Colin Richard Keppel
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Colin Richard Keppel GCVO
, KCIE
, CB
, DSO
(3 December 1862 – 6 July 1947) was a British sailor and Extra Equerry to four kings.
, younger son of William Keppel, 4th Earl of Albemarle
, and his second wife Jane Elizabeth West, daughter of Martin John West. His paternal uncles were Augustus Keppel, 5th Earl of Albemarle
and George Keppel, 6th Earl of Albemarle
, his maternal uncle was Sir Algernon Edward West. He was educated at Temple Grove and entered the Royal Navy as cadet on the training ship HMS Britannia
in 1875.
in the British Mediterranean Fleet until 1878 and was then transferred as midshipman to HMS Black Prince
, the world's second ship with an iron hull. He was aboard on HMS Wolverine
in Sydney
in the next year and was with HMS Inconstant
in Asia unil 1882. With the outburst of the Mahdist War
, he was moved to HMS Duke of Wellington
, the Commander-in-Chief's flagship in Portsmouth, then to HMS Iris
, one of the first all steel ships, until 1884. Subsequently, Keppel was promoted sub-lieutenant of HMS Invincible
. He served further on HMS Hibernia
and became lieutenant on HMS Alexandria in 1885. A year later, Keppel was appointed equerry and flag lieutenant to Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
until 1893 and was then transferred to HMS Pearl. He was with HMY Royal George
in Portsmouth until 1895, became afterwards commander and sailed with HMS Skipjack to Gibraltar and with the torpedo gunboat HMS Harrier
to Crete in 1897.
, recently captured by British forces commanded by Herbert Kitchener, south to attack Metemma, Sudan, which was held by Dervishes. At dawn on 16 October the ships attacked enemy troops at Shendi
, before shelling three forts on the bank of the Nile near Metamma, capturing some ships loaded with grain and then retiring. They returned the following day to discover the defences had been reinforced with more artillery, but continued the bombardment from beyond range of the enemy guns. Estimated Arab losses were 500 men, with one Soudanese soldier being killed on one of the gunboats. Soon afterwards in the beginning of 1898, Keppel was as result awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath and decorated with the Distinguished Service Order
.
, he received the thanks of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
in June 1899 and became captain commanding HMS Wildfire. Keppel was transferred to HMS Spartan
in the same year and to newly launched cruiser in 1900. He commanded subsequently HMS Warspite
and was then flag captain to Andrew Bickford
aboard on HMS Grafton
until 1904. In the next year, he commanded the battleship HMS Implacable
and was appointed commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron
. Keppel was awarded a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, in 1906 and after being promoted to rear-admiral in 1908, he was advanced to a Knight Commander. He became second in command of the British Atlantic Fleet
in 1909 and was first on HMS Albemarle
, later on HMS London
. In 1911, he led HMS Medina on a voyage to India and was afterwards invested a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
. Keppel was promoted vide-admiral in 1913, retiring few days later. He was made a full admiral in 1917. Keppel received the 1st Class of the Russian Order of St Stanislaus and the 2nd Class of the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle
.
to King Edward VII from 1907 until the following year and as Extra Equerry from 1909. After the king's death in 1910, Keppel was Extra Equerry to his successor King George V
until 1912. Keppel was nominated Equerry-in-Ordinary in 1913, fulfilling this office for two years until his relinquishment in 1915, when he was again appointed Extra Equerry. Subsequently he held this post also to King Edward VIII and King George VI until 1937.
Keppel became Serjeant-at-Arms
of the British House of Commons
in 1915, resigning after twenty years. In 1929, he was awarded the Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.
. Keppel died at his country residence, Grove Lodge, at Winkfield
Row in Berkshire
, aged 84 in 1947, his wife ten years later.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
, KCIE
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
, CB
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...
, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
(3 December 1862 – 6 July 1947) was a British sailor and Extra Equerry to four kings.
Background
He was the son of Admiral Sir Henry KeppelHenry Keppel
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Henry Keppel, GCB, OM was a British admiral, son of the 4th Earl of Albemarle and of his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Lord de Clifford.-Naval career:...
, younger son of William Keppel, 4th Earl of Albemarle
William Keppel, 4th Earl of Albemarle
William Charles Keppel, 4th Earl of Albemarle GCH, PC , briefly styled Viscount Bury between May and October 1772, was a British Whig politician.-Background:...
, and his second wife Jane Elizabeth West, daughter of Martin John West. His paternal uncles were Augustus Keppel, 5th Earl of Albemarle
Augustus Keppel, 5th Earl of Albemarle
Augustus Frederick Keppel, 5th Earl of Albemarle , styled Viscount Bury from 1804 until 1849, was an English nobleman....
and George Keppel, 6th Earl of Albemarle
George Keppel, 6th Earl of Albemarle
General George Thomas Keppel, 6th Earl of Albemarle DL, FGS, FSA , styled The Honourable from birth until 1851, was a British soldier, Liberal politician and writer.-Background and education:...
