John de Robeck

Sir John de Robeck, Bt
Sir John de Robeck
Born	10 June 1862 Naas, County Kildare, Ireland
Died	20 January 1928 (aged 65) London, England, United Kingdom
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1875–1924
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet
Commands held	HMS Desperate HMS Angler HMS Mermaid HMS Carnarvon HMS Dominion 9th Cruiser Squadron Eastern Mediterranean Squadron 3rd Battle Squadron 2nd Battle Squadron Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet
Battles/wars	World War I
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Michael de Robeck, 1st Baronet GCB, GCMG, GCVO (10 June 1862 – 20 January 1928) was Royal Navy officer. In the early years of the 20th century he served as Admiral of Patrols, commanding four flotillas of destroyers.

De Robeck commanded the allied naval force in the Dardanelles during the First World War. His campaign to force the straits, launched on 18 March 1915, was nearly successful, as the Turkish land-based artillery almost ran out of ammunition: however, mines laid in the straits led to the loss of three allied battleships. The subsequent ground campaign, like the naval campaign, was ultimately a failure and the ground troops had to be taken off the Gallipoli peninsula by de Robeck on the night of 8 January 1916. He went on to become Commander of the 3rd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet and then Commander of the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet.

After the war de Robeck became Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet and British High Commissioner to Turkey, and then Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet.

Naval career

Early career

Born the son of John Henry Edward Fock, 4th Baron de Robeck (a member of the Swedish nobility)^[1] and Zoë Sophia Charlotte Fock (née Burton),^[2] de Robeck joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in the training ship HMS Britannia on 15 July 1875.^[3] Promoted to midshipman on 27 July 1878, he joined the frigate HMS Shannon in the Channel Squadron in July 1878 and then transferred to the training ship HMS St Vincent at Portsmouth in April 1882.^[4] Promoted to sub-lieutenant on 27 July 1882, he joined the gunnery school HMS Excellent in August 1882 before transferring to the gunboat HMS Espoir on the China Station in August 1883.^[4] Promoted to lieutenant on 30 September 1885,^[5] he transferred to the battleship HMS Audacious, flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, China in early 1886, to the brig HMS Seaflower in March 1887 and to the battleship HMS Agincourt, flagship of the Channel Squadron, in November 1887.^[4] He joined the staff of the training ship HMS Britannia in September 1888 and then transferred to the armoured cruiser HMS Imperieuse, flagship of the China Station, in January 1891 before returning to the staff of the training ship HMS Britannia in August 1893.^[4]

De Robeck became gunnery officer in the corvette HMS Cordelia on the North America and West Indies Station in November 1895 and, following promotion to commander on 22 June 1897,^[6] became commanding officer of the destroyer HMS Desperate at Chatham in July 1897, next the destroyer HMS Angler at Chatham in July 1898 and then the destroyer HMS Mermaid at Chatham in June 1899.^[4] After that he became executive officer in the cruiser HMS Pyramus in the Mediterranean Fleet in June 1900.^[4]

Promoted to captain on 1 January 1902,^[7] de Robeck became commanding officer of the armoured cruiser HMS Carnarvon in the Mediterranean Fleet in August 1906, commanding officer of the battleship HMS Dominion in the Channel Fleet in January 1908 and then inspecting officer of boys' training establishments in January 1910.^[4] Promoted to rear admiral on 1 December 1911,^[8] he became Admiral of Patrols, commanding four flotillas of destroyers, in April 1912.^[4]

The First World War

The battleship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, de Robeck's flagship during the Dardanelles Campaign

De Robeck was given command of the 9th Cruiser Squadron with his flag in the protected cruiser HMS Amphitrite in August 1914, just after the start of the First World War, and in this capacity, captured the German liners SS Schleisen and SS Graecia.^[4]

