John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the Admiral of the Fleet. For other people named John Jellicoe, see John Jellicoe (disambiguation).
Lord Temporal
Hereditary peerage
7 March 1918 – 20 November 1935
Succeeded byThe 2nd Earl Jellicoe
Personal details
Born5 December 1859
Southampton, Hampshire, England
Died20 November 1935(1935-11-20) (aged 75)
Kensington, London, England
Spouse
Florence Cayzer
​
(m. 1902)​
Children6
Military service
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Branch/service
First World War
Awards
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Sea Gallantry Medal

governor-general of New Zealand
in the early 1920s.

Early life

Jellicoe was born on 5 December 1859 in

Egyptian war of 1882.[3]

Early career

Jellicoe qualified as a gunnery officer in 1883 and was appointed to the staff of the gunnery school

Director of Naval Ordnance in September 1889.[6]

The battleship HMS Victoria sinking

Promoted to commander on 30 June 1891, Jellicoe joined the battleship HMS Sans Pareil in the Mediterranean Fleet in March 1892.[6] He transferred to the battleship HMS Victoria in 1893 (the flagship of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, Vice Admiral Sir George Tryon) and was aboard when it collided with HMS Camperdown and sank off Tripoli in Lebanon on 22 June 1893.[6] He was then appointed to the new flagship, HMS Ramillies, in October 1893.[6]

Promoted to

Third Naval Lord and Controller of the Navy in February 1902[12] and was given command of the armoured cruiser HMS Drake on the North America and West Indies Station in August 1903.[6]

Naval career

High command

Jellicoe as captain, in command of HMS Centurion, flagship on the China Station (his depiction on a contemporary cigarette card shows he was in the public eye long before becoming an admiral).
Admiral, or as the French knew him: Amiralissime Jellicoe, shown as a Captain earlier in his career

As a protege of Admiral

Aide-de-Camp to the King on 8 March 1906.[14] Promoted to rear admiral on 8 February 1907,[15] he pushed hard for funds to modernise the navy, supporting the construction of new Dreadnought-type battleships and Invincible-class battlecruisers.[16] He supported F. C. Dreyer's improvements in gunnery fire-control systems, and favoured the adoption of Dreyer's "Fire Control Table", a form of mechanical computer for calculating firing solutions for warships.[17] Jellicoe arranged for the output of naval ordnance to be transferred from the War Office to the Admiralty.[18]

Jellicoe was appointed second-in-command of the

Second Sea Lord in December 1912.[16]

First World War

Admiral Jellicoe circa 1915

At the start of the

Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 8 February 1915.[22]

When Fisher (First Sea Lord) and Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty) both had to leave office (May 1915) after their quarrel over the

Dardanelles, Jellicoe wrote to Fisher: "We owe you a debt of gratitude for having saved the Navy from a continuance in office of Mr Churchill, and I hope that never again will any politician be allowed to usurp the functions that he took upon himself to exercise".[18]

Jellicoe commanded the British Grand Fleet at the

Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on 17 June 1916[27] and awarded the Grand Cross of the French Legion of Honour on 15 September 1916.[28]

First Sea Lord

John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, 1918, by Glyn Philpot

Jellicoe was appointed

unrestricted U-Boat warfare.[29]

At the War Committee (a Cabinet Committee which discussed strategy in 1915–16) in November 1916, the admirals present, including Jellicoe, told Lloyd George that convoys presented too large a target for enemy ships, and that merchant ship masters lacked the discipline to "keep station" in a convoy. In February 1917, Maurice Hankey wrote a memorandum for Lloyd George calling for the introduction of "scientifically organised convoys", almost certainly after being persuaded by Commander Henderson and the Shipping Ministry officials with whom he was in contact. After a breakfast meeting (13 February 1917) with Lloyd George, Carson (First Lord of the Admiralty) and Admirals Jellicoe and Duff agreed to "conduct experiments". However, convoys were not in general use until August 1917, by which time shipping losses to U-boats were already falling from their April peak.[30]

Jellicoe continued to take a pessimistic view, advising the War Policy Committee (a Cabinet Committee which discussed strategy in 1917) during planning meetings for the

First Lords of the Admiralty) on 26 October to discuss sacking Jellicoe after he had failed to act on "secret, but absolutely reliable" information about a German attack on a Norwegian convoy, but again nothing came of this as Lloyd George was soon preoccupied by the Battle of Caporetto and the setting up of the Supreme War Council. Geddes wanted to return to his previous job in charge of military transportation in France, and by December it was clear that Lloyd George would have to sack Jellicoe or lose Geddes.[31]

Jellicoe was rather abruptly dismissed by Geddes in December 1917.[29] Before he left for leave on Christmas Eve he received a letter from Geddes demanding his resignation. Geddes' letter stated that he was still in the building and available to talk, but after consulting Admiral Halsey Jellicoe replied in writing that he would "do what was best for the service". The move became public knowledge two days later.[32]

The Christmas holiday, when Parliament was not sitting, provided a good opportunity to remove Jellicoe with a minimum of fuss. Geddes squared matters with the King and with the Grand Fleet commander Admiral Beatty (who had initially written to Jellicoe of his "dismay" over his sacking and promised to speak to Geddes, but then did not write to him again for a month) over the holiday. The other Sea Lords talked of resigning (although Jellicoe advised them not to do so), especially when Geddes suggested in a meeting (31 December) that Balfour and Carson had specifically recommended Jellicoe's removal at the 26 October meeting; they had not done so, although Balfour's denial was less than emphatic. There was no trouble from the generals, who had a low opinion of Jellicoe. In the end the Sea Lords remained in place, whilst Carson remained a member of the War Cabinet, resigning in January over Irish Home Rule.[33]