, his maternal uncle was Sir Algernon Edward West. He was educated at Temple Grove and entered the Royal Navy as cadet on the training ship HMS Britannia
HMS Britannia (1820)
HMS Britannia was a 120-gun first-rate ship-of-the-line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1813 and launched on 20 October 1820.Commissioned in 1823, she saw service in the Mediterranean from 1830-1 and in 1841...
in 1875.
Early years
Keppel served on HMS SultanHMS Sultan (1870)
HMS Sultan was a broadside ironclad of the Royal Navy of the Victorian era, who carried her main armament in a central box battery. She was named for Sultan Abdülâziz of the Ottoman Empire, who was visiting England when she was laid down. Abdülâziz cultivated, good relations with the Second French...
in the British Mediterranean Fleet until 1878 and was then transferred as midshipman to HMS Black Prince
HMS Black Prince (1861)
HMS Black Prince was the third ship of that name to serve with the Royal Navy. She was the world's second ocean-going, iron-hulled, armoured warship, following her sister ship, . For a brief period the two s were the most powerful warships in the world, being virtually impregnable to the naval guns...
, the world's second ship with an iron hull. He was aboard on HMS Wolverine
HMS Wolverine (1863)
HMS Wolverine was a Jason-class corvette, of the Royal Navy, built at the Woolwich Dockyard and launched on 29 August 1863. Initially commissioned for the North America and West Indies Station, she commenced service on the Australia Station on 7 September 1875 as the flagship, under the command of...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
in the next year and was with HMS Inconstant
HMS Inconstant (1868)
HMS Inconstant was an iron screw frigate of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 12 November 1868 and became a training ship in 1906, renamed Impregnable II. She became the Navy's torpedo school ship in January 1922 and was renamed Defiance IV, and Defiance II in December 1930, before being finally...
in Asia unil 1882. With the outburst of the Mahdist War
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...
, he was moved to HMS Duke of Wellington
HMS Duke of Wellington
HMS Duke of Wellington was a 131-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1852, she was symptomatic of an era of rapid technological change in the navy, being powered both by sail and steam...
, the Commander-in-Chief's flagship in Portsmouth, then to HMS Iris
HMS Iris (1877)
HMS Iris was an Iris Class second-class cruiser of the Royal Navy. The Iris class ships were the first all-steel ships to serve with the Royal Navy and were employed as armed dispatch vessels. She had a double bottom and her Maudslay machinery produced , slightly less than her stablemate HMS...
, one of the first all steel ships, until 1884. Subsequently, Keppel was promoted sub-lieutenant of HMS Invincible
HMS Invincible (1869)
HMS Invincible was an Audacious-class ironclad battleship of the Royal Navy. She was built at the Napier shipyard and completed in 1870. Completed just 10 years after , she still carried sails as well as a steam engine.-Armament:...
. He served further on HMS Hibernia
HMS Hibernia (1804)
HMS Hibernia was a 110-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was launched at Plymouth dockyard on 17 November 1804, and was the only ship built to her draught, designed by Sir John Henslow....
and became lieutenant on HMS Alexandria in 1885. A year later, Keppel was appointed equerry and flag lieutenant to Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
Alfred, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was the third Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and reigned from 1893 to 1900. He was also a member of the British Royal Family, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha...
until 1893 and was then transferred to HMS Pearl. He was with HMY Royal George
HMY Royal George
HMY Royal George was a Royal Yacht of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, launched 1817, and last used in 1842. She became an accommodation hulk in 1902, and was broken up in 1905....
in Portsmouth until 1895, became afterwards commander and sailed with HMS Skipjack to Gibraltar and with the torpedo gunboat HMS Harrier
HMS Harrier (1894)
The sixth HMS Harrier was a Dryad-class torpedo gunboat. She was launched at Devonport Dockyard on 20 February 1894, and saw service in the Mediterranean and in fishery protection...
to Crete in 1897.
On the Nile
In October of that year, on loan to the Egyptian Government, he commanded three gunboats on the Nile, which were despatched from the town of Berber, SudanBerber, Sudan
Berber is a town in the Nile state of northern Sudan, 50 km north of Atbara, near the junction of the Atbara River and the Nile.The town was the starting-point of the old caravan route across the Nubian Desert to the Red Sea at Suakin....
, recently captured by British forces commanded by Herbert Kitchener, south to attack Metemma, Sudan, which was held by Dervishes. At dawn on 16 October the ships attacked enemy troops at Shendi
Shendi
Shendi or Shandi is a town in northern Sudan, situated on the east bank of the Nile 150 km northeast of Khartoum. Shandi is also about 45 km southwest of the ancient city of Meroe. Located in the River Nile wilayah, Shandi is the center of the Ja'aliin tribe and an important historic...
