Roger Backhouse

For the economist, see Roger Backhouse (economist).

Sir Roger Backhouse
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Backhouse
Born	(1878-11-24)24 November 1878 Middleton Tyas, County Durham
Died	15 July 1939(1939-07-15) (aged 60) London, England
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1892–1939
Rank	Admiral of the Fleet
Commands held	HMS Conquest HMS Lion HMS Malaya 3rd Battle Squadron 1st Battle Squadron Home Fleet
Battles/wars	First World War
Awards	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse GCB GCVO CMG (24 November 1878 – 15 July 1939) was a Royal Navy officer. He served in World War I as a cruiser commander and after the War became a battle squadron commander and later Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet. Becoming First Sea Lord 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), 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 tumor in July 1939 just before the start of World War II.

Naval career

Born the fourth son of Sir Jonathan Backhouse, 1st Baronet and Florence Backhouse (née Salusbury-Trelawny), Backhouse joined the Royal Navy 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 in 1894.^[1]

The light cruiser HMS Conquest, which Backhouse commanded during the First World War

Backhouse transferred to the corvette HMS Comus on the Pacific Station in October 1895 and, having been promoted to sub-lieutenant on 15 March 1898^[2] and to lieutenant on 15 March 1899,^[2] he joined the battleship HMS Victorious in the Mediterranean Fleet in November 1899.^[1] 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.^[1] 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,^[3] he rejoined the directing staff at HMS Excellent in February 1910.^[1] 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.^[1]

Backhouse served in World War I, earning promotion to captain on 1 September 1914,^[4] and being appointed commanding officer of the light cruiser HMS Conquest in the Harwich Force in November 1915 before being given command of the battle cruiser HMS Lion, flagship of the Battle Cruiser force, in November 1916.^[1] He was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George on 4 June 1917.^[5]

The battleship HMS Nelson, Backhouse's flagship as Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet

Backhouse became Director of Naval Ordnance at the Admiralty 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^[6] and being given command of the 3rd Battle Squadron in May 1926.^[1] He became Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy in November 1928, and having been promoted to vice-admiral on 9 October 1929,^[7] he became Commander of the 1st Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1932.^[8] Appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1933 New Year Honours,^[9] he was promoted to full admiral on 11 February 1934^[10] and became Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, with his flag in the battleship HMS Nelson, on 20 August 1935.^[8] He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on 20 May 1937.^[11]

Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1938 New Year Honours^[12] and appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King on 1 July 1938,^[13] Blackhouse became First Sea Lord in November 1938.^[8] Taking office shortly after the signing of the Munich Agreement, 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 Singapore strategy), realising the immediate threat was closer to home (from Germany and Italy) and that such a policy was no longer viable.^[8] 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 start of World War II.^[8]

Family

In 1907 Backhouse married Dora Louise Findlay, daughter of John Ritchie Findlay proprietor of the British newspaper, The Scotsman; they had two sons and four daughters.^[1]

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Heathcote, p. 20
1 2 The London Gazette: no. 27080. p. 3103. 16 May 1899. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: no. 28325. p. 29. 1 January 1910. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: no. 28902. p. 7293. 15 September 1914. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30111. p. 5458. 1 June 1917. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: no. 33025. p. 1426. 27 February 1925. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: no. 33542. p. 6476. 11 October 1929. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
1 2 3 4 5 Heathcote, p. 21
↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 33898. p. 3. 30 December 1932. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: no. 34023. p. 1001. 13 February 1934. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: no. 34420. p. 4733. 23 July 1937. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34469. p. 3. 31 December 1937. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
↑ The London Gazette: no. 34527. p. 4242. 1 July 1938. Retrieved 29 October 2012.

Sources

Heathcote, Tony (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0-85052-835-6.

External links

The Dreadnought Project: Roger Backhouse
National Portrait Gallery Photo
Career history on admirals.org.uk

Military offices
Preceded by Sir Ernle Chatfield	Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy 1928–1932	Succeeded by Sir Charles Forbes
Preceded by The Earl of Cork and Orrery	Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet 1935–1938	Succeeded by Sir Charles Forbes
Preceded by Sir Ernle Chatfield	First Sea Lord 1938—1939	Succeeded by Sir Dudley Pound
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Cork and Orrery	First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp 1938–1939	Succeeded by Hon. Sir Reginald Drax

First Sea Lords of the Royal Navy

First Naval Lords (1828–1904)	Sir George Cockburn Sir Thomas Hardy The Hon. George Dundas Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir Charles Adam Sir George Cockburn Sir William Parker Sir Charles Adam Sir James Dundas The Hon. Maurice Berkeley Hyde Parker The Hon. Maurice Berkeley The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas William Martin The Hon. Sir Richard Dundas The Hon. Sir Frederick Grey Sir Alexander Milne Sir Sydney Dacres Sir Alexander Milne Sir Hastings Yelverton Sir George Wellesley Sir Astley Key Sir Arthur Hood Lord John Hay Sir Arthur Hood Sir Richard Hamilton Sir Anthony Hoskins Sir Frederick Richards Lord Walter Kerr

First Sea Lords (1904–present)	Sir John Fisher Sir Arthur Wilson Sir Francis Bridgeman Prince Louis of Battenberg The Lord Fisher Sir Henry Jackson Sir John Jellicoe Sir Rosslyn Wemyss The Earl Beatty Sir Charles Madden, Bt Sir Frederick Field The Lord Chatfield Sir Roger Backhouse Sir Dudley Pound The Lord Cunningham of Hyndhope Sir John Cunningham The Lord Fraser of North Cape Sir Rhoderick McGrigor The Earl Mountbatten of Burma Sir Charles Lambe Sir Caspar John Sir David Luce Sir Varyl Begg Sir Michael Le Fanu Sir Peter Hill-Norton Sir Michael Pollock Sir Edward Ashmore Sir Terence Lewin Sir Henry Leach Sir John Fieldhouse Sir William Staveley Sir Julian Oswald Sir Benjamin Bathurst Sir Jock Slater Sir Michael Boyce Sir Nigel Essenhigh Sir Alan West Sir Jonathon Band Sir Mark Stanhope Sir George Zambellas

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