Roger Backhouse
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse GCB GCVO CMG
(24 November 1878 – 15 July 1939) was an Admiral of the Fleet
in the Royal Navy
and First Sea Lord
of the British Admiralty from 1938 to 1939.
family in Darlington
; his relatives included many churchmen and scholars. He was the fourth son of Sir Jonathan Backhouse, 1st Baronet but he did not inherit the family baronet
cy from his father's death in 1918. That passed to his eldest brother Sir Edmund Backhouse, 2nd Baronet
. He married Dora Louise Findlay, daughter of John Ritchie Findlay, on 4 June 1907. They had six children.
, part of the Harwich Force, from November 1915 to November 1916, transferring to the battle cruiser HMS Lion
in November 1916 as Flag Captain (and for Gunnery Duties in Battle Cruiser force), remaining in that ship until June 1918.
After serving as Director of Naval Ordnance from 1920 to 1922 he commanded the battleship HMS Malaya from January 1923 to August 1924.
He was promoted Rear Admiral on 3 April 1925, and commanded the 3rd Battle Squadron (May 1926 – May 1927), before becoming Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy
from 1 November 1928 to 1 March 1932. He was Vice-Admiral commanding the First Battle Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet between 1932 and 1934. He was promoted to the rank of full Admiral on 11 February 1934 and became Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet on 20 August 1935, an appointment he held until 11 April 1938. On 17 November 1938 Blackhouse reached the pinnacle of his career when he was appointed First Sea Lord
, executive head of the Royal Navy. He also held the office of First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King
from 1938 to 1939. He remained First Sea Lord until 15 June 1939, a month before his untimely death from a brain tumour.
He was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet on 29 June 1939 and died just over a fortnight later on 15 July at the age 60.
(K.C.B.) in 1933. He was invested as a Knight Grand Cross, Royal Victorian Order (G.C.V.O.) in 1937. He was invested as a Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath (G.C.B.) in 1938.
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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 Roger Roland Charles Backhouse GCB GCVO 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....
(24 November 1878 – 15 July 1939) was an Admiral of the Fleet
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....
in 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...
and 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...
of the British Admiralty from 1938 to 1939.
Family
Backhouse was born on 24 November 1878 into a QuakerReligious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
family in Darlington
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
; his relatives included many churchmen and scholars. He was the fourth son of Sir Jonathan Backhouse, 1st Baronet but he did not inherit the family baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
cy from his father's death in 1918. That passed to his eldest brother Sir Edmund Backhouse, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edmund Backhouse, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edmund Trelawny Backhouse, 2nd Baronet was a British oriental scholar and linguist whose work exerted a powerful influence on the Western view of the last decades of the Qing Dynasty. Since his death, however, it has been established that some of his sources were forged, though it is not clear...
. He married Dora Louise Findlay, daughter of John Ritchie Findlay, on 4 June 1907. They had six children.
Career in the Royal Navy
Backhouse joined the training ship Britannia in 1892 and went to sea as a midshipman in 1894. A gunnery specialist, he was Flag Commander to successive C-in-C Home Fleets, March 1911 to August, 1914. On 1 September 1914 he was promoted to Captain, and he commanded the light cruiser HMS ConquestHMS Conquest (1915)
HMS Conquest was a C-class light cruiser of the Royal Navy. She was part of the Caroline group of the C-class of cruisers.She was laid down in March 1914, launched 20 January 1915 and commissioned into the navy in June 1915. She was assigned to the 5th Light Cruiser Squadron, Harwich Force,...
, part of the Harwich Force, from November 1915 to November 1916, transferring to the battle cruiser HMS Lion
HMS Lion (1910)
HMS Lion was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class, which were nicknamed the "Splendid Cats". They were significant improvements over their predecessors of the in terms of speed, armament and armour...
in November 1916 as Flag Captain (and for Gunnery Duties in Battle Cruiser force), remaining in that ship until June 1918.
After serving as Director of Naval Ordnance from 1920 to 1922 he commanded the battleship HMS Malaya from January 1923 to August 1924.
He was promoted Rear Admiral on 3 April 1925, and commanded the 3rd Battle Squadron (May 1926 – May 1927), before becoming Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy
Third Sea Lord
The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...
from 1 November 1928 to 1 March 1932. He was Vice-Admiral commanding the First Battle Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet between 1932 and 1934. He was promoted to the rank of full Admiral on 11 February 1934 and became Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet on 20 August 1935, an appointment he held until 11 April 1938. On 17 November 1938 Blackhouse reached the pinnacle of his career when he was appointed 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...
, executive head of the Royal Navy. He also held the office of First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
from 1938 to 1939. He remained First Sea Lord until 15 June 1939, a month before his untimely death from a brain tumour.
He was promoted to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet on 29 June 1939 and died just over a fortnight later on 15 July at the age 60.
Awards
Admiral Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse was invested as a Companion, Order of St. Michael and St. George (C.M.G.) in 1917. He was invested as a Knight Commander, Order of the BathOrder 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...
(K.C.B.) in 1933. He was invested as a Knight Grand Cross, Royal Victorian Order (G.C.V.O.) in 1937. He was invested as a Knight Grand Cross, Order of the Bath (G.C.B.) in 1938.
External links
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