Cecil Burney
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir Cecil Burney, 1st Baronet GCB
GCMG
(15 May 1858 – 5 June 1929) was a British
Royal Navy
admiral
.
, son of a Royal Navy Captain
. He was educated at the Royal Naval Academy, Gosport and entered HMS Britannia
as a Naval Cadet in July 1871. He was promoted Midshipman
in October 1873, serving on the Pacific
and North American Stations, and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant
in October 1877. For the next three years he mainly served ashore, with short periods in the troopship
HMS Serapis
and the Royal Yacht
, where he was promoted Lieutenant
on 30 August 1879. He then joined the corvette
HMS Carysfort with the Mediterranean Fleet and served ashore in command of a Gatling Gun
team at the Battle of Tell al-Mahuta and the Battle of Qassasin in August 1882. In 1882 he also accompanied Sir Charles Warren's
expedition in pursuit of the murderers of Professor Palmer
and his associates. In 1884 he served in the operations against Osman Digna
near Suakin
.
The next two years were spent at the gun
nery schools at Portsmouth
and Devonport
, followed by over five years as a gunnery officer with the North American Squadron, Reserve Squadron and Channel Squadron. On 1 January 1893 Burney was promoted Commander
and became Executive Officer
of the cruiser
HMS Hawke
with the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1896 he became commanding officer
of the boys' training establishment in HMS Boscawen and HMS Minotaur
at Portland
, being promoted Captain on 1 January 1898.
In September 1899 he took command of his old ship HMS Hawke and in 1900 became the captain of HMS Sappho
, initially on the North American Station, but soon transferring to the Cape Station
for service in the South African War. Sappho struck the Durban
bar
on 3 May 1901, although she was under the command of a pilot
at the time and Burney was not to blame, and returned to the United Kingdom for repairs. In May 1902 Sappho became the flagship
of Rear-Admiral George Atkinson-Willes
and then Rear-Admiral Edmund Poë
in the Home Fleet. In June 1904 Burney transferred to the command of the battleship
HMS Triumph
and then, in July 1905, to HMS Impregnable as inspecting captain of boys' training ships.
Division of the Home Fleet. In February 1911 he took command of the 5th Cruiser Squadron and at the end of the year he took over the Atlantic Fleet as Acting Vice-Admiral. In 1912 he was transferred to the 3rd Battle Squadron in the Mediterranean and on 20 September 1912 was confirmed as a Vice-Admiral.
In April 1913 he was sent with his squadron to Antivari on the coast of Montenegro
to take command of the international naval force sent to deal with the disturbances in Montenegro
and Albania
at the close of the Second Balkan War
. From May to November he also commanded the international force occupying Scutari
. For his successful handling of this situation he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
(KCB) in the 1913 Birthday Honours and Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
(KCMG) on the 27 October 1913.
, which Burney also commanded. In December 1914 he was given command of the 1st Battle Squadron, in which capacity he also served as second-in-command
of the Grand Fleet under Sir John Jellicoe
. He commanded the squadron at the Battle of Jutland
on 31 May 1916, where his flagship HMS Marlborough
was torpedo
ed, necessitating the transfer of his flag
to HMS Revenge
. On 9 June 1916 he was promoted Admiral
and he was also promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) and awarded the Russian Order of St. Vladimir
, 2nd Class (with Swords) "for distinguished service rendered in the Battle of Jutland". Although Jellicoe had great faith in him this faith was not shared by many other flag officers, who regarded him as over-cautious, lacking in initiative, and not being in good health, and were worried that he might succeed Jellicoe in command of the Grand Fleet.
In November 1916 Burney was appointed Second Sea Lord
. However, in September 1917 he was removed, despite the opposition of Jellicoe, now First Sea Lord
, on the insistence of the Prime Minister
and the First Lord of the Admiralty, who believed he was too old and too inefficient for the post, and they instead appointed him Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland
. In March 1919 he became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
. He effectively retired due to ill-health the following year.
on 24 November 1920, created a Baronet
in the 1921 New Year Honours, and promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1922 New Year Honours. He officially retired on 24 November 1925.
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
Sir Cecil Burney, 1st Baronet GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
GCMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(15 May 1858 – 5 June 1929) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
.
