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 Hugh Henry Darby Tothill, (14 March 1865 – 25 September 1927) 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 served as

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 ...

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 went on to become commander-in-chief of

East Indies Station The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' was ...

following his promotion to admiral.

Naval career

Tothill was promoted 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 ...

in 1888,

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 31 December 1900, and subsequently to

in 1906. He was in command of the training brig HMS ''Nautilus'' from 20 January 1898 until 31 December 1900. In March 1900 he re-commissioned the brig at Devonport with a complement of boys for the annual training cruise. After promotion to commander, he was in January 1901 posted to the

armoured cruiser The armored cruiser was a type of warship of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was designed like other types of cruisers to operate as a long-range, independent warship, capable of defeating any ship apart from a battleship and fast eno ...

HMS Australia, serving in home waters. Having received command of by 1908 and by 1911, he served in

, commanding 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. He was appointed

Fourth Sea Lord The Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Supplies originally known as the Fourth Naval Lord was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty which controlled the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom the post is currently known ...

in 1917 and served as Commander-in-chief at

from 1919 to 1921 before becoming Admiral Commanding the Reserves in 1923. He retired from military service in 1926 and died in 1927.Obituary: Admiral Sir Hugh Tothill, The Times, 27 September 1927

References

External links

Hugh Henry Darby Tothill at The Dreadnought Project
, - 1865 births 1927 deaths Royal Navy admirals of World War I Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Lords of the Admiralty {{UK-navy-bio-stub