Wake-Walker was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire 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 ...

. In 1943 Wake-Walker was appointed 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 ...

Personal life

Wake-Walker married Muriel Elsie Hughes (1890–1963), only daughter of Sir Collingwood Hughes of

East Bergholt East Bergholt is a village in the Babergh District of Suffolk, England, just north of the Essex border. The nearest town and railway station is Manningtree, Essex. East Bergholt is north of Colchester and south of Ipswich. Schools include Eas ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, at

St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge, is a Grade II*listed Anglican church of the Anglo-Catholic tradition located at 32a Wilton Place in Knightsbridge, London. History and architecture The church was founded in 1843, the first in London to champion ...

, on 19 January 1916. They had two sons and two daughters, including the artist Penelope Hughes Wake-Walker (1917–2003), who married Sir

Geoffrey Eley Sir Geoffrey Cecil Ryves Eley (18 July 1904 – 17 May 1990) was a British businessman and writer. He served as a director of the Bank of England, and as High Sheriff of both the County of London and the City of London. Early life and educati ...

of East Bergholt, and Capt. Christopher Baldwin Hughes Wake-Walker (1920–1998), who married Lady Anne, daughter of the 7th Earl Spencer and aunt of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

. He died unexpectedly at his home in London on 24 September 1945 at the age of 57 and is buried in

cemetery.

Notes

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wake-Walker 1888 births 1945 deaths People from East Bergholt People educated at Haileybury and Imperial Service College Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy admirals of World War II Companions of the Order of the Bath Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Royal Navy officers of World War I Admiralty personnel of World War II