Hugh Tweedie
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Hugh Justin Tweedie KCB (5 April 1877 – 20 August 1951) was an officer in the Royal Navy
who served in the First and Second World War.
, and his wife Louisa Bateson Hammond. He joined the Royal Navy
in 1891. As a midshipman on HMS Dreadnought
he witnessed the sinking of the HMS Victoria
after she collided with HMS Camperdown
. He served in the Rodney
and the sailing corvette Active
as the midshipman of the fore cross trees in 1896. On the Rodney he undertook a course on mine warfare. His instructor was Robert Falcon Scott
.
At the time of the Diamond Jubilee Review in 1897, Tweedie was appointed to the destroyer Virago
. He then served on the cruiser Phoebe at the Cape. Promoted to lieutenant he received his first command, the governor’s paddle yacht the Countess of Derby for an operation on the Bumpeh River in Sierra Leone
. There had been an uprising due to the imposition of Hut tax
. He was tasked to transport a detachment of troops up the river to attack the rebel position. The detachment managed to get lost and Tweedie led a second native militia in a successful operation against the rebel position.
Tweedie's next posting was the destroyer Flying Fish
, the cruiser Minerva
and then the new battleship Albion
in China. He was a member of the first officer PT class at Britannia Royal Naval College
before being appointed PT officer on the King Alfred
, flagship in China, in 1906 under Sir Arthur Moore
. Promoted to Commander in 1910 he had charge of the destroyers HMS Bonetta, Wolf
, Cameleon
and Hope under Reginald Tyrwhitt
Tweedie's next command as captain was the cruiser Essex
in Mexico at time of United States occupation of Veracruz. He was sent by Admiral Cradock
from Veracruz
with a small party to take despatches through the rebel lines to Mexico City
. He returned with some one hundred American refugees for which he was thanked by President Woodrow Wilson
. The Essex then steamed to Canada. Approaching the Lawrence River a distress call was received from the RMS Empress of Ireland
which had collided with a collier. She was three hours away at full steam only to arrive in time to pick up bodies as the Empress had sunk. In Canada Tweedie spent sometime as ADC to the governor HRH Duke of Connaught.
Tweedie's next command in 1915 was the monitor Marshal Ney which was being built in Jarrow. The ship was nearly destroyed before it was launched in a Zeppelin raid on the town. Tweedie’s wife Constance launched the ship. A monitor, though a capital ship, is a shallow draught barge with a large gun turret mounted on top. The ship turned out to be very difficult. She was designed to make eight knots though she never much exceeded four. Her diesel engines were unreliable. She had a beam of ninety feet and was very unmanageable in any wind. She saw action off the Belgium coast bombarding German positions with her fifteen inch guns. In 1916, Tweedie was appointed to another monitor the Sir Thomas Picton
seeing action in the Mediterranean around Salonica and the Dardanelles.
In 1917 Tweedie returned to Rosyth. He was promoted to Commodore of the Grand Fleet Flotillas, a command of some 150 ships, under Beatty
. His flagship was the Castor
. It fell to him at the end of hostilities to lead out all his destroyer flotillas to meet the German High Seas Fleet
and escort them into the Firth of Forth.. This was quite a feat of seamanship. The destroyer flotillas were to be fifty miles ahead of the main British fleet. The ships were spread out on a front of five miles to ensure the German fleet that was steaming towards them was not missed in the dark. The German destroyers were then escorted back to Rosyth, altogether a total of 170 ships. He was made a CB in 1919.
After the First World War, Tweedie was involved with the coastguard. In 1922 he commanded the battleship Marlborough
in the Mediterranean during the Chanak Crisis
. In 1923 he had a shore job as director of Training. In 1926 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and Senior Naval Officer on the Yangtze River
, China. China was in a state of upheaval with war lords, communists and pirates operating on the river. His flagship was HMS Bee
an Insect class gunboat
.
Tweedie was promoted to Vice-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief Africa Station
in 1930. His command stretched from the Cape of Good Hope
up both the east and west coasts of Africa to the equator. HMS Calcutta cruised each coast twice a year. In 1933 he was Commander-in-Chief, The Nore and was knighted KCB. He was promoted to Admiral in 1935.