, before shelling three forts on the bank of the Nile near Metamma, capturing some ships loaded with grain and then retiring. They returned the following day to discover the defences had been reinforced with more artillery, but continued the bombardment from beyond range of the enemy guns. Estimated Arab losses were 500 men, with one Soudanese soldier being killed on one of the gunboats. Soon afterwards in the beginning of 1898, Keppel was as result awarded a Companion of the Order of the Bath and decorated with the Distinguished Service Order
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
.
Admiral
For his services in SudanSudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, he received the thanks of the Parliament of the United Kingdom
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in June 1899 and became captain commanding HMS Wildfire. Keppel was transferred to HMS Spartan
HMS Spartan (1891)
HMS Spartan was an Apollo class cruiser of the Royal Navy constructed in 1891. The design was a variant of the Marathon class cruiser. The ships had quick firing guns which were effective as a broadside, but less so when attempting to fire fore or aft.From 1907 she was placed on harbour duty...
in the same year and to newly launched cruiser in 1900. He commanded subsequently HMS Warspite
HMS Warspite (1884)
HMS Warspite was an Imperieuse-class first-class armoured cruiser, launched on 29 January 1884 and commissioned in 1886. Warspite was the flagship on the Pacific Station between 1890 and 1893, then a port guard ship at Queenstown until 1896...
and was then flag captain to Andrew Bickford
Andrew Bickford
Admiral Andrew Kennedy Bickford CMG was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Station.-Naval career:...
aboard on HMS Grafton
HMS Grafton (1892)
HMS Grafton was a first class cruiser of the Edgar class. She was launched on 30 January 1892. She served in the First World War in the Gallipoli Campaign, along with her sisters Endymion, Edgar and Theseus...
until 1904. In the next year, he commanded the battleship HMS Implacable
HMS Implacable (1899)
HMS Implacable was a Formidable-class battleship of the British Royal Navy, the second ship of the name.-Technical Description:HMS Implacable was laid down at Devonport Dockyard on 13 July 1898 and launched on 11 March 1899 in a very incomplete state to clear the building way for construction of...
and was appointed commodore of the Royal Yacht Squadron
Royal Yacht Squadron
The Royal Yacht Squadron is the most prestigious yacht club in the United Kingdom and arguably the world. Its clubhouse is located in Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom...
. Keppel was awarded a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order, in 1906 and after being promoted to rear-admiral in 1908, he was advanced to a Knight Commander. He became second in command of the British Atlantic Fleet
British Atlantic Fleet
The Atlantic Fleet was a major fleet formation of the Royal Navy.There have been two main formations in the Royal Navy officially called the Atlantic Fleet. The first was created in 1909 and lasted until 1914...
in 1909 and was first on HMS Albemarle
HMS Albemarle (1901)
HMS Albemarle was a pre-Dreadnought Duncan-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle.-Technical Description:...
, later on HMS London
HMS London (1899)
HMS London was a Formidable class battleship in the British Royal Navy, often considered to be part of the London class or subclass.-Technical Description:...
. In 1911, he led HMS Medina on a voyage to India and was afterwards invested a Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire
Order of the Indian Empire
The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1878. The Order includes members of three classes:#Knight Grand Commander #Knight Commander #Companion...
. Keppel was promoted vide-admiral in 1913, retiring few days later. He was made a full admiral in 1917. Keppel received the 1st Class of the Russian Order of St Stanislaus and the 2nd Class of the Prussian Order of the Red Eagle
Order of the Red Eagle
The Order of the Red Eagle was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful service to the kingdom, or other achievements...
.
Further career
Keppel served as Aide-de-CampAide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to King Edward VII from 1907 until the following year and as Extra Equerry from 1909. After the king's death in 1910, Keppel was Extra Equerry to his successor King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
until 1912. Keppel was nominated Equerry-in-Ordinary in 1913, fulfilling this office for two years until his relinquishment in 1915, when he was again appointed Extra Equerry. Subsequently he held this post also to King Edward VIII and King George VI until 1937.
Keppel became Serjeant-at-Arms
Serjeant-at-Arms
A Sergeant-at-Arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word sergeant is derived from the Latin serviens, which means "servant"....
of the British House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
in 1915, resigning after twenty years. In 1929, he was awarded the Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.
Family
On 6 June 1889, he married Mary Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell, daughter of Major-General Richard Blundell-Hollinshead-Blundell, and had by her two daughters. Marie, the older, was wife of Charles Marsham, 6th Earl of Romney, while her younger sister Melita had married Maurice Hely-HutchinsonMaurice Hely-Hutchinson
Maurice Robert Hely-Hutchinson was a Conservative Party politician in England.He was elected as Member of Parliament for Hastings in East Sussex at a by-election in 1937. He held the seat until the 1945 general election, when he stood down from Parliament...
. Keppel died at his country residence, Grove Lodge, at Winkfield
Winkfield
Winkfield is a village and civil parish in the Bracknell Forest unitary authority of Berkshire, England.-Geography:According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 15,271...
Row in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, aged 84 in 1947, his wife ten years later.