Admiral Sir Montague Edward Browning, (18 January 1863 – 4 November 1947) was a senior

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 who served as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.

Military career

Browning joined the

in 1876.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He served in the

Anglo-Egyptian War The British conquest of Egypt (1882), also known as Anglo-Egyptian War (), occurred in 1882 between Egyptian and Sudanese forces under Ahmed ‘Urabi and the United Kingdom. It ended a nationalist uprising against the Khedive Tewfik Pasha. It ...

and then became Secretary to the Parliamentary Committee on Water Tube Boilers in 1900. He was promoted to captain on 1 January 1902, and in June that year was appointed

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 ...

in command of the cruiser HMS ''Ariadne''. She was commissioned on 5 June 1902 as flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Archibald Douglas, the new Commander-in-Chief of 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 ...

, where she arrived to take up the position on 15 July. Browning became Chief of Staff for the Channel Fleet in 1908 and Inspector of Target Practice in 1911. He served in the

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 ...

as Commander of the 3rd Cruiser 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 then, from 1916, as Commander-in-Chief North America and West Indies. He commanded

4th Battle Squadron The 4th Battle Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 4th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet (1912–14) and then the Grand Fleet after the outbreak of the First World War ...

of the Grand Fleet from 1918. After the War he became President of the Allied Naval Armistice Commission and had the task of dismantling the German Fleet. He then became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in 1919. In this capacity he also sought to dismantle the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack submar ...

but this time faced determined and successful opposition from Rear Admiral Walter Hose. His last appointment was as

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offic ...

from 1920. He also became

First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp Below is a list of First and Principal Naval Aides-de-Camp, an office established by William IV of the United Kingdom in 1830: First and Principal Naval Aides-de-Camp *1830-1846: Lord Amelius Beauclerk *1846-1866: Sir William Parker, Bt. *18 ...

to the King in 1925 and retired from the navy on 4 October 1926. He was also Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1939 and then Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom from 1939 to 1945. He lived at Crawley near Winchester. His brother was

Frederick Browning Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Arthur Montague "Boy" Browning, (20 December 1896 – 14 March 1965) was a senior officer of the British Army who has been called the "father of the British airborne forces". He was also an Olympic bobslei ...

, a cricketer and British Army officer.War Organizer's Death. '' Western Morning News''. 16 October 1929. p. 11

References

External links

The Dreadnought Project – Montague Browning
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Browning, Montague 1863 births 1947 deaths Royal Navy admirals of World War I Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal Royal Navy personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War Lords of the Admiralty Foreign recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States) Montague