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 Geoffrey Alan Brooke Hawkins KBE CB MVO

DSC DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

(13 July 1895 – 5 October 1980) 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 who became Flag Officer, Malta.

Naval career

Hawkins was promoted to

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 ...

on 15 January 1913 and served in 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 ...

. He also served in the

Second World War 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 ...

becoming commanding officer of the

armed merchant cruiser An armed merchantman is a merchant ship equipped with guns, usually for defensive purposes, either by design or after the fact. In the days of sail, piracy and privateers, many merchantmen would be routinely armed, especially those engaging in lo ...

HMS ''Queen of Bermuda'' in December 1939, Chief Staff Officer,

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in June 1941 and commanding officer of the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

HMS ''Kent'' in July 1943. He went on to be Commodore, Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth in May 1945, Vice-Controller of the Navy in June 1947 and Flag Officer, Malta in July 1950.

Marriage and family

He married Lady Margaret Ida Montagu Douglas Scott on 16 February 1926. Lady Margaret (known as Mida among family) was the eldest daughter of the 7th Duke of Buccleuch. Her younger sister was

Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, (born Lady Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott; 25 December 1901 – 29 October 2004) was the wife of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the mothe ...

. She was a

lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline; 25 February 1883 – 3 January 1981) was a member of the British royal family. She is the List of longest-living members of the British royal family, longest-lived British ...

, at the time of her marriage, and as the Earl and Countess of Athlone were living in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

, the Earl being Governor General of South Africa, the marriage between Lady Margaret and Commander Hawkins took place in a newly built cathedral in Cape Town. The bride's maternal uncle, Colonel Harry Bridgeman, gave her away and young Lady Alice (future Duchess of Gloucester) attended the wedding and was a guest of the newlyweds for a while. The marriage produced three children: * (Alice) Anne Hawkins (31 March 1928 – 28 October 2016); she married Commander Michael Edward St. Quintin Wall (25 August 1926 – 5 October 2017) on 27 June 1975. * Renira Margaret Ida Hawkins (born 29 September 1930); she married Alistair Allan Horne (9 November 1925 – 25 May 2017) on 28 November 1953 (their marriage was dissolved), and had three daughters. * James Walter Hawkins (16 March 1933 - 4 January 2021); never married.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Geoffrey 1895 births 1980 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath Members of the Royal Victorian Order Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)