Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, (26 February 1872 – 26 October 1949) 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 ...

officer and

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Early life and career

Halsey was born in

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, the fourth son of Sir Thomas Frederick Halsey, 1st Baronet. After primary education at Stubbington House, Fareham,

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...

, he entered the ''Britannia'' in January 1885. He was commissioned a sub-lieutenant on 14 July 1891. In July 1893 he was posted to the Royal Yacht ''Victoria and Albert'' and was promoted

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 ...

on 28 August 1893. He served with the Mediterranean Fleet and then on the

North America and West Indies Station The North America and West Indies Station was a formation or command of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy stationed in North American waters from 1745 to 1956. The North American Station was separate from the Jamaica Station until 1830 when the ...

, before joining . In the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

he commanded a

battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

of naval guns in the

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, for which he was mentioned in despatches and promoted commander on 1 January 1901. He was posted to the cruiser as executive officer and served in her in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...

until June 1902, when he was posted to the signal school at HMS ''Victory''. From October 1902 he served as Executive Officer and second in command of the , which was the following month commissioned to convey

Joseph Chamberlain Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually served as a leading imperialist in coalition with the C ...

, Secretary of State for the Colonies, on his tour of South Africa in late 1902 and early 1903. On their return, the ''Good Hope'' was commissioned as flagship of the

Cruiser Squadron The Cruiser Squadron was a naval formation of the British Home Fleet consisting of Armored cruisers of the Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish k ...

of the Home Fleet. In January 1905 Halsey was appointed Naval Member of the new Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Committee at the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

, and was promoted captain on 30 June 1905. In August 1905 he took command of ''Powerful'', as

flag captain In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First ...

to Sir Wilmot Fawkes as Commander-in-Chief

Australia Station The Australia Station was the British, and later Australian, naval command responsible for the waters around the Australian continent.Dennis et al. 2008, p.53. Australia Station was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station, ...

. In April 1911 he was given command of in the

4th Cruiser Squadron The 4th Cruiser Squadron and (also known as Cruiser Force H) was a formation of cruisers of the British Royal Navy from 1907 to 1914 and then again from 1919 to 1946. The squadron was first established in 1907, replacing the North America and ...

and in 1912 took over the new battlecruiser on her cruise around the world to "show the flag". It was during this cruise that Halsey was given a

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

war skirt which he wore during the naval battles at

Heligoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...

and

Dogger Bank Dogger Bank (Dutch: ''Doggersbank'', German: ''Doggerbank'', Danish: ''Doggerbanke'') is a large sandbank in a shallow area of the North Sea about off the east coast of England. During the last ice age the bank was part of a large landmass ...

. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) on 8 December 1913. On 19 September 1914 he was appointed a Naval Aide-de-camp to the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

First World War

After the outbreak of 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 ...

, Halsey commanded the ''New Zealand'' at the Battle of Heligoland and the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, for which he was again mentioned in despatches. During the battles Halsey wore the

piupiu over his uniform, setting a tradition followed for the duration of the war. . In June 1915 he became

Captain of the Fleet In the Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th centuries a captain of the fleet could be appointed to assist an admiral when the admiral had ten or more ships to command. The equivalent post was called fleet captain in the U.S. Navy of the 18th and 19th ...

Sir John Jellicoe Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, (5 December 1859 – 20 November 1935) was a Royal Navy officer. He fought in the Anglo-Egyptian War and the Boxer Rebellion and commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutla ...

in with the rank of commodore 1st class. He was granted a special Good Service Pension in July 1915. He was present at the Battle of Jutland, being mentioned in despatches for a third time and appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 3 June 1916 (in the

King's Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours, in some Commonwealth realms, mark the reigning British monarch's official birthday by granting various individuals appointment into national or dynastic orders or the award of decorations and medals. The honours are prese ...

). On 15 September 1916 he was appointed an Officer of the ''

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

'' and was promoted to commander in 1917. On 4 December 1916 Halsey 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 ...

at the Admiralty, becoming

Third Sea Lord The post of Controller of the Navy (abbreviated as CofN) was originally created in 1859 when the Surveyor of the Navy's title changed to Controller of the Navy. In 1869 the controller's office was abolished and its duties were assumed by that of ...

in May 1917. In April 1917 he was promoted rear admiral. In that same year, he was also awarded the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, which represents the second highest of eight classes associated with the award. In September 1918 he returned to sea in the battle cruiser in command of the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron of the

Grand Fleet The Grand Fleet was the main battlefleet of the Royal Navy during the First World War. It was established in August 1914 and disbanded in April 1919. Its main base was Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. History Formed in August 1914 from the F ...

and was present at the German surrender at Scapa Flow. He was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1918 and in 1919 received the Navy Distinguished Service Medal of the United States. He served at the Admiralty from March to August 1919, when he became chief of staff to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

for his tour of Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...

, and other colonies in . For this he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) on 1 December 1919, and advanced to Knight Grand Cross (GCVO) on 11 October 1920.

Post-war

In November 1920 Halsey was appointed Comptroller and Treasurer to the Prince of Wales. He became a member of the Prince's council in 1920, and an extra equerry in 1921. He was promoted vice admiral on 5 July 1921, and retired from the navy on 1 November 1922. He was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No appoi ...

(KCIE) in 1922 after the Prince's visit to India, advanced to

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(GCMG) on 16 October 1925 following the Prince's visit to Africa and South America, and promoted admiral on 4 October 1926. In 1926 he was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for the

County of Bedford Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

. He was also awarded the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun 1st Class in 1922. In 1936 he was dismissed from the staff of King Edward VIII, as the Prince of Wales had now become. This was probably due to his opposition to

Wallis Simpson Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986), was an American socialite and wife of the former King Edward VIII. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused a ...

becoming queen. In 1937, however, he was appointed an extra equerry to the new King George VI and took part in the coronation procession as acting

Keeper of the Jewel House The Master of the Jewel Office was a position in the Royal Households of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. The office holder was responsible for running the Jewel House The Jewel House is a vault housing the British ...

. He died in 1949 at the age of 77 and is buried in the churchyard of St Leonard's church in

Old Warden Old Warden is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census shows its population as 328. The Shuttleworth Collection of ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

Footnotes

References

External links

* , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Halsey, Lionel 1872 births 1949 deaths Military personnel from London Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy admirals of World War I Royal Navy personnel of the Second Boer War Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire Companions of the Order of the Bath Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Grand Cordons of the Order of the Rising Sun Younger sons of baronets People educated at Stubbington House School Lionel