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This biography looks at one of the less familiar senior British Admirals of the First World War, tracing his peacetime career from the cosy work of the Victorian navy to the pressures of Fisher’s reforms, then onto his wartime service, where he was responsible for many of the successes at Gallipoli, including the final evacuation, worked with T.E. Lawrence to support the Arab Revolt before ending the war as First Sea Lord and the British signatory on the armistice that ended the fighting.
Wemyss’ peacetime career rather demonstrates why Admiral Fisher’s controversial reforms were needed. The first part of his career does not come across as having been terribly military in nature. He was often closely associated with Prince Albert Victor and Prince George, then 2nd and 3rd in line to the throne, during their naval careers. This connection meant that he played a major role in Prince George’s trip to Australia of 1901, to open the new Australian Parliament. This turned into a leisurely state visit to twelve outposts of Empire, with Wemyss helping to plan it and serving as second in command of HMS Ophir, the liner taken into the Navy for the cruise. On his return he played a major role in setting up the new naval college at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, part of a new approach to naval education that acknowledged for the first time that engineering officers were of critical important in the new technological navy. He was caught up in the changes that swept the navy under Fisher, and was really part of the rival Beresford group.
Wemyss had a very varied war. His first wartime posting was in the western approaches, and typified the uncertain approach of the time. He was given a group of older ships and ordered to patrol in a very similar way to his Napoleonic predecessors, but without the excitement. This was followed by command of the escort of the first Canadian troop convoy to cross the Atlantic, which appears to have been the first time he had to work with merchant ships to any great extent, before a return to the western approaches. However early in 1915 he was ordered to take command of a force that was to be sent to East Africa. This never took place, but instead he was put in command of the port of Mudros on Lemnos, the naval base for the attempts to break through the Dardanelles. Although the overall campaign ended in failure, Wemyss’ role was a success – he played a major role in naval part of the initial landings, and then a key part in planned the entirely successful evacuation at the end of the campaign. He was then closely involved in supporting the Arab Revolt, working with T.E. Lawrence. He was then called back to London to work at the Admiralty, becoming First Sea Lord from December 1917 to November 1919. In this role he played a major role in the negotiations that ended the First World War and was the British signatory on the armistice (alongside Foch for the French).
The tone of the book really reflects the way in which the Royal Navy had to change during Wemyss’ career – we start with fairly carefree diaries of cruises to show the flag and the Royal trip to Australia, then see the increasing professionalisation under Fisher, which saw the numerically impressive navy actually become a powerful fighting force. Wemyss’ wartime career takes us to less familiar parts of the naval war, largely away from the North Sea, Channel and U-boat wars, until his rise to become professional head of the Navy. The result is a fascinating biography of a key figure during the Royal Navy’s last period of true dominance of the seas.
Chapters
Part 1: Pax
1 – From Birth to Britannia
2 – Bacchante: Cowes to the Cape
3 – Bacchante: The Cape to Coews
4 – Sub-Lieutenant to Lieutenant
5 – Lieutenant to Commander
6 – HMS Ophir. Outward Bound: The Solent to South Island
7 – HMS Ophir. The Return: South Island to the Solent
8 – Osborne
9 – Suffolk
10 – HMS Balmoral Castle
11 – The End of Peace
Part 2: Bellum
12 – In the Western Approaches
13 – Mudros
14 – Advance and Retreat
15 – The Final Word
16 – East Indies and Egypt Station
17 – Ismailia to Whitehall
18 – The End of the War
19 – Armistice
Part 3: Post Bellum
20 – From Armistice to Exodux
21 – The Final Chapter
Author: John Johnson-Allen
Edition: Paperback
Pages: 256
Publisher: Whittles Publishing
Year: 2021