Gerald Charles Dickens
Encyclopedia
Admiral
Sir Gerald Louis Charles Dickens, KCVO
, CB
, CMG
, RN
, (13 October 1879 – 19 November 1962) was a senior Royal Navy
officer and the grandson of Victorian
novelist
Charles Dickens
.
, London, the son of Sir Henry Fielding Dickens
, Dickens joined the naval college HMS Britannia
at Dartmouth
in Devon
in 1894 as a Naval Cadet. Dickens served on with the Channel Fleet
, 1896–1897, and in the East Indies Station
, 1897-1899. He was promoted Sub-Lieutenant
in 1899, and in that year he served aboard before transferring to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich where he was based from 1899 to 1900. He went on to serve on and with the Mediterranean Fleet from 1900 to 1901.
in 1919, in which year he was awarded the CMG
.
Dickens was appointed to the Directing Staff of the Imperial Defence College
from 1926 to 1929, and commanded from 1929 to 1931. He was a Naval aide-de-camp to King George V
from 1931 to 1932, and was promoted to Rear Admiral
in 1932. He was the Director of Naval Intelligence Division from 1932 to 1935, and was awarded the CB
in 1934 and promoted to Vice Admiral
in 1936. Created KCVO
in 1937, Dickens was put on the retired list in 1938 and was appointed Admiral
(Retired) in 1940.
in 1939 and served in World War II as a Naval Attaché at The Hague
in the Netherlands in 1940 during the German invasion
. But Dickens's role did not end with the surrender on May 14. He evacuated to Britain by destroyer, where he was assigned as Principal Liaison Officer, Allied Navies
. During this period, his efforts (and those of the Dutch naval attaché in London, Lieutenant Commander A. de Booy) were essential in forging a good working relationship between the Royal Dutch
and British
Navies. He served as Flag Officer in Tunisia
from 1943 to 1944 and as Flag Officer in the Netherlands from September 1944 to 1945, when he retired. In 1945 he was made a Commander in the Legion of Merit
(United States) and a Chevalier in the Légion d'honneur
(France).
Sir Gerald Dickens died of a heart attack in London aged 83 in 1962 and was buried at sea from off Chatham. He was the father of Captain Peter Dickens RN
, and the grandfather of actor Gerald Charles Dickens
.
The State of Illinois
designated November 22, 2003 as 'Gerald Charles Dickens Day'.
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"...
Sir Gerald Louis Charles Dickens, KCVO
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...
, 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...
, CMG
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....
, RN
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...
, (13 October 1879 – 19 November 1962) was a senior 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...
officer and the grandson of Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
novelist
English novel
The English novel is an important part of English literature.-Early novels in English:A number of works of literature have each been claimed as the first novel in English. See the article First novel in English.-Romantic novel:...
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
.
Early career
Born in KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London, the son of Sir Henry Fielding Dickens
Henry Fielding Dickens
Sir Henry Fielding Dickens, KC was the eighth of ten children born to British author Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine. The most successful of all of Dickens's children, he was a barrister, a KC and Common Serjeant of London, a senior legal office which he held for over 15 years.-Early...
, Dickens joined the naval college HMS Britannia
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...
at Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
in 1894 as a Naval Cadet. Dickens served on with the Channel Fleet
Channel 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...
, 1896–1897, and in the East Indies Station
East Indies Station
The East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...
, 1897-1899. He was promoted 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 1899, and in that year he served aboard before transferring to the Royal Naval College, Greenwich where he was based from 1899 to 1900. He went on to serve on and with the Mediterranean Fleet from 1900 to 1901.
World War I and after
Promoted to Lieutenant in 1902 and Commander on the outbreak of World War I in 1914, he commanded HMS Harpy in the Mediterranean Fleet from 1913 to 1915; seeing action at Gallipoli in 1915. He was appointed Flag Commander to the Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean Fleet, from 1917 to 1918, and became a CaptainCaptain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
in 1919, in which year he was awarded the CMG
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....
.
Dickens was appointed to the Directing Staff of the Imperial Defence College
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies is an internationally-renowned institution and component of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom...
from 1926 to 1929, and commanded from 1929 to 1931. He was a Naval aide-de-camp to 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....
from 1931 to 1932, and was promoted to Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
in 1932. He was the Director of Naval Intelligence Division from 1932 to 1935, and was awarded the 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...
in 1934 and promoted to Vice Admiral
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval rank of a three-star flag officer, which is equivalent to lieutenant general in the other uniformed services. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral...
in 1936. Created KCVO
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...
in 1937, Dickens was put on the retired list in 1938 and was appointed 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"...
(Retired) in 1940.