Tweedie retired from the navy in 1936 and in 1939 published his autobiography. However, he was recalled at the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1940 he was Commodore of Convoys from HMS Eaglet (shore establishment)
.
Tweedie served as Deputy Lieutenant
and J.P.
He died in 1951 at the age of 74.
Tweedie married Constance Marion Crossman in 1907 in Japan. They had three sons and four daughters. Michael who was killed 1937 serving in the Guides Cavalry. Hugo who followed his fathers into the navy was awarded DSC 1942 as commander of HMS Tynedale during the St Nazaire Raid. Vere Tweedie who served in the Gold Coast Regiment
of Royal West African Frontier Force
awarded MC in 1945 during an action behind Japanese lines on the Tamandu
to An
road in the Arakan
Burma.
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...
who served in the First and Second World War.
Naval career
Tweedie was born at Charlton, Kent, the son of General Michael Tweedie of the Royal ArtilleryRoyal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
, and his wife Louisa Bateson Hammond. 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 1891. As a midshipman on HMS Dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought (1875)
The fifth HMS Dreadnought of the British Royal Navy was a turret ironclad battleship built at Pembroke Dockyard, Wales.-Construction:Begun as Fury in 1870, the original design was recast for heavier armour and higher speed. The renamed ship was laid down in 1872 at Pembroke Dockyard and was...
he witnessed the sinking of the HMS Victoria
HMS Victoria (1887)
HMS Victoria was the lead ship in her class of two battleships of the Royal Navy. On 22 June 1893, she collided with near Tripoli, Lebanon during manoeuvres and quickly sank, taking 358 crew with her, including the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon...
after she collided with HMS Camperdown
HMS Camperdown (1885)
HMS Camperdown was an Admiral-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan of Camperdown.She was a full sister to , and was an improved version of the earlier and . In comparison to these earlier ships, she had an increased thickness of barbette armour, and a...
. He served in the Rodney
HMS Rodney (1884)
HMS Rodney was a battleship of the Victorian Royal Navy, a member of the Admiral class of warships designed by Nathaniel Barnaby.She was a development of the design of Collingwood, but carried 13.5 inch calibre main armament as against 12 inch in the earlier ship...
and the sailing corvette Active
HMS Active (1869)
HMS Active was a Royal Navy Volage-class corvette, launched in 1869.-Career:She entered service in 1873, as the Commodore's ship on the Cape of Good Hope and West Africa Station. Her crew served ashore in both the Third Anglo-Ashanti War and Zulu Wars.She was rearmed and refitted in 1879, and was...
as the midshipman of the fore cross trees in 1896. On the Rodney he undertook a course on mine warfare. His instructor was Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
.
At the time of the Diamond Jubilee Review in 1897, Tweedie was appointed to the destroyer Virago
HMS Virago (1895)
HMS Virago was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was completed by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, in 1895. One of four Quail-class destroyers she served during the Great War and was sold off after hostilities ended....
. He then served on the cruiser Phoebe at the Cape. Promoted to lieutenant he received his first command, the governor’s paddle yacht the Countess of Derby for an operation on the Bumpeh River in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
. There had been an uprising due to the imposition of Hut tax
Hut Tax War of 1898
The Hut Tax War of 1898 was a war of resistance to British colonialism in Sierra Leone.It was initiated by Temne chief Bai Bureh in 1898, and later involved other native peoples, including the Mende. The war was an attempt by the local African kingdoms to maintain their independence in the face of...
. He was tasked to transport a detachment of troops up the river to attack the rebel position. The detachment managed to get lost and Tweedie led a second native militia in a successful operation against the rebel position.
Tweedie's next posting was the destroyer Flying Fish
HMS Flying Fish (1897)
HMS Flying Fish was a of the Royal Navy of the three-funnelled "C" type. She was launched by Palmers, Jarrow, on 4 March 1897, served during World War I and was broken up after the end of hostilities in 1919....
