Michael Hodges
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Michael Henry Hodges KCB
CMG
MVO
(29 September 1874 – 3 November 1951) was a senior Royal Navy
officer who went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel
.
as a cadet in the training ship HMS Britannia
in 1887. In 1899, during the Second Boer War
, he was landed in South Africa
as a member of HMS Powerful
’s Naval Brigade and sent to defend the town of Ladysmith
. In 1912 he became Naval Attaché
in Paris
. He was appointed Commander of the cruiser
HMS Sappho
in 1905 and despatched to South Georgia to investigate the emerging whaling industry there.
In World War I
he commanded the battlecruiser
HMS Indomitable
and then the new battlecruiser HMS Renown
. In 1918 he was appointed Chief of Staff
to the Second in Command of the Grand Fleet.
After the War he was made Rear Admiral Commanding the Destroyer Flotillas of the Atlantic Fleet. He served as Naval Secretary
from 1923 to 1925 and then as Second in Command on the Mediterranean Station
from 1925 to 1927. He was Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel
from 1927 to 1930 when, having been promoted to full admiral
in 1929, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet in 1930. It was at this time that the Invergordon Mutiny
took place when sailors of the Atlantic Fleet rioted over pay although Hodges was in the Royal Hospital Haslar
at Gosport
and therefore not directly involved in resolving the crisis. He was relieved due to pleurisy
and retired in 1932. During World War II
he was re-employed as Flag Officer in Charge in Trinidad
, West Indies.
In retirement he became Chairman of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society.
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....
MVO
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...
(29 September 1874 – 3 November 1951) was a senior 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 went on to be Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
.
Naval career
Hodges 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...
as a cadet in the 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...
in 1887. In 1899, during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
, he was landed in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
as a member of HMS Powerful
HMS Powerful (1895)
HMS Powerful was a ship of the Powerful-class of protected cruiser in the Royal Navy.-Career:She was built by Vickers Limited, Barrow-in-Furness and launched on 24 July 1895 by the Duchess of Devonshire....
’s Naval Brigade and sent to defend the town of Ladysmith
Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal
Ladysmith is a city in the Uthukela District of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is north-west of Durban and south of Johannesburg. Important industries in the area include food processing, textile and tyre production...
. In 1912 he became 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 Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He was appointed Commander 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 Sappho
HMS Sappho (1891)
HMS Sappho was an Apollo class cruiser of the British Royal Navy which served from 1892 to 1918 in various colonial posts, including service during the Second Boer War in 1901. During the First World War, Sappho and her sisters saw service off the British Isles as hastily converted minelayers...
in 1905 and despatched to South Georgia to investigate the emerging whaling industry there.
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...
he commanded the battlecruiser
Battlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
HMS Indomitable
HMS Indomitable (1907)
HMS Indomitable was an of the British Royal Navy. She was built before World War I and had an active career during the war. She tried to hunt down the German ships Goeben and Breslau in the Mediterranean when war broke out and bombarded Turkish fortifications protecting the Dardanelles even...
and then the new battlecruiser HMS Renown
HMS Renown (1916)
HMS Renown was the lead ship of her class of battlecruisers of the Royal Navy built during the First World War. She was originally laid down as an improved version of the s. Her construction was suspended on the outbreak of war on the grounds she would not be ready in a timely manner...
. In 1918 he was appointed Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
to the Second in Command of the Grand Fleet.
After the War he was made Rear Admiral Commanding the Destroyer Flotillas of the Atlantic Fleet. He served as 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...
from 1923 to 1925 and then as Second in Command on the Mediterranean Station
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...
from 1925 to 1927. He was Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel
Second Sea Lord
The Second Sea Lord and Commander-in-Chief Naval Home Command , commonly just known as the Second Sea Lord , is one of the most senior admirals of the British Royal Navy , and is responsible for personnel and naval shore establishments.-History:In 1805, for the first time, specific functions were...
from 1927 to 1930 when, having been promoted to full 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"...
in 1929, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet in 1930. It was at this time that the Invergordon Mutiny
Invergordon Mutiny
The Invergordon Mutiny was an industrial action by around 1,000 sailors in the British Atlantic Fleet, that took place on 15–16 September 1931...
took place when sailors of the Atlantic Fleet rioted over pay although Hodges was in the Royal Hospital Haslar
Royal Hospital Haslar
The Royal Hospital Haslar in Gosport, Hampshire, England was one of several hospitals serving the Portsmouth Urban Area. The Royal Hospital Haslar officially closed as the last military hospital in the UK in 2007...
at Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
and therefore not directly involved in resolving the crisis. He was relieved due to pleurisy
Pleurisy
Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura, the lining of the pleural cavity surrounding the lungs. Among other things, infections are the most common cause of pleurisy....
and retired in 1932. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was re-employed as Flag Officer in Charge in Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, West Indies.
In retirement he became Chairman of the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners Royal Benevolent Society.