Vice Admiral Sir William Rooke Creswell, (20 July 1852 – 20 April 1933) was an Australian naval officer, commonly considered to be the 'father' of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

Early life and family

Creswell was born in

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

, son of Edmund Creswell (head of the postal service at Gibraltar and for the Mediterranean), and Margaret Mary Ward, née Fraser. He was educated at Gibraltar and

Eastman's Royal Naval Academy Eastman's Royal Naval Academy, originally in Southsea and later at Winchester, both in England, was a preparatory school. Between 1855 and 1923 it was known primarily as a school that prepared boys for entry to the Royal Navy. Thereafter, it was ...

Southsea Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...

. Creswell's brother Edmund (1849–1931) played for the Royal Engineers in the first FA Cup Final in 1872. Another brother, Frederic (1866–1948) was a Labour Party politician in South Africa, who was

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

from 1924 to 1933.

Naval career

Beginning his naval career at the age of 13 as a cadet on the Royal Navy's training ship ''Britannia'', Creswell was promoted to midshipman in 1867 and on 20 October 1871 became a sub-lieutenant. Having already served in the Channel Fleet, Creswell was transferred to the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 18 ...

. In 1873 while serving with sub-lieutenant Abraham Lindesay on the

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

he was shot in the hip during a skirmish with pirates from the Laroot River, Penang Malaya but remained at his post. His bravery won him promotion 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 ...

but his wound meant returning to England to recuperate. Creswell's next seagoing appointment, to the East India Station, was followed by a period in

Zanzibar Zanzibar (; ; ) is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islan ...

, where he commanded a flotilla involved in suppressing the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. Illness, however, again forced his return to England. Creswell retired from 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 ...

in 1878 and, seeking to become a pastoralist, he emigrated to Australia in 1879. A stint in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

, however, convinced Creswell that he was ill-suited to outback life. During a visit to

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in 1885 he met a former naval colleague and was convinced to take up an appointment as

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

on South Australia's only naval vessel, HMCS ''Protector'', a posting he very much enjoyed. As part of the

1897 Diamond Jubilee Honours The Diamond Jubilee Honours for the British Empire were announced on 22 June 1897 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria on 20 June 1897. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and ar ...

Creswell was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG). Creswell soon began agitating for the establishment of an Australian naval force to supplement the Royal Navy squadron based in Sydney. In mid-1895, he reached the rank of captain; by 1899, he was arguing strongly for an Australian navy. On 1 May 1900, he was appointed Commandant of the Queensland Maritime Defence Force, but was soon released to command ''Protector'' on its deployment to China to assist in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion. After

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...

, Creswell's lobbying for an Australian navy gained momentum. He was regarded by many as Australia's chief spokesman on naval matters, hence his appointment in February 1904 to the new position of Naval Officer Commanding the Commonwealth Naval Forces (the amalgamation of the various colonial navies). He had retained his position in Queensland and accepted the role of Naval Commandant in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

but his energies were primarily focused on the national navy. Alarmed at Germany's growing naval might by 1909, Australia's admiralty sought to dramatically increase Australia's naval strength. In company with Colonel Justin F. G. Foxton, Creswell attended the

Imperial Conference Imperial Conferences (Colonial Conferences before 1907) were periodic gatherings of government leaders from the self-governing colonies and dominions of the British Empire between 1887 and 1937, before the establishment of regular Meetings of ...

, which resulted in the Naval Defence Act of 1910 being passed which created the Australian navy. In 1911, Creswell was promoted to rear admiral in the service of the Royal Australian Navy. As part of 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 ...

, the King knighted him as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG). The fact that Australia's navy was ready for service when 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 ...

began was largely the result of Creswell's hard work and lobbying. During the war he was involved as an administrator in ship construction, the development of shore support, and the arranging of convoys. After the war he worked on developing a defence program for Australia, focussing mainly on ensuring the continued strengthening of the RAN.

Late life and legacy

Considered the father of the RAN, Creswell retired in 1919 and took up farming in Victoria; in the same year he was awarded a second knighthood as a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). On 8 March 1920 he was awarded the Gold and Silver Star of the Order of the Rising Sun (Second class of the order) by

Emperor Taishō was the 123rd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession, and the second ruler of the Empire of Japan from 30 July 1912 until his death in 1926. The Emperor's personal name was . According to Japanese custom, while reigni ...

of the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of Japan, 1947 constitu ...

. He was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1922. He died on 20 April 1933 and was survived by his wife Adelaide Elizabeth née Stow (daughter of Justice Randolph Stow) two sons and a daughter. Two sons were killed during the First World War. Captain Randolph William Creswell (1890–1917) served in the 3rd Anzac Camel Battalion, AIF and was killed in action on 6 November 1917 at Tel el Khuweifle, Palestine. He is buried at Beersheba War Cemetery. His twin brother, Lieutenant Edmund Lindsay Creswell was wounded at Bullecourt, but survived the war. Lieutenant Colin Fraser Creswell (1894–1917) was lost in the sinking of submarine '' E47'' off the Dutch coast on 20 August 1917. His oldest daughter, Margaret, took her own life in 1913 at the age of 21. In 1965, his memoir
Close To The Wind; The early memoirs (1866-1879) of Admiral Sir William Creswell
was published posthumously, his surviving daughter, Noël Vigne, having found the manuscript. Creswell has been honoured with the naming of the naval base, , the site of the

Royal Australian Naval College The Royal Australian Naval College (RANC), commonly known as HMAS Creswell, is the naval academy of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). It consists of the RAN School of Survivability and Ship's Safety, Kalkara Flight, the Beecroft Weapons Range an ...

Jervis Bay Jervis Bay () is a oceanic bay and village on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia, said to possess the whitest sand in the world. A area of land around the southern headland of the bay is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia ...

.Macdougall 1991, p. 23.

References

Sources

*Robert Hyslop,
Creswell, Sir William Rooke (1852–1933)
, '' Australian Dictionary of Biography'', Volume 8, MUP, 1981, pp 145–147.

External links