Early life and service before flag rank
Burney was born in JerseyJersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, son of a Royal Navy Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
. He was educated at the Royal Naval Academy, Gosport and entered HMS Britannia
HMS Prince of Wales (1860)
HMS Prince of Wales was one of six 121-gun screw-propelled first-rate three-decker line-of-battle ships of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 25 January 1860...
as a Naval Cadet in July 1871. He was promoted Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
in October 1873, serving on the Pacific
Pacific Station
The Pacific Station, often referred to as the Pacific Squadron, was one of the geographical divisions into which the Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities...
and North American Stations, and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
in October 1877. For the next three years he mainly served ashore, with short periods in the troopship
Troopship
A troopship is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime...
HMS Serapis
HMS Serapis (1866)
HMS Serapis was a Euphrates-class troopship commissioned for the transport of troops to and from India. She was launched in the Thames on 26 September 1866 from the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company at Leamouth, London and was the third Royal Navy ship to bear the name...
and the Royal Yacht
HMY Victoria and Albert II
HMY Victoria and Albert, a 360 foot steamer launched 16 January 1855, was a Royal Yacht of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom until 1900, owned and operated by the Royal Navy. She displaced 2,470 tons, and could make 15 knots on her paddles...
, where he was promoted Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 30 August 1879. He then joined the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
HMS Carysfort with the Mediterranean Fleet and served ashore in command of a Gatling Gun
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. It is well known for its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s, which was the first time it was employed in combat...
team at the Battle of Tell al-Mahuta and the Battle of Qassasin in August 1882. In 1882 he also accompanied Sir Charles Warren's
Charles Warren
General Sir Charles Warren, GCMG, KCB, FRS was an officer in the British Royal Engineers. He was one of the earliest European archaeologists of Biblical Holy Land, and particularly of Temple Mount...
expedition in pursuit of the murderers of Professor Palmer
Edward Henry Palmer
Edward Henry Palmer was an English orientalist.Palmer was born in Cambridge as the son of a private schoolmaster. He was educated at The Perse School, and as a schoolboy showed the characteristic bent of his mind by picking up the Romany tongue and a great familiarity with the life of the Gypsies...
and his associates. In 1884 he served in the operations against Osman Digna
Osman Digna
Osman Digna was a follower of the Mahdi in Sudan, and hailed from the Hadendoa tribe of the Beja people. His birthplace is unknown; Suakin was said to be the town where he was born. When he was called Osman Ali, Osman Digna lived in Alexandria, Egypt, where he dealt in the selling of slaves...
near Suakin
Suakin
Suakin or Sawakin is a port in north-eastern Sudan, on the west coast of the Red Sea. In 1983 it had a population of 18,030 and the 2009 estimate is 43, 337.It was formerly the region's chief port, but is now secondary to Port Sudan, about 30 miles north. The old city built of coral is in ruins...
.
The next two years were spent at the gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
nery schools at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and Devonport
Devonport, Devon
Devonport, formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889...
, followed by over five years as a gunnery officer with the North American Squadron, Reserve Squadron and Channel Squadron. On 1 January 1893 Burney was promoted Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
and became Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
of the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
HMS Hawke
HMS Hawke (1891)
HMS Hawke, launched in 1891, was the sixth British warship to be named Hawke. She was an Edgar-class protected cruiser.-Service:...
with the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1896 he became commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of the boys' training establishment in HMS Boscawen and HMS Minotaur
HMS Minotaur (1863)
HMS Minotaur was the lead ship of the armoured frigates built for the Royal Navy during the 1860s. They were the longest single-screw warships ever built. Minotaur took nearly four years between her launching and commissioning because she was used for evaluations of her armament and different...
at Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
, being promoted Captain on 1 January 1898.
In September 1899 he took command of his old ship HMS Hawke and in 1900 became the captain of HMS Sappho
HMS Sappho (1891)
HMS Sappho was an Apollo class cruiser of the British Royal Navy which served from 1892 to 1918 in various colonial posts, including service during the Second Boer War in 1901. During the First World War, Sappho and her sisters saw service off the British Isles as hastily converted minelayers...
