Henry Blagrove

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Rear-Admiral Henry Evelyn Charles Blagrove (26 April 1887 – 14 October 1939) was the first British

Henry Blagrove was born to Colonel Henry John Blagrove, CB of the 13th Hussars and Alice Evelyn Blagrove née Boothby at Harbledown, Kent in April 1887.^[1] His family owned the Blagrove Estate in the Browns Town & Orange Valley of St Ann's Jamaica. It had formerly been a slave plantation.

In 1901 aged 14 he entered naval service and trained at HMS Prince of Wales, joining HMS Good Hope as a midshipman in 1903 aged 17. Three years later Blagrove departed the ship as a sub-lieutenant and over the next three years earned promotion to full lieutenant aboard several ships, including HMS Sapphire, HMS Arab and HMS Invincible, the latter being the first of many appointments aboard capital ships.^[2]

First World War

Following promotion to lieutenant in 1909, Blagrove saw brief service aboard HMS Highflyer, HMS Fox and the battleship HMS Vengeance, before taking a course ashore at Dartmouth College, where the outbreak of the First World War found him. At the conclusion of his studies in October 1914, Blagrove received appointment aboard HMS Tiger, a newly completed ship in the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron under Admiral David Beatty. Tiger was commissioned only days before Blagrove joined her and due to recruitment shortages she had a poor crew made up by deserters from other ships.

Three months after joining Tiger Blagrove saw his first action, as Tiger joined her sister ships in the Battle of Dogger Bank. Tiger fired several hundred shells during the action, but her overall performance was poor, scoring few hits and suffering the loss of ten men to German counter fire. Nevertheless, Tiger was involved in the battle's final moments as the stricken German armored cruiser SMS Blücher heeled over and sank with nearly 800 lives. In late May 1916, a much improved Tiger became involved in the war's largest naval action, the Battle of Jutland. Tiger was engaged in the action from start to finish and despite the loss of three of her compatriots to German fire, Tiger escaped mortal damage, taking at least 15 hits and losing "Q" turret but only suffering 24 fatalities. The battle as a whole was a confusing affair without a clear victor but within 24 hours Tiger had recovered sufficiently from her damage to be able to return to active service, something few German ships could boast.

In November 1917, Blagrove was transferred to

HMS Royal Oak was sunk late on the night of 13 October 1939 after the German submarine U-47 entered Scapa Flow by bypassing its blockship defences. Initially Kapitänleutnant Günther Prien, the commander of U-47, had been disappointed to find that the Royal Naval anchorage was largely empty; this was the result of a recent order from Admiral Charles Forbes to clear Scapa Flow in case of air attack. However Royal Oak was retained because she carried a large battery of anti-aircraft guns.

On sighting the battleship, Prien began his first attack run at 00:58hrs by firing three torpedoes. Only one caused a glancing blow on the bow of Royal Oak. An alarm was raised aboard ship, however, it was mistakenly given for "danger of a potential internal explosion" not for a submarine attack. When no explosion seemed likely, most crew members returned to their bunks. At 01:13hrs Prien began his second run. This time all three torpedoes struck Royal Oak amidships causing a huge explosion followed by a severe list to starboard. Prien used the ensuing confusion to escape from Scapa Flow.

As the crew scrambled to leave the stricken battleship, rescue boats set out from the shore as nearby ships responded. However the darkness, oil slick and low water temperature meant that many of those who did escape the ship drowned before they could be rescued. Royal Oak rolled over and sank 15 minutes after being hit.

A total of 835 crew were killed in the disaster, a further 386 were rescued. Rear-Admiral Blagrove was not among the survivors. His body was not recovered and the manner of his death is unknown. Blagrove's family became aware of the sinking from newspaper billboards in Edinburgh the following day but were not overly concerned for his safety. They were notified of his death 24 hours later.^[3]

Legacy

Blagrove's name is included on the

Above average. An exceptionally good officer which has caused me to recommend him strongly for promotion. Very good powers of leadership - exerts an excellent influence - is tactful & easy to deal with. Cheerful, energetic & frank personality. Physically fit – plays & is interested in all games. He has been a Rugger player of a high order & understands the game. Socially popular & much liked in the mess. He has extraordinary energy & organising capacity, and a brain capacity above the average. Recommended for further employment in a more responsible position.[2]

Descendants

Blagrove's wife was Edith Gordon Lowe, who was Scottish, from Edinburgh. Their daughter, Mary Alice Blagrove, married Royal Navy officer Peter Gerald Charles Dickens.^[5] Blagrove's great-grandson is actor Harry Lloyd.

Notes

References

• "Rear-Admiral Henry Evelyn Charles Blagrove". Royal Navy Flag Officers 1904-1945.
• "Royal Navy (RN) officers 1939-1945". www.unithistories.com.
• "BLAGROVE, HENRY EVELYN CHARLES". Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
• "Royal Oak Admiral's last words revealed". The Orcadian, 28 June 2001. Archived from the original on 14 April 2008. Retrieved 11 November 2007.