Bertram Chambers
Bertram Chambers Companion of the Order of the Bath |
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Life and career
Early life and career
Born in London, Chambers was the son of barrister Charles Harcourt Chambers and Lucibella Chambers, née Hare. His paternal grandfather was Sir Charles Harcourt Chambers, puisne judge of the
Promoted to lieutenant in 1889, Chambers was awarded the Shadwell Testimonial for naval surveying in 1894 and 1895. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 1900 and captain in 1905. He then attended a signals course and a war course in Portsmouth, finishing in 1906. He became
Australian service
In 1911, he was loaned to the Australian government, becoming a member of the first
First World War and service in Canada
Returning to England, Chambers took command of HMS Illustrious from August to October 1914, then took command of HMS Roxburgh until April 1915. From 1915 to 1917, he was Admiralty Port Officer, Scapa, concurrently commanding HMS Imperieuse. He was promoted to rear-admiral on 27 April 1917 and retired the following day at his own request.
In July 1917, he was appointed Port Convoy Officer and Senior Naval Officer, Escorts, Halifax, arriving the following month. The Admiralty had initially proposed that Chambers should be titled "Senior Naval Officer Afloat, Halifax".[3] The Royal Canadian Navy objected to the idea of giving such a title to a British officer under the command of the Admiralty, and transferred Vice-Admiral William Oswald Story, who outranked him, to Halifax.[3][4] In December 1917, Chambers was among the senior officers who dealt with the aftermath of the Halifax Explosion.[4] In 1918, he and his staff were transferred to Quebec City.
He was appointed a
Later life
Chambers was promoted to vice-admiral on the Retired List in 1922 and admiral on the Retired List in 1926. He was a member of the Metropolitan Asylums Board in 1921, as well as a Younger Brother of Trinity House. He published his memoirs, Salt Junk, in 1927. He died at Moreton Hampstead, Devon, in 1945.
Family
He was the father of the motor racing manager Marcus Chambers.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Admiral Bertram Chambers". The Times. 28 April 1945. p. 6.
- ^ "Bertram Mordaunt Chambers". The Dreadnought Project.
- ^ a b Johnston, William; Rawling, William G.P.; Gimblett, Richard H.; MacFarlane, John (2010). The Seabound Coast: The Official History of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1867–1939. Vol. I. Toronto: Dundurn Press. pp. 467–468.
- ^ McGill-Queen's University Press. p. 202.
- Motor Sport: 61–68.