De Robeck became second in command, under Admiral Sackville Carden, of the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron i.e. the allied naval forces in the Dardanelles, with his flag in the battleship HMS Vengeance, in February 1915.^[4] Sackville Carden was instructed to force the straits and then push on to Constantinople: he made an unsuccessful attempt to do this on 19 February 1914 but then fell seriously ill leaving de Robeck to take command, with his flag in the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth, in March 1915.^[4] De Robeck's campaign to force the straits, launched on 18 March 1915, was nearly successful, as the Turkish land-based artillery almost ran out of ammunition: however, mines laid in the straits led to the loss of three allied battleships.^[9] De Robeck, seeing no sense in losing more ships, then abandoned the whole naval operation.^[9] On 25 April 1915 General Ian Hamilton and his troops landed at the tip of the peninsular, Cape Helles, and at Anzac Cove, on the western coast. The Turks had been allowed two months warning from the first serious navy attack to prepare ground defences before the follow-up ground landing could be mounted and they used the time effectively.^[10] The initial landings failed to achieve their objectives, and a further attempt was made, in August, at Suvla Bay.^[9] This also narrowly failed due to insipid leadership and inexperienced troops. In the wake of this setback, Commodore Roger Keyes, de Robeck's Chief of Staff, argued for a third attempt to force the straits but de Robeck recommended against it and the Admiralty accepted de Robeck's advice.^[2] The ground campaign, like the naval campaign, was ultimately a failure and, although de Robeck was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath for his service in the Gallipoli Campaign on 1 January 1916,^[11] Hamilton's troops had to be taken off the Gallipoli peninsula by de Robeck on the night of 8 January 1916.^[9]

De Robeck went on to become Commander of the 3rd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet, with his flag in the battleship HMS Britannia, in May 1916 and Commander of the 2nd Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet, with his flag in the battleship HMS King George V, in November 1916.^[2] He was promoted to vice admiral on 17 May 1917.^[12]

After the war

De Robeck (left) with Emir Abdullah of Jordan (centre) in HMS Iron Duke, flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet, in 1921

Appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George on 1 January 1919,^[13] de Robeck became Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet and British High Commissioner to Turkey, with his flag in the battleship HMS Iron Duke, in July 1919.^[9] He was created a baronet on 29 December 1919^[14] and promoted to full admiral on 24 March 1920.^[15] Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1921,^[16] he went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet in August 1922 before retiring in August 1924.^[9]

In retirement de Robeck became President of the Marylebone Cricket Club.^[9] Appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order in November 1925,^[2] he was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 24 November 1925^[17] and died at his home in London on 20 January 1928.^[9]

Family

In 1922 he married Hilda, Lady Lockhart, widow of Sir Simon Macdonald Lockhart, 5th Baronet; they had no children.^[9]

Honours and awards

• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath – 1 January 1921^[16] (KCB – 1 January 1916^[11])
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George – 1 January 1919^[13]
• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order – November 1925^[2]
• Knight of Grace of the Venerable Order of Saint John – 29 November 1920^[18]
• Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honour – 9 August 1916^[19]
• Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown of Italy – 11 August 1917^[20]
• Japanese Order of the Sacred Treasure, 1st class – 29 August 1917^[21]
• Grand Officer of the Order of the Crown of Romania – 17 March 1919^[22]

References

1. "The de Robecks of Gowran Grange, Co. Kildare". Turtle Bunbury. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
2. "John de Robeck". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
3. Heathcote, p. 65
4. Heathcote, p. 66
5. The London Gazette: no. 25516. p. 4599. 2 October 1885. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
6. The London Gazette: no. 26865. p. 3443. 22 June 1897. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
7. The London Gazette: no. 27393. p. 3. 3 January 1902. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
8. The London Gazette: no. 28562. p. 9446. 15 December 1911. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
9. Heathcote, p. 67
10. Carlyon, pp. 79-83
11. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29423. p. 80. 31 December 1915. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
12. The London Gazette: no. 30084. p. 4942. 22 May 1917. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
13. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31099. p. 109. 31 December 1918. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
14. The London Gazette: no. 31708. p. 15988. 30 December 1919. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
15. The London Gazette: no. 31867. p. 4474. 16 April 1920. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
16. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 32178. p. 4. 1 January 1921. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
17. The London Gazette: no. 33110. p. 7950. 1 December 1925. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
18. The London Gazette: no. 32145. p. 11793. 30 November 1920. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
19. The London Gazette: no. 29703. p. 7912. 11 August 1916. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
20. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30227. p. 8209. 10 August 1917. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
21. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30258. p. 8989. 28 August 1917. Retrieved 19 October 2014.
22. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31236. p. 3593. 14 March 1919. Retrieved 19 October 2014.

Sources

• Carlyon, Les A. (2002). Gallipoli. New York: Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-7329-1128-7.
• Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 – 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.

External links

• Transcription of Official Service Records on www.admirals.org.uk
• The Dreadnought Project: John de Robeck