Wilmot Fawkes
| Sir Wilmot Fawkes | |
|---|---|
| Born |
22 December 1846 Barnet, Hertfordshire |
| Died |
29 May 1926 (aged -91) Chippenham, Wiltshire |
| Allegiance |
 United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |
 Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1860–1911 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held |
HMS Raleigh HMS Mercury[1] HMS Terrible[1] HMS Canopus[1] Australia Station Plymouth Command |
| Awards |
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |
Admiral Sir Wilmot Hawksworth Fawkes GCB, KCVO (22 December 1846 – 29 May 1926) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth.
Naval career
Fawkes joined the Royal Navy in 1860 and by 1867 had become a Lieutenant.[2] He served mainly in the Mediterranean on HMS Prince Consort and Research.[2] In 1872 he matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge but did not graduate.[3] In 1880 he was promoted to Commander and served on HMS Northampton on the North America and West Indies station.[2] After a few years he returned to England to command of the Royal Yacht Osborne, a post he held for two years.[2]
Promoted Captain in 1886,[4] he was given command of HMS Raleigh before going on to be Naval Advisor to the Inspector General of Fortifications in 1891.[5] He then took command of HMS Mercury on the China station returning to England in 1897 to be Private Naval Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty in 1897.[2][5] On 1 January 1899 he was appointed an Aide-de-Camp to Queen Victoria.[2] He was appointed in command of the new battleship HMS Canopus which he commissioned in December 1899 for service in the Mediterranean Fleet, but in late 1900 was back in England as Private Secretary to Lord Selborne, First Lord of the Admiralty. Promoted to rear admiral on 1 January 1901,[6] he went on to command the Cruiser Squadron in 1902[7] before being appointed Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station in 1905.[5] He became Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth in 1908 and retired in 1911.[5]
Retirement
Fawkes had married Juliana Hannah Mary Spicer in 1875 and when he retired in 1911 they lived at Steel Cross, Crowborough.[2] His wife died in 1916, and Fawkes died suddenly in 1926 at Spye Park, Chippenham when he was visiting his brother-in-law Captain Spicer.[2]
References
- 1 2 3 The Dreadnought Project
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Admiral Sir Wilmot Fawkes". Obituaries. The Times (44285). London. 31 May 1926. col B, p. 19.
- ↑ "Fawkes, Wilmot Hawksworth (FWKS872WH)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ↑ Royal Navy Flag Officers 1904 – 1975
- 1 2 3 4 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27262. p. 4. 1 January 1901.
- ↑ Commemorative medal National Maritime Museum
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Hedworth Lambton |
Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty 1897–1899 |
Succeeded by Maurice Bourke |
| Preceded by Maurice Bourke |
Private Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty 1900–1902 |
Succeeded by Hugh Tyrwhitt |
| Preceded by Sir Arthur Fanshawe |
Commander-in-Chief, Australia Station 1905–1907 |
Succeeded by Sir Richard Poore |
| Preceded by Sir Lewis Beaumont |
Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth 1908–1911 |
Succeeded by Sir William May |