World War II
He was recommissioned as a Rear AdmiralRear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
in 1939 and served in World War II as a Naval Attaché at The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in the Netherlands in 1940 during the German invasion
Battle of the Netherlands
The Battle of the Netherlands was part of Case Yellow , the German invasion of the Low Countries and France during World War II. The battle lasted from 10 May 1940 until 14 May 1940 when the main Dutch forces surrendered...
. But Dickens's role did not end with the surrender on May 14. He evacuated to Britain by destroyer, where he was assigned as Principal Liaison Officer, Allied Navies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
. During this period, his efforts (and those of the Dutch naval attaché in London, Lieutenant Commander A. de Booy) were essential in forging a good working relationship between the Royal Dutch
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
and British
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...
Navies. He served as Flag Officer in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
from 1943 to 1944 and as Flag Officer in the Netherlands from September 1944 to 1945, when he retired. In 1945 he was made a Commander in the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
(United States) and a Chevalier in the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(France).
Sir Gerald Dickens died of a heart attack in London aged 83 in 1962 and was buried at sea from off Chatham. He was the father of Captain Peter Dickens RN
Peter Gerald Charles Dickens
Captain Peter Gerald Charles Dickens DSO, MBE, DSC, RN was a Royal Navy officer during World War II and a great-grandson of novelist Charles Dickens.-Naval career:...
, and the grandfather of actor Gerald Charles Dickens
Gerald Charles Dickens (actor)
Gerald Rhoderick Charles Dickens is a British actor and performer known in the United Kingdom and the United States for his one man shows based on the novels of his great great grandfather, Charles Dickens...
.
The State of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
designated November 22, 2003 as 'Gerald Charles Dickens Day'.
Publications
- 'Bombing and Strategy. The Fallacy of Total War' (Sampson Low, Marston and Company, London, 1947)
- 'The Dress of the British Sailor' (National Maritime Museum, London, 1957).
Awards
- 14 March 1916 - Mentioned in DispatchesMentioned in DispatchesA soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
- Commander Gerald Charles Dickens - commended for service in action in despatches received from the Vice-Admiral Commanding the Eastern Mediterranean Squadron covering operation between the time of the landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula in April, 1915, and the evacuation in December, 1915-January, 1916. - 21 June 1918 - Chevalier of the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(France) - Cdr. Gerald C Dickens, R.N. for distinguished services during the war. - 1 April 1919 - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)Order of St Michael and St GeorgeThe 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....
- Commander Gerald Charles Dickens, R.N. For valuable services as Flag Commander to Vice-Admiral The Hon. Sir Somerset A. Gough-Calthorpe, G.C.M.G., K.C.B., C.V.O., British Commander-in-Chief, Mediterannean. - 8 June 1920 - Commander of the Order of the Crown of ItalyOrder of the Crown of ItalyThe Order of the Crown of Italy was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861...
- Captain Gerald C. Dickens, C.M.G., R.N. - for distinguished services during the war. - 1 January 1934 - Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB)Order of the BathThe 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...
- Rear-Admiral Gerald Charles Dickens, C.M.G. - 20 May 1937 - Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO)Royal Victorian OrderThe 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...
- Vice-Admiral Gerald Charles Dickens, C.B., C.M.G., (dated 20 May 1937). - Dutch Grand Cross Order of Orange-NassauOrder of Orange-NassauThe Order of Orange-Nassau is a military and civil order of the Netherlands which was created on 4 April 1892 by the Queen regent Emma of the Netherlands, acting on behalf of her under-age daughter Queen Wilhelmina. The Order is a chivalry order open to "everyone who have earned special merits for...
- 20 March 1945 - United States Legion of Merit, Degree of CommanderLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
- Admiral Sir Gerald Charles Dickens, K.C.V.O., C.B., C.M.G. - For distinguished service as Flag Officer, Tunisia, from 3 August 1943, to 1 January 1944." - 1 February 1949 - Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold - Admiral Sir Gerald Charles Dickens, K.C.V.O., C.B., C.M.G. (Retired) - For distinguished services rendered to Belgium during the war.
Notations
- Who Was Who in World War II, Volume 6
- J.S. Bax Batterij gereed...Vuur!
- Ph.M. Bosscher De Koninklijke Marine in de Tweede Wereldoorlog, vols. 1 and 3
- London Gazette, March 16, 1945
External links
- Dickens and the Netherlands Navy
- http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/repulsecrew/dickens.htmlDickens and the HMS RepulseHMS Repulse (1916)HMS Repulse was a Renown-class battlecruiser of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...
website] - Dickens in The National Archives
- Dickens obituary notice in TimeTime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
1962 - Royal Navy Flag Officers website