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, ...

John de Mestre Hutchison, (4 September 1862 – 9 October 1932) 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 held senior posts during the early part of the 20th century. John de Mestre Hutchison was born on was 4 September 1862, the son of

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 ...

John Hutchison. The young Hutchison attended Eastman's Naval Academy in

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

before he joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in 1876. Hutchison 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 ...

in 1882 and was promoted from lieutenant 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 22 June 1897. At the start of January 1903, Hutchison 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 ...

, and by 1904 he was serving as the Extra Naval Attache to the Japanese during the

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War ( ja, 日露戦争, Nichiro sensō, Japanese-Russian War; russian: Ру́сско-япóнская войнá, Rússko-yapónskaya voyná) was fought between the Empire of Japan and the Russian Empire during 1904 and 1 ...

. In October 1905, Hutchison was appointed Captain of , serving in that appointment until May 1907. From May 1907 to March 1909 Hutchison commanded , which was part of the Atlantic Fleet. Hutchison was appointed naval aide-de-camp to

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...

on 19 September 1911. Also in 1911 Hutchison was appointed as Commodore of the RN Barracks Devonport, a post he held until 1913 when he was promoted to rear admiral (in May) and relinquished his aide de camp appointment. He retired from the Navy on 9 May 1916 but in early 1918 he was

Flag Officer 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 countr ...

of the

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...

depot at Tregantle and Withnoe in Cornwall. On 1 April 1918 when the Royal Naval Air Service merged with the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

to become the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

, Hutchison was made a temporary colonel and granted the honorary rank of

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

(both these ranks existed in the RAF during its first year). His command was probably retitled General Officer Commanding, RAF Tregantle and Withnoe Depot. After the war in 1921, Hutchison was granted the rank of admiral as a retired officer on the Navy list. He died on 9 October 1932.

References

External links

Air of Authority – A History of RAF Organisation – Lieutenant-General J de M Hutchison
, - , - , - 1862 births 1932 deaths Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2nd class Royal Air Force generals of World War I Royal Navy admirals of World War I {{UK-navy-bio-stub