, initially on the North American Station, but soon transferring to the Cape Station
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
for service in the South African War. Sappho struck the Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
bar
Shoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
on 3 May 1901, although she was under the command of a pilot
Maritime pilot
A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. With the exception of the Panama Canal, the pilot is only an advisor, as the captain remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel....
at the time and Burney was not to blame, and returned to the United Kingdom for repairs. In May 1902 Sappho became the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Rear-Admiral George Atkinson-Willes
George Atkinson-Willes
Admiral Sir George Lambart Atkinson-Willes KCB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station.-Naval career:...
and then Rear-Admiral Edmund Poë
Edmund Poë
Admiral Sir Edmund Samuel Poë GCVO KCB was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, East Indies station.-Naval career:Educated at the Royal Naval Academy, Gosport, Poë joined the Royal Navy in 1862....
in the Home Fleet. In June 1904 Burney transferred to the command of the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS Triumph
HMS Triumph (1903)
HMS Triumph was a Swiftsure class pre-dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy.-Technical characteristics:HMS Triumph was ordered by Chile as Libertad, laid down by Vickers at Barrow-in-Furness on 26 February 1902, and launched on 12 January 1903...
and then, in July 1905, to HMS Impregnable as inspecting captain of boys' training ships.
Promotion to flag rank
On 10 October 1907, Burney was promoted Rear-Admiral in command of the PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
Division of the Home Fleet. In February 1911 he took command of the 5th Cruiser Squadron and at the end of the year he took over the Atlantic Fleet as Acting Vice-Admiral. In 1912 he was transferred to the 3rd Battle Squadron in the Mediterranean and on 20 September 1912 was confirmed as a Vice-Admiral.
In April 1913 he was sent with his squadron to Antivari on the coast of Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
to take command of the international naval force sent to deal with the disturbances in Montenegro
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
and Albania
Albania
Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...
at the close of the Second Balkan War
Second Balkan War
The Second Balkan War was a conflict which broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with its share of the spoils of the First Balkan War, attacked its former allies, Serbia and Greece, on 29 June 1913. Bulgaria had a prewar agreement about the division of region of Macedonia...
. From May to November he also commanded the international force occupying Scutari
Shkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
. For his successful handling of this situation he was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(KCB) in the 1913 Birthday Honours and Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(KCMG) on the 27 October 1913.
First World War
At the end of 1913 he returned to England and took command of the Second Fleet and Third Fleet. On the outbreak of the First World War in August 1914 these were combined into the Channel FleetChannel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
, which Burney also commanded. In December 1914 he was given command of the 1st Battle Squadron, in which capacity he also served as second-in-command
Second-in-command
The Second-in-Command is the deputy commander of any British Army or Royal Marines unit, from battalion or regiment downwards. He or she is thus the equivalent of an Executive Officer in the United States Army...
of the Grand Fleet under Sir John Jellicoe
John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe
Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I...
. He commanded the squadron at the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
on 31 May 1916, where his flagship HMS Marlborough
HMS Marlborough (1912)
HMS Marlborough was an Iron Duke-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named in honour of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and launched in 1912. In World War I she served in the 1st Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet based at Scapa Flow...
was torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed, necessitating the transfer of his flag
Flag Officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark where the officer exercises command. The term usually refers to the senior officers in an English-speaking nation's navy, specifically those who hold any of the admiral ranks; in...
to HMS Revenge
HMS Revenge (06)
HMS Revenge was the lead ship of the Revenge class of battleships of the Royal Navy, the ninth to bear the name. She was launched during World War I in 1915. Though the class is often referred to as the Royal Sovereign class, official documents of 1914–1918 refer to the class as the Revenge class...
. On 9 June 1916 he was promoted Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
and he was also promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) and awarded the Russian Order of St. Vladimir
Order of St. Vladimir
The Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
, 2nd Class (with Swords) "for distinguished service rendered in the Battle of Jutland". Although Jellicoe had great faith in him this faith was not shared by many other flag officers, who regarded him as over-cautious, lacking in initiative, and not being in good health, and were worried that he might succeed Jellicoe in command of the Grand Fleet.
In November 1916 Burney was appointed Second Sea Lord
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
. However, in September 1917 he was removed, despite the opposition of Jellicoe, now First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...
, on the insistence of the Prime Minister
David Lloyd George
David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor OM, PC was a British Liberal politician and statesman...
and the First Lord of the Admiralty, who believed he was too old and too inefficient for the post, and they instead appointed him Commander-in-Chief, Coast of Scotland
Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England, Northern Ireland
The Flag Officer Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland is a senior post in the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom. It is based at HM Naval Base Clyde and the holder of the post is the Royal Navy’s senior officer in Scotland with representational duties everywhere north of the M4. The...
. In March 1919 he became Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
. He effectively retired due to ill-health the following year.
Post-war
Burney was promoted Admiral of the FleetAdmiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....
on 24 November 1920, created a Baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in the 1921 New Year Honours, and promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in the 1922 New Year Honours. He officially retired on 24 November 1925.