, the cruiser Minerva
HMS Minerva (1895)
HMS Minerva was a second class protected cruiser of the Eclipse class.Minerva was laid down at Chatham Dockyard, Kent, on December 4, 1893, and was floated out on September 23, 1895. It was scrapped in 1920....
and then the new battleship Albion
HMS Albion (1898)
HMS Albion was a British Canopus-class predreadnought battleship.-Technical Description:HMS Albion was laid down by Thames Iron Works at Leamouth, London on 3 December 1896...
in China. He was a member of the first officer PT class at Britannia Royal Naval College
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...
before being appointed PT officer on the King Alfred
HMS King Alfred (1901)
HMS King Alfred was a 14,100-ton Drake-class armoured cruiser of the Royal Navy. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to bear the name, after Alfred the Great, historical king of Wessex...
, flagship in China, in 1906 under Sir Arthur Moore
Arthur Moore (Royal Navy officer)
|-|-|-...
. Promoted to Commander in 1910 he had charge of the destroyers HMS Bonetta, Wolf
HMS Wolf (1897)
HMS Wolf was a B-class torpedo boat destroyer of the British Royal Navy. She was completed by Laird, Son & Company, Birkenhead, in 1897....
, Cameleon
HMS Cameleon (1910)
HMS Cameleon was an Acorn class destroyer of the Royal Navy, built in 1910 and sold for scrap in 1921....
and Hope under Reginald Tyrwhitt
Tweedie's next command as captain was the cruiser Essex
HMS Essex (1901)
HMS Essex was a Monmouth-class armoured cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She was built at Pembroke Dock and launched on 29 August 1901. She served in the First World War with most of her sisters, and survived to be sold for scrap on 8 November 1921. Essex was eventually broken up in Germany....
in Mexico at time of United States occupation of Veracruz. He was sent by Admiral Cradock
Christopher Cradock
Rear-Admiral Sir Christopher "Kit" George Francis Maurice Cradock KCVO CB was a British officer of the Royal Navy. He was born at Hartforth, Richmond, North Yorkshire...
from Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
with a small party to take despatches through the rebel lines to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. He returned with some one hundred American refugees for which he was thanked by President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. The Essex then steamed to Canada. Approaching the Lawrence River a distress call was received from the RMS Empress of Ireland
RMS Empress of Ireland
RMS Empress of Ireland was an ocean liner built in 1905 by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering at Govan on the Clyde in Scotland for Canadian Pacific Steamships...
which had collided with a collier. She was three hours away at full steam only to arrive in time to pick up bodies as the Empress had sunk. In Canada Tweedie spent sometime as ADC to the governor HRH Duke of Connaught.
Tweedie's next command in 1915 was the monitor Marshal Ney which was being built in Jarrow. The ship was nearly destroyed before it was launched in a Zeppelin raid on the town. Tweedie’s wife Constance launched the ship. A monitor, though a capital ship, is a shallow draught barge with a large gun turret mounted on top. The ship turned out to be very difficult. She was designed to make eight knots though she never much exceeded four. Her diesel engines were unreliable. She had a beam of ninety feet and was very unmanageable in any wind. She saw action off the Belgium coast bombarding German positions with her fifteen inch guns. In 1916, Tweedie was appointed to another monitor the Sir Thomas Picton
HMS Sir Thomas Picton
HMS Sir Thomas Picton was a First World War Royal Navy Lord Clive-class monitor. Sir Thomas Picton was the only Royal Navy ship ever named for Sir Thomas Picton, a British general of the Peninsula War who was killed at the Battle of Waterloo...
seeing action in the Mediterranean around Salonica and the Dardanelles.
In 1917 Tweedie returned to Rosyth. He was promoted to Commodore of the Grand Fleet Flotillas, a command of some 150 ships, under Beatty
David Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty
Admiral of the Fleet David Richard Beatty, 1st Earl Beatty, GCB, OM, GCVO, DSO was an admiral in the Royal Navy...
. His flagship was the Castor
HMS Castor (1915)
HMS Castor was one of the Cambrian subclass of the C-class of light cruisers. Her sister ships were HMS Cambrian, HMS Canterbury, and HMS Constance...
