Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse, (24 November 1878 – 15 July 1939) 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. He served in 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 ...

as a cruiser commander and after the war became a battle squadron commander and later Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet. Becoming

First Sea Lord The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) is the military head of the Royal Navy and Naval Service of the United Kingdom. The First Sea Lord is usually the highest ranking and most senior admiral to serve in the British Armed Fo ...

in November 1938, his major contribution in that role was to abandon the official British policy of sending a major fleet to Singapore to deter Japanese aggression (the

Singapore strategy The Singapore strategy was a naval defence policy of the United Kingdom that evolved in a series of war plans from 1919 to 1941. It aimed to deter aggression by Japan by providing a base for a fleet of the Royal Navy in the Far East, able to in ...

), realising the immediate threat was closer to home (from Germany and Italy) and that such a policy was no longer viable. He died from a brain tumour in July 1939 just before the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Naval career

Backhouse was fourth son of

Sir Jonathan Backhouse, 1st Baronet Sir Jonathan Edmund Backhouse, 1st Baronet, (15 November 1849 – 27 July 1918) was a British banker. Backhouse was a director of Backhouse's Bank the family bank in Darlington, County Durham, one of the leading country banks that merged in ...

and Florence Backhouse (née Salusbury-Trelawny); his elder brother, Admiral

Oliver Backhouse Admiral Oliver Backhouse, CB (5 June 1875 – 25 March 1943) was a Royal Navy officer. Backhouse was the son of the banker Sir Jonathan Backhouse, 1st Baronet, and the younger brother of Sir Edmund Backhouse, 2nd Baronet. Admiral of the Fleet ...

, also achieved flag rank in the Royal Navy. Backhouse joined the

as a cadet in the training ship HMS ''Britannia'' in 1892 and went to sea as a midshipman in the battleship HMS ''Repulse'' in the

Channel Squadron Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to: Geography * Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water. Australia * Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...

in 1894.Heathcote, p. 20 HMS Conquest

Backhouse transferred to the corvette HMS ''Comus'' on the

Pacific Station The Pacific Station was created in 1837 as one of the geographical military formations into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. The South America Station was split into the Pacific Station and the South East Coast of ...

in October 1895 and, having been promoted to sub-lieutenant on 15 March 1898 and to lieutenant on 15 March 1899, he joined the battleship HMS ''Victorious'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in November 1899. After attending the gunnery school HMS ''Excellent'', he was posted as gunnery officer to the battleship HMS ''Russell'' in the Mediterranean Fleet in February 1903 and then to the battleship HMS ''Queen'' in Mediterranean Fleet in April 1904, before returning to HMS ''Excellent'' to join the directing staff in July 1905. He became gunnery officer in the battleship HMS ''Dreadnought'' in the Channel Fleet in August 1907 and, having been promoted to commander on 31 December 1909, he rejoined the directing staff at HMS ''Excellent'' in February 1910. He became Flag Commander to the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet first in HMS ''Neptune'' from March 1911 and then in HMS ''Iron Duke'' from March 1914. Backhouse served in the

, earning promotion to captain on 1 September 1914, and being appointed commanding officer of the light cruiser in the Harwich Force in November 1915 before being given command of the battle cruiser , flagship of the Battle Cruiser force, in November 1916. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George on 4 June 1917. HMS Nelson off Spithead for the Fleet Review

HMS Nelson off Spithead for the Fleet Review

Backhouse became Director of Naval Ordnance 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 ...

in September 1920 and then commanding officer of the battleship HMS ''Malaya'' in January 1923, before receiving promotion to rear admiral on 24 February 1925 and being given command of the

3rd Battle Squadron The 3rd Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships and other vessels, active from at least 1914 to 1945. The 3rd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During the Firs ...

in May 1926. He became

Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy 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 November 1928, and having been promoted to vice admiral on 9 October 1929, he became Commander of the

1st Battle Squadron The 1st Battle Squadron was a naval squadron of the British Royal Navy consisting of battleships. The 1st Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I the Grand Fleet was reverted to its original name, ...

and Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1932.Heathcote, p. 21 Appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as o ...

in the 1933 New Year Honours, he was promoted to full admiral on 11 February 1934 and became Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, with his flag in the battleship HMS ''Nelson'', on 20 August 1935. He was appointed a

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

on 20 May 1937. Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1938 New Year Honours and appointed

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 on 1 July, Blackhouse became

on 7 September 1938. Taking office shortly before the signing of the

Munich Agreement The Munich Agreement ( cs, Mnichovská dohoda; sk, Mníchovská dohoda; german: Münchner Abkommen) was an agreement concluded at Munich on 30 September 1938, by Germany, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy. It provided "cession to Germany ...

, his major contribution as First Sea Lord was to abandon the official British policy of sending a major fleet to Singapore to deter Japanese aggression (the

), realising the immediate threat was closer to home (from Germany and Italy) and that such a policy was no longer viable. With failing health, he resigned as First Sea Lord in May 1939 and, having been promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 29 June 1939, he died from a brain tumour in London on 15 July 1939 just before the outbreak of the

Family

In 1907 Backhouse married Dora Louise Findlay, daughter of

John Ritchie Findlay John Ritchie Findlay (21 October 1824 – 16 October 1898) was a Scottish newspaper owner and philanthropist. Life John Ritchie Findlay was born at Arbroath, Angus, son of Peter Findlay and was educated at Edinburgh University. In 1842, fo ...

proprietor of the British newspaper, ''

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its pare ...

''; they had two sons and four daughters.

References

Sources

External links

*
National Portrait Gallery Photo

Career history on admirals.org.uk
*
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Backhouse, Roger

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

First Sea Lords and Chiefs of the Naval Staff Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy admirals of the fleet Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath 1878 births 1939 deaths Younger sons of baronets Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George People from Richmondshire (district) Military personnel from Yorkshire

Naval career

Family

References

Sources

Further reading

External links