Kiel Harbour, Germany, 19 May 1945 TR2881

Vice-Admiral Harold Tom Baillie-Grohman, CB, DSO, OBE (16 January 1888 – 23 September 1978) 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

Born in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Baillie-Grohman was the son of the writer

William Adolf Baillie Grohman William Adolph Baillie Grohman (April 1 1851–February 11 1921) was an Anglo-Austrian author of works on the Tyrol and the history of hunting, a big game sportsman, and a pioneer in the Kootenay region of British Columbia. Biography Grohmann ...

and of Florence, ''née'' Nickalls, daughter of

Tom Nickalls Tom Nickalls (1828–1899) was a stockjobber on the stock exchange and one of the founding members of London Rowing Club. He was known as the "king of the American railroad market" after making his fortune in American railway shares. Biography N ...

. Baillie-Grohman entered HMS ''Britannia'' as a cadet in 1903 and was promoted Lieutenant in 1909. In 1914, he was given command of the destroyer HMS ''Lively'' in March 1914, and subsequently commanded HMS ''Ghurka'', HMS ''Gentian'', and HMS ''Totnes'' 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 ...

, serving both in the Grand Fleet and the Dover Patrol. 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 1917, he was appointed DSO in 1918 for his part in minesweeping operations. After the First World War, Baillie-Grohman was employed on minesweeping operations off the coast of Belgium, then commanded the sloop HMS ''Crocus'' in the Persian Gulf. He was appointed OBE in 1923 and promoted to Commander. After commanding the 1st Minesweeper Flotilla from 1923 to 1925, he was posted to Australia as Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff at the Navy Office, Melbourne, from 1925 to 1927. In 1928, he attended the

Staff College, Camberley Staff College, Camberley, Surrey, was a staff college for the British Army and the presidency armies of British India (later merged to form the Indian Army). It had its origins in the Royal Military College, High Wycombe, founded in 1799, which i ...

, and was Executive Officer of HMS ''Tiger'' until 1930, when he was promoted to captain. From 1931 to 1933, he was the head of the British naval mission to China, with the rank of Commodore in the Chinese Navy.

Second World War

In April 1941, Baillie-Grohman organised the naval evacuation of the British and Commonwealth forces in Greece under difficult circumstances after the

German invasion German invasion may refer to: Pre-1900s * German invasion of Hungary (1063) World War I * German invasion of Belgium (1914) * German invasion of Luxembourg (1914) World War II * Invasion of Poland * German invasion of Belgium (1940) * G ...

, "the outstanding achievement of his career", for which he was appointed CB. He was appointed Rear Admiral Combined Operations in 1942, but had to relinquish the appointment due to illness. On 8 May 1945, he hoisted the

White Ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign due to the simultaneous existence of a cross-less version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on ...

over the German naval headquarters at Kiel. In addition to his British decorations, Baillie-Grohman also received the Belgian Order of Leopold, as well as to the

Order of the Star of Ethiopia The Order of the Star of Ethiopia was established as an order of knighthood of the Ethiopian Empire, founded by the Negus of Shoa and later Emperor of Ethiopia Menelik II in 1884–1885. It is currently awarded as a house order by the Crown Cou ...

and the Chinese

Order of Brilliant Jade The Order of Brilliant Jade is a civilian order of the Republic of China that can be worn only by the head of a nation. According to regulations, the order can only be presented by the president of the country or an emissary expressly dispatched ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baillie-Grohman, Harold Tom 1888 births 1978 deaths Royal Navy vice admirals Royal Navy admirals of World War II Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Officers of the Order of the British Empire Canadian military personnel from British Columbia Recipients of orders, decorations, and medals of Ethiopia