. It fell to him at the end of hostilities to lead out all his destroyer flotillas to meet the German High Seas Fleet
High Seas Fleet
The High Seas Fleet was the battle fleet of the German Empire and saw action during World War I. The formation was created in February 1907, when the Home Fleet was renamed as the High Seas Fleet. Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz was the architect of the fleet; he envisioned a force powerful enough to...
and escort them into the Firth of Forth.. This was quite a feat of seamanship. The destroyer flotillas were to be fifty miles ahead of the main British fleet. The ships were spread out on a front of five miles to ensure the German fleet that was steaming towards them was not missed in the dark. The German destroyers were then escorted back to Rosyth, altogether a total of 170 ships. He was made a CB in 1919.
After the First World War, Tweedie was involved with the coastguard. In 1922 he commanded the battleship 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...
in the Mediterranean during the Chanak Crisis
Chanak Crisis
The Chanak Crisis, also called Chanak Affair in September 1922 was the threatened attack by Turkish troops on British and French troops stationed near Çanakkale to guard the Dardanelles neutral zone. The Turkish troops had recently defeated Greek forces and recaptured İzmir...
. In 1923 he had a shore job as director of Training. In 1926 he was promoted to Rear Admiral and Senior Naval Officer on the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
, China. China was in a state of upheaval with war lords, communists and pirates operating on the river. His flagship was HMS Bee
HMS Bee (1915)
HMS Bee was an Insect class gunboat of the Royal Navy, launched on 8 December 1915. This class are also known as "Large China Gunboats".Initially built for service on the River Danube, after World War I the Insects were transported to China and served on the Yangtze River...
an Insect class gunboat
Insect class gunboat
The Insect class patrol boats were a class of small, but well-armed Royal Navy ships designed for use in shallow rivers or inshore. They were intended for use on the Danube...
.
Tweedie was promoted to Vice-Admiral and Commander-in-Chief Africa Station
Cape of Good Hope Station
The Cape of Good Hope Station was one of the geographical divisions into which the British Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope....
in 1930. His command stretched from the Cape of Good Hope
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...
up both the east and west coasts of Africa to the equator. HMS Calcutta cruised each coast twice a year. In 1933 he was Commander-in-Chief, The Nore and was knighted KCB. He was promoted to Admiral in 1935.
Tweedie retired from the navy in 1936 and in 1939 published his autobiography. However, he was recalled at the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1940 he was Commodore of Convoys from HMS Eaglet (shore establishment)
HMS Eaglet (shore establishment)
HMS Eaglet is a training centre for the Royal Naval Reserve. It serves Merseyside, North West England and North Wales, HMS Eaglet trains over 300 reservists each year and shares a new building with RMR Merseyside in Liverpool.-History:...
.
Tweedie served as Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
and J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
He died in 1951 at the age of 74.
Tweedie married Constance Marion Crossman in 1907 in Japan. They had three sons and four daughters. Michael who was killed 1937 serving in the Guides Cavalry. Hugo who followed his fathers into the navy was awarded DSC 1942 as commander of HMS Tynedale during the St Nazaire Raid. Vere Tweedie who served in the Gold Coast Regiment
Ghana Regiment
The Ghana Regiment is an infantry regiment that forms the main fighting element of the Ghanaian Army.The regiment was formed in 1879 as the Gold Coast Constabulary, from personnel of the Hausa Constabulary of Southern Nigeria, to perform internal security and police duties in the British colony of...
of Royal West African Frontier Force
Royal West African Frontier Force
The West African Frontier Force was a multi-battalion field force, formed by the British Colonial Office in 1900 to garrison the West African colonies of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone and Gambia. The decision to raise this force was taken in 1897 because of concern at French colonial...
awarded MC in 1945 during an action behind Japanese lines on the Tamandu
Tamandu
Tamandu was a village in Ann Township, Kyaukpyu District, in northern Rakhine State in the westernmost part of Burma . Tamandu was located on the southside of the Dalet River just after it passes through the Kolonzin Range of hills and on the edge of the delta...
to An
Ann, Burma
Ann is a town in the Rakhine State of western Burma. It is served by Ann Airport.-External links:*...
road in the Arakan
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
Burma.