Herbert Fitzherbert
Encyclopedia
Admiral
Sir Herbert Fitzherbert, KCIE
, CB
, CMG (10 August 1885 – 30 October 1958) was a Royal Navy
admiral
who served as the third Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Navy
, from 1937 to 1943.
, Totnes
, Devon
, the son of Samuel Wyndham Fitzherbert. He joined the Royal Navy
in 1900 and was educated aboard the cadet training ship HMS Britannia
. He was commissioned as an acting Sub-Lieutenant in 1905, and was confirmed as a Sub-Lieutenant
the following year. He was promoted to Lieutenant
in 1907. During the First World War, he served as a Flag Lieutenant to Admiral of the Fleet
Sir John Jellicoe (later the Earl Jellicoe
) at the Battle of Jutland
, for which he was appointed a CMG in 1919. He was also awarded the Legion d'Honneur
and the Russian Order of St. Anne
for his service during the battle. Fitzherbert was promoted to Commander
in 1917 and to Captain
in 1924.
From 1926 to 1928, he commanded the cruiser
HMS Coventry
, also serving as the Chief Staff Officer to the Rear-Admiral (Destroyers) Commanding Destroyer
Flotillas of the Mediterranean Fleet
. He then served as the Naval Assistant to the First Sea Lord
, Sir Frederick Field
, from 1929 to 1930. From 1931 to 1932, he took the Imperial Defense Course at the Imperial Defence College, and was then appointed as Commanding Officer of the Signal School at Portsmouth
aboard HMS Victory
, holding the position until 1934. He then commanded the cruiser HMS Devonshire
in the Mediterranean until 1936, when he received a promotion to Rear-Admiral. Fitzherbert was appointed a CB
in the 1937 Coronation Honours
and after attending the Senior Officers' War Course at Greenwich, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Navy in November of that year.
He was promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1939, was knighted with the KCIE
in 1941 and retired in 1943. He was subsequently appointed as the Flag Officer in Charge, Tunisia and served there until 1944. In 1946, he was promoted to Admiral
on the retired list and died in 1958, aged 73.
He married Rachel Hanbury, and the couple had two sons, Nicholas and William (Bill), who followed their father into the Navy, the former rose to the rank of Lieutenant, and died unmarried in 1946, while the latter married Belinda Batt and had four children.
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 Herbert Fitzherbert, KCIE
KCIE
KCIE may refer to:* Knight Commander, one of the ranks of the Order of the Indian Empire* KCIE , a radio station licensed to Dulce, New Mexico, United States...
, 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 (10 August 1885 – 30 October 1958) was a 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"...
who served as the third Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Navy
Royal Indian Navy
The Royal Indian Navy was the naval force of British India. Along with the Presidency armies and the later British Indian Army it comprised the Armed Forces of British India....
, from 1937 to 1943.
Life and career
Fitzherbert was born at KingswearKingswear
Kingswear is a village and civil parish in the South Hams area of the English county of Devon. The village is located on the east bank of the tidal River Dart, close to the river's mouth and opposite the small town of Dartmouth...
, Totnes
Totnes
Totnes is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, 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...
, the son of Samuel Wyndham Fitzherbert. He joined the 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...
in 1900 and was educated aboard the cadet training ship 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...
. He was commissioned as an acting Sub-Lieutenant in 1905, and was confirmed 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...
the following year. He was promoted to 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...
in 1907. During the First World War, he served as a Flag Lieutenant to Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...
Sir John Jellicoe (later the Earl Jellicoe
Earl Jellicoe
Earl Jellicoe is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created, along with the subsidiary title Viscount Brocas, of Southampton in the County of Southampton, on 29 June 1925 for Admiral of the Fleet John Jellicoe, 1st Viscount Jellicoe, on his return from being Governor-General of...
) 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...
, for which he was appointed a CMG in 1919. He was also awarded the Legion 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...
and the Russian Order of St. Anne
Order of St. Anna
The Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
for his service during the battle. Fitzherbert was promoted to 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...
in 1917 and to Captain
Captain (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 1924.
From 1926 to 1928, he commanded 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 Coventry
HMS Coventry
Six ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Coventry, after the city of Coventry in the West Midlands. was the Spanish 28-gun ship San Miguel, captured in 1658, but in turn taken by the French in 1666. was a 48-gun fourth-rate ship-of-the-line launched in 1695, captured by the French in...
, also serving as the Chief Staff Officer to the Rear-Admiral (Destroyers) Commanding Destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
Flotillas of the Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
. He then served as the Naval Assistant to the 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...
, Sir Frederick Field
Frederick Field
Frederick Field is an American business man. He is heir to Marshall Field who founded the Marshall Field and Company of department stores. He has investments in an entertainment company called Interscope Records....
, from 1929 to 1930. From 1931 to 1932, he took the Imperial Defense Course at the Imperial Defence College, and was then appointed as Commanding Officer of the Signal School 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...
aboard HMS Victory
HMS Victory
HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, laid down in 1759 and launched in 1765. She is most famous as Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805....
, holding the position until 1934. He then commanded the cruiser HMS Devonshire
HMS Devonshire
Eight ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Devonshire, originally in honour of William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Devonshire, and later after the county of Devonshire ....
in the Mediterranean until 1936, when he received a promotion to Rear-Admiral. Fitzherbert was appointed a 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 the 1937 Coronation Honours
1937 Coronation Honours
The 1937 Coronation Honours were awarded in honour of the coronation of George VI.-Royal Victorian Chain:* HM The Queen* HM Queen Mary-Royal Victorian Order :* HM The Queen of Norway* HRH The Princess Royal...
and after attending the Senior Officers' War Course at Greenwich, was appointed Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Navy in November of that year.
He was promoted to Vice-Admiral in 1939, was knighted with the KCIE
KCIE
KCIE may refer to:* Knight Commander, one of the ranks of the Order of the Indian Empire* KCIE , a radio station licensed to Dulce, New Mexico, United States...
in 1941 and retired in 1943. He was subsequently appointed as the Flag Officer in Charge, Tunisia and served there until 1944. In 1946, he was promoted to 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"...
on the retired list and died in 1958, aged 73.
He married Rachel Hanbury, and the couple had two sons, Nicholas and William (Bill), who followed their father into the Navy, the former rose to the rank of Lieutenant, and died unmarried in 1946, while the latter married Belinda Batt and had four children.