Percy Royds
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Percy Molyneux Rawson Royds CB
CMG
ADC
(5 April 1874 – 25 March 1955) was a British
admiral
and politician
.
Royds was born in Rochdale
, the son of Ernest Royds and the older brother of Charles Royds
, also later an admiral. He was educated at Eastman's School in Southsea
, a naval school, and joined HMS Britannia
, Dartmouth
as a Naval Cadet
in 1887. He was promoted Lieutenant
in 1895 and joined HMS Excellent as a gunnery
officer. In 1899 he served in the Boxer Rebellion
in China
as the First Lieutenant
of HMS Arethusa
.
In 1904, Royds joined Devonport Barracks as a gunnery officer. In 1905 he was promoted Commander
at the unusually early age of thirty and joined the cruiser
HMS Europa
. He later transferred to another cruiser, HMS Argyll
. In 1908, he was appointed Superintendent of Physical Training at Portsmouth
. This was appropriate, since he had once played rugby union
for Blackheath, the Barbarians
and the Royal Navy
and had appeared three times for England
. In 1910 he was elected naval representative on the Rugby Football Union
and served for many years, latterly as a selector representing Kent
. He also served on the committee of the Royal Tournament
and the Olympic Council
. In 1922 he was elected President of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Rugby Union. In 1927 he was made president of the RFU.
In 1912, he was promoted Captain
and took a course at the Royal Navy War College in Portsmouth. The following year he took command of the light cruiser
HMS Bellona
. He was still commanding her when the First World War
broke out, and later transferred to the light cruiser HMS Canterbury
, which he commanded at the Battle of Jutland
. For this action, he was mentioned in dispatches
and made a Companion of St Michael and St George
(CMG).
After the war, Royds was appointed Captain-in-Charge of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. In 1920 he became the Royal Navy's first Director of Physical Training and Sports. In 1921 he was succeeded in this post by his younger brother, Captain Charles Royds, and took command of the battleship
HMS Malaya
in the Atlantic Fleet
. On 19 June 1921 he was appointed an ADC
to the King
.
He only remained in command of Malaya until 22 April 1922 and was promoted to Rear-Admiral on 12 May 1922. On 1 December 1923 he became Admiral-Superintendent of Chatham Dockyard
. He was created a Companion of the Bath
(CB) in 1924. He relinquished the appointment of Admiral-Superintendent on 7 December 1925. On 1 August 1927 he was promoted Vice-Admiral and retired the following day. In 1932 he was promoted Admiral
on the retired list.
On 1 July 1937, Royds was elected at a by-election as the Conservative
Member of Parliament
(MP) for Kingston-upon-Thames
in a by-election
, having been president of the local Conservative and Unionist Association for several years. He was knighted
for political and public services on 1 January 1938 and retired in 1945. He also served on Surrey County Council
for some years.
In 1898, Royds married Florence Yarrow (died 1948). They had one son and three daughters.
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....
ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
(5 April 1874 – 25 March 1955) 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...
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"...
and politician
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
.
Royds was born in Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, the son of Ernest Royds and the older brother of Charles Royds
Charles Royds
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles William Rawson Royds KBE CMG ADC FRGS was a career Royal Navy officer who later served as Assistant Commissioner "A" of the London Metropolitan Police from 1926 to 1931...
, also later an admiral. He was educated at Eastman's School in Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
, a naval school, and joined 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...
, Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
as a Naval Cadet
Officer Cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...
in 1887. 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 1895 and joined HMS Excellent as a gunnery
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
officer. In 1899 he served in the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
as the First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
of HMS Arethusa
HMS Arethusa (1882)
HMS Arethusa was a second class cruiser of the Leander Class which served with the Royal Navy. She was built at Napier, Glasgow, being laid down in 1880, launched in 1882 and completed in Financial Year 1886-87. She remained in ordinary reserve at Chatham, being commissioned for the 1887, 1888,...
.
In 1904, Royds joined Devonport Barracks as a gunnery officer. In 1905 he was promoted 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...
at the unusually early age of thirty and joined 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 Europa
HMS Europa (1897)
HMS Europa was a ship of the Diadem-class of protected cruiser in the Royal Navy. She was built by J&G Thompson, of Clydebank and launched on 20 March 1897...
