Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Sir Thomas Hounsom Butler Fellowes (19 October 1827 – 26 March 1923) was an English officer in 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 ...

during the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

Early life

Fellowes was born at Adbury House,

Burghclere Burghclere is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. According to the 2011 census the village had a population of 1,152. The village is near the border of Hampshire with Berkshire, four miles south of Newbury, Berkshire, Newbury. It ...

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

, the son of

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

physician Sir James Fellowes, and Elizabeth James, eldest daughter of Joseph James of Adbury House. His uncle was Vice-Admiral Thomas Fellowes (1778–1853).

Career

Fellowes entered the Royal Navy in 1845 and 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 ...

on 10 December 1852 and served in the flagship of Vice-Admiral William Fanshawe Martin, HMS ''Marlborough'', in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between t ...

. He was promoted commander on 24 June 1862 and on 3 May 1867 took command of HMS ''Dryad'' on the East Indies Station. As captain of ''Dryad'' he commanded a Naval Brigade of 80 men during the

1868 Expedition to Abyssinia The British Expedition to Abyssinia was a rescue mission and punitive expedition carried out in 1868 by the armed forces of the British Empire against the Ethiopian Empire (also known at the time as Abyssinia). Emperor Tewodros II of Ethiopia, t ...

, seeing action at

Arogye The Battle of Magdala was the conclusion of the British Expedition to Abyssinia fought in April 1868 between British and Abyssinian forces at Amba Mariam, Magdala, from the Red Sea coast. The British were led by Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier ...

Pass and the

Battle of Magdala The Battle of Magdala was the conclusion of the British Expedition to Abyssinia fought in April 1868 between British and Abyssinian forces at Magdala, from the Red Sea coast. The British were led by Robert Napier, while the Abyssinians were ...

. He was invalided out of the ship shortly afterwards. He was promoted to captain on 14 August 1868 for his services in the Abyssinian War and retired on 1 October 1873. He was promoted on the retired list to rear admiral on 1 January 1886.

Later life

Fellowes was knighted during the

1911 Coronation Honours The Coronation Honours 1911 for the British Empire were announced on 19 June 1911, to celebrate the coronation of George V which was held on 22 June 1911. The honours were covered in the press at the time, including in ''The Times'' on 20 June 19 ...

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 Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

. On 12 June 1912, Fellowes was appointed Deputy

Lord Lieutenant A lord-lieutenant ( ) is the British monarch's personal representative in each lieutenancy area of the United Kingdom. Historically, each lieutenant was responsible for organising the county's militia. In 1871, the lieutenant's responsibility ...

of the County of

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

Personal life

Sir Thomas was twice married. First, in 1857, he married Constance Fanny Hanson, the daughter of Charles Simpson Hanson. They had no surviving children and she died 29 December 1888. In August 1890, he married secondly to Margaret Jowitt, daughter of the Rev. William Jowitt, rector of Stevenage, and sister of William Jowitt, 1st Earl Jowitt. He and Margaret, 42 years his junior, had four sons, two of whom predeceased him:''England & Wales, Christening Index, 1530–1980'' *Captain Thomas Balfour Fellowes (13 July 1891 – 1974) *Rupert Caldwell Fellowes (12 May 1892 – 21 August 1918) killed in action in the First World War''Commonwealth War Graves, 1914–1921 and 1939–1947'' *Major Cuthbert Dorset Fellowes (26 March 1893) *Ivon Gordon Fellowes (16 January 1898 – 18 March 1915), died at sea aged 17 in HMS ''Irresistible'' when she struck a mine Upon the death of Admiral Sir Algernon de Horsey in October 1922, Fellowes became the oldest living officer of the Royal Navy of flag rank. He died in 1923 at age of 95 at Woodfield Park, his home in

Stevenage Stevenage ( ) is a large town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, about north of London. Stevenage is east of junctions 7 and 8 of the A1(M), between Letchworth Garden City to the north and Welwyn Garden City to the south. In 1946, Stevena ...

. Lady Fellowes died in 1953.

Honours

*Abyssinian War Medal * KCB

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fellowes, Thomas Hounsom Butler 1827 births 1923 deaths People from Burghclere Royal Navy rear admirals British military personnel of the Abyssinian War Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Deputy Lieutenants of Hertfordshire