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, ...

George Holmes Borrett, CB (10 March 1868 – 10 June 1952) was an officer of 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 ...

. He served during 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 ...

, commanding a battleship 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 ...

, and later rising to the rank of

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, ...

Early life

George Borrett was born on 10 March 1868 in

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * ...

to G. Borrett. He joined the competitive examinations for cadetships in the Royal Navy on 15 July 1889 and he was one of the best of the class, making him a Naval Cadet. He later married Clare Louisa daughter of William Guyer Hunter and had one daughter named Ellen.

Naval career

Borrrett was promoted to

Sub-Lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...

on 13 November 1887, and again on 13 November 1889, 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 ...

. He 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 1 January 1901 for services in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, and in June the following year was posted to the signals school at HMS ''Victory''. He served at ''Victory'' during the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a coronation crown, crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the ...

fleet review on 16 August 1902. From 1 September 1902 he was posted to the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS ''Revenge'', which became flagship 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 ...

the following month. While in command of HMS ''Pioneer'', he 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 31 December 1906. Borrett served during the First World War, commanding the battleship HMS ''Monarch'' at the

in 1916. For his actions during the war, he was appointed a Companion 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 ...

(CB) on 1 January 1918. He would finally become Rear-Admiral on 16 August 1918 and Vice-Admiral on 14 October 1923, before retiring after achieving the rank of

on 1 August 1927.

Later life

After the war, Borrett stayed in the Navy and received further promotions. On 17 February 1925 he was placed at his own request on the retired list, though he remained in the navy until 1927. When he was finally promoted to Admiral on 1 August 1927, he fully retired from naval service.''The London Gazette''
no. 33300. p. 5105.
5 August 1927. He died on 10 June 1952 at the age of 84, after a career of 46 years in the Navy.

Ships commanded

Bibliography

*"Admiral G. H. Borrett" (Obituaries). ''The Times''. Wednesday, 11 June 1952. Issue 52335, col D, p. 8.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borrett, George 1868 births 1952 deaths Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy admirals of World War I English admirals Battle of Jutland Companions of the Order of the Bath People from Wimbledon, London