Baron Keyes, of Zeebrugge, and Dover in the County of Kent, is a title in the
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom is one of the five Peerages in the United Kingdom. It comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Acts of Union 1800, Acts of Union in 1801, when it replaced the ...
. It was created in 1943 for the prominent naval commander
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Keyes, 1st Baronet. He is chiefly remembered for his role in the
Zeebrugge Raid
The Zeebrugge Raid ( nl, Aanval op de haven van Zeebrugge;
) on 23 April 1918, was an attempt by the Royal Navy to block the Belgian port of Bruges-Zeebrugge. The British intended to sink obsolete ships in the canal entrance, to prevent German ...
in 1918, an attempt by 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 ...
to neutralize the
Belgian port of
Zeebrugge
Zeebrugge (, from: ''Brugge aan zee'' meaning "Bruges at Sea", french: Zeebruges) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeeb ...
which was used as a base for
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
submarine attacks on Allied shipping. Keyes had already been created a Baronet, of Zeebrugge, and of Dover in the County of Kent, in the
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Baronets are a rank in the British aristocracy. The current Baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier but existing Baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland, and Great Britain.
Baronetage of England (1611–1705)
James I of E ...
in 1919.
the titles are held by his grandson, the third Baron, who succeeded his father in 2005. He does not use his title.
Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes
Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Charles Tasker Keyes, (18 May 1917 – 18 November 1941) was a British Army officer of the Second World War and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award that can be made to British and Commonwealth ...
, eldest son of the first Baron, was killed in 1941 during an attempt to capture General
Erwin Rommel
Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...
in
Libya. For his actions, Keyes was posthumously awarded the
Victoria Cross.
Barons Keyes (1943)
*
Roger John Brownlow Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes
Admiral of the Fleet Roger John Brownlow Keyes, 1st Baron Keyes, (4 October 1872 – 26 December 1945) was a British naval officer.
As a junior officer he served in a corvette operating from Zanzibar on slavery suppression missions. Ea ...
(1872–1945)
*
Roger George Bowlby Keyes, 2nd Baron Keyes (1919–2005)
*
Charles William Packe Keyes, 3rd Baron Keyes (b. 1951).
The
heir presumptive is the present holder's brother the Hon. Leopold Roger John Keyes (b. 1956)
Notes
References
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keyes
Baronies in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Noble titles created in 1943