. He later transferred to another cruiser, HMS Argyll
HMS Argyll (1904)
HMS Argyll was a Devonshire-class armoured cruiser of the Royal Navy launched in 1904. She was the second HMS Argyll after an interval of over 160 years.-History:...
. In 1908, he was appointed Superintendent of Physical Training at Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
. This was appropriate, since he had once played rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
for Blackheath, the Barbarians
Barbarian F.C.
The Barbarian Football Club, usually referred to as the Barbarians and nicknamed the "Baa-Baas", is an invitational rugby union team based in Britain...
and 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 had appeared three times for England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
. In 1910 he was elected naval representative on the Rugby Football Union
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
and served for many years, latterly as a selector representing Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
. He also served on the committee of the Royal Tournament
Royal Tournament
The Royal Tournament was the World's largest military tattoo and pageant, held by the British Armed Forces annually between 1880 and 1999. The venue was originally the Royal Agricultural Hall and latterly the Earls Court Exhibition Centre...
and the Olympic Council
Olympic Council
Olympic Council may refer to:* Olympic Council of Asia, a governing body of sports in Asia* Olympic Council of Ireland, the national Olympic Committee for Ireland* Singapore National Olympic Council, a registered society...
. In 1922 he was elected President of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Rugby Union. In 1927 he was made president of the RFU.
In 1912, he was promoted 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...
and took a course at the Royal Navy War College in Portsmouth. The following year he took command of the light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
HMS Bellona
HMS Bellona (1909)
HMS Bellona was one of two Boadicea class scout cruisers which served with the Royal Navy. She was launched from Pembroke Dockyard on 20 March 1909 and completed in February 1910....
. He was still commanding her when the First World War
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...
broke out, and later transferred to the light cruiser HMS Canterbury
HMS Canterbury (1915)
HMS Canterbury was a C-class light cruiser of the British Royal Navy. She was part of the Cambrian group of the C-class of cruisers. Unlike the rest of the subclass, Canterbury was armed with six torpedo tubes instead of the usual four....
, which he commanded 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...
. For this action, he was mentioned in dispatches
Mentioned in Dispatches
A soldier Mentioned in Despatches is one whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which is described the soldier's gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.In a number of countries, a soldier's name must be mentioned in...
and made a Companion of St Michael and St George
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....
(CMG).
After the war, Royds was appointed Captain-in-Charge of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. In 1920 he became the Royal Navy's first Director of Physical Training and Sports. In 1921 he was succeeded in this post by his younger brother, Captain Charles Royds, and took command of 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 Malaya
HMS Malaya (1915)
HMS Malaya was a Queen Elizabeth class battleship of the British Royal Navy, built by Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth and Company at High Walker and launched in March 1915...
in the Atlantic Fleet
British Atlantic Fleet
The Atlantic Fleet was a major fleet formation of the Royal Navy.There have been two main formations in the Royal Navy officially called the Atlantic Fleet. The first was created in 1909 and lasted until 1914...
. On 19 June 1921 he was appointed an ADC
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to the King
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
.
He only remained in command of Malaya until 22 April 1922 and was promoted to Rear-Admiral on 12 May 1922. On 1 December 1923 he became Admiral-Superintendent of Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard
Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway and of which two-thirds is in Gillingham and one third in Chatham, Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, leading to a requirement for additional...
. He was created a Companion of the Bath
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...
(CB) in 1924. He relinquished the appointment of Admiral-Superintendent on 7 December 1925. On 1 August 1927 he was promoted Vice-Admiral and retired the following day. In 1932 he was promoted 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"...
on the retired list.
On 1 July 1937, Royds was elected at a by-election as the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Kingston-upon-Thames
Kingston-upon-Thames (UK Parliament constituency)
Kingston-upon-Thames was a parliamentary constituency in the South-West London suburb of Kingston upon Thames which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-History:...
in a by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
, having been president of the local Conservative and Unionist Association for several years. He was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
for political and public services on 1 January 1938 and retired in 1945. He also served on Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council
Surrey County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Surrey in England. The council is composed of 80 elected councillors.The council is controlled by the Conservative party.The leader of the council is David Hodge....
for some years.
In 1898, Royds married Florence Yarrow (died 1948). They had one son and three daughters.