Hugh Watson
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Hugh Dudley Richards Watson KCB
CVO
CBE
(20 April 1872 – 22 May 1954) was a Royal Navy
officer who became Naval Secretary
.
in 1885; he was appointed Commander of the School of Physical Training before becoming Naval Attaché
in Berlin
in 1910 and then serving in World War I
as Captain of the cruiser
HMS Essex
from 1914, the battleship
HMS Bellerophon
from 1915 and the battleship HMS Canada
from 1918.
After the War he served with the Allied Post War Control Commission
and then became Naval Secretary
in 1921, Commander of the 4th Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet
in 1923 and Commander of the 3rd Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1924. His last appointment was as Admiral commanding the Reserve Fleet in 1926 before he retired in 1928.
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...
CVO
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...
CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(20 April 1872 – 22 May 1954) 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...
officer who became Naval Secretary
Naval Secretary
The Naval Secretary is the Royal Navy appointment of which the incumbent is responsible for policy direction on personnel management for members of the RN. It is a senior RN appointment, held by an officer holding the rank of Rear-Admiral. The Naval Secretary's counterpart in the British Army is...
.
Naval career
Watson joined the Royal NavyRoyal 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 1885; he was appointed Commander of the School of Physical Training before becoming Naval Attaché
Attaché
Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
in 1910 and then serving in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
as Captain of 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 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....
from 1914, the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS Bellerophon
HMS Bellerophon (1907)
HMS Bellerophon was a dreadnought of the Royal Navy. She was the lead ship of the Bellerophon class, and the fourth Royal Navy vessel to bear the name of the mythic Greek hero...
from 1915 and the battleship HMS Canada
Chilean battleship Almirante Latorre
Almirante Latorre, named after Juan José Latorre, was a super-dreadnought battleship built for the Chilean Navy . She was the first of a planned two-ship class that would respond to earlier warship purchases by other South American countries...
from 1918.
After the War he served with the Allied Post War Control Commission
Control commission
A control commission is an independent regulatory body. Control commissions are most often found in regulated industries and political organisations...
and then became Naval Secretary
Naval Secretary
The Naval Secretary is the Royal Navy appointment of which the incumbent is responsible for policy direction on personnel management for members of the RN. It is a senior RN appointment, held by an officer holding the rank of Rear-Admiral. The Naval Secretary's counterpart in the British Army is...
in 1921, Commander of the 4th Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command 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...
in 1923 and Commander of the 3rd Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet in 1924. His last appointment was as Admiral commanding the Reserve Fleet in 1926 before he retired in 1928.