Berwick Curtis
Encyclopedia
Vice-Admiral Berwick Curtis CB
CMG
DSO & Bar
(9 October 1876 – 9 May 1965) was a British
Royal Navy
officer.
Curtis was educated at HMS Britannia
and was commissioned Sub-Lieutenant
in May 1896. He was promoted Lieutenant
in December 1898 and Commander
in 1911. During the First World War he was promoted to Captain
in 1916, mentioned in despatches for his services at the Battle of Jutland
, awarded the Distinguished Service Order
(DSO) in May 1917 and bar
in October 1917, and appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1919 New Year Honours. He also received the Russian Order of St Stanislas 2nd Class in June 1917.
During the Russian Civil War
in 1919 he served as Captain (D) commanding the 20th Destroyer Flotilla in the Baltic
, for which he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in January 1920. He personally commanded HMS Abdiel. The citation for his mention in despatches in March 1920 reads:
He was promoted Rear-Admiral in 1928 and was appointed Rear-Admiral-in-Charge and Admiral-Superintendent
of Gibraltar Dockyard the following year. He held the position until 1931 and retired in September 1932 with the rank of Vice-Admiral. In the Second World War he returned to service as a Commodore
of Convoy
s.
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....
DSO & Bar
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...
(9 October 1876 – 9 May 1965) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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.
Curtis was educated at 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...
and was commissioned 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 May 1896. He was promoted 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 December 1898 and 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 1911. During the First World War he was promoted to Captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...
in 1916, mentioned in despatches for his services 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...
, awarded 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...
(DSO) in May 1917 and bar
Medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It is most commonly used to indicate the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the same medal are used to indicate that the...
in October 1917, and appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in the 1919 New Year Honours. He also received the Russian Order of St Stanislas 2nd Class in June 1917.
During the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
in 1919 he served as Captain (D) commanding the 20th Destroyer Flotilla in the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, for which he was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in January 1920. He personally commanded HMS Abdiel. The citation for his mention in despatches in March 1920 reads:
For valuable service in command of the Twentieth Destroyer Flotilla in the Baltic. The success of the operations connected with the relief of Riga was largely due to the perfect accord and co-operation which existed between the British Naval Forces under Captain Curtis and the French Naval Forces under Commodore Brisson.
He was promoted Rear-Admiral in 1928 and was appointed Rear-Admiral-in-Charge and Admiral-Superintendent
Admiral-Superintendent
The Admiral-Superintendent was the Royal Navy officer in command of a larger Naval Dockyard. Portsmouth, Devonport and Chatham all had Admiral-Superintendents, as did some other dockyards in the United Kingdom and abroad at certain times. The Admiral-Superintendent usually held the rank of...
of Gibraltar Dockyard the following year. He held the position until 1931 and retired in September 1932 with the rank of Vice-Admiral. In the Second World War he returned to service as a Commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
of Convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s.