Although it was pretended that the decision had been Geddes' alone, he let slip in the Naval Estimates debate (6 March 1918) that he had been conveying "the decision of the Government", i.e. of Lloyd George, who had never put the matter to the War Cabinet. MPs picked up on his slip immediately, and

Bonar Law (Conservative Leader) admitted in the same debate that he too had had prior knowledge.[34]

As First Sea Lord Jellicoe was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Belgian Order of Leopold on 21 April 1917,[35] the Russian Order of St. George, 3rd Class on 5 June 1917,[36] the Grand Cross of the Italian Military Order of Savoy on 11 August 1917[37] and the Grand Cordon of the Japanese Order of the Rising Sun on 29 August 1917.[38]

Later life

After war

Reginald Grenville Eves
.
Bust in Trafalgar Square.

Jellicoe was created Viscount Jellicoe of Scapa Flow on 7 March 1918.[39]

At the

Treaty of Brest-Litovsk—the Germans were about to requisition the Russian Black Sea Fleet, Lloyd George proposed Jellicoe as Allied Supreme Naval Commander in the Mediterranean. The French were in favour of a combined Allied naval command, but the Italians were not, so nothing came of the suggestion.[40]

Lord and Lady Jellicoe, 1924

Jellicoe was promoted to

Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire in 1932.[46] He died of pneumonia at his home in Kensington in London on 20 November 1935 and was buried in St Paul's Cathedral.[29]

Legacy

In 1919, "Sleep, beneath the wave! a requiem" with words by Rev. Alfred Hall and Music by Albert Ham was "Dedicated to Admiral Viscount Jellicoe."[47]

The attempt of his official biographer, Admiral

Fisher was never more than a Baron. Bacon's neutrality may be questionable as he had himself been sacked by Geddes from command of the Dover Patrol, replaced by Roger Keyes, shortly after Jellicoe's removal.[40]

Family

Jellicoe married, at Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street, on 1 July 1902, Florence Gwendoline Cayzer, daughter of the shipping magnate Sir Charles Cayzer. His brother, Rev. Frederick Jellicoe (1858–1927), conducted the service.[48] Lord and Lady Jellicoe had a son and five daughters.[6] His son George Jellicoe, 2nd Earl Jellicoe had a military career during the Second World War, after which he was a parliamentarian and a businessman.[49]

Honours

Ribbon bar (incomplete)

Peerages

  • Viscount Jellicoe, of Scapa in the County of Orkney – 7 March 1918[39]
  • Earl Jellicoe and Viscount Brocas, of Southampton in the County of Southampton – 1 July 1925[44]

British orders

  • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) – 8 February 1915[22] (KCB: 19 June 1911;[50] CB: 9 November 1900[51])
  • Order of Merit (OM) – 31 May 1916[52]
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) – 17 June 1916[53] (KCVO: 3 August 1907;[19] CVO: 13 February 1906[13])

British decoration

British medals

International orders

International decorations

Arms

Coat of arms of John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe
Notes
The arms of John Jellicoe, Viscount Jellicoe consist of:[59][60] (carved depiction)
Crest
Out of a Naval Crown Or, a Demi-Wolf Azure.
Escutcheon
Argent, three Bars wavy Azure, over all a Whale hauriant Sable.
Supporters
On either side a Sea-Griffin Or.
Motto
Sui memores merendo (Remembered for their merits)
Blue plaque at 25 Draycott Place (Blacklands Terrace), Cadogan Gardens, London, SW3

References

  1. ^ "Historic Figures: Admiral John Jellicoe (1859–1935)". BBC History. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  2. ISBN 978-1513604336
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e Heathcote, p.128
  4. ^ "No. 24876". The London Gazette. 24 August 1880. p. 4623.
  5. ^ "Auction 26 Orders, Decorations and medals". San Georgio. April 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Heathcote, p.129
  7. ^ "No. 26809". The London Gazette. 1 January 1897. p. 3.
  8. ^ "No. 27235". The London Gazette. 5 October 1900. p. 6098.
  9. ^ Bacon, p. 109
  10. ^ "Admiral Sir John Jellicoe". The Independent. 19 October 1914. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  11. ^ "Naval & military intelligence". The Times. No. 36565. London. 20 September 1901. p. 8.
  12. ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36737. London. 9 April 1902. p. 10.
  13. ^ a b "No. 27885". The London Gazette. 13 February 1906. p. 1037.
  14. ^ "No. 27897". The London Gazette. 23 March 1906. p. 2061.
  15. ^ "No. 27993". The London Gazette. 8 February 1907. p. 899.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Heathcote, p. 130
  17. ^ Brooks, p. 135
  18. ^ a b Grigg 2002, p371-2
  19. ^ a b "No. 28048". The London Gazette. 6 August 1907. p. 5390.
  20. ^ "No. 28401". The London Gazette (Supplement). 26 July 1910. p. 5481.
  21. ^ "No. 28632". The London Gazette. 2 August 1912. p. 5721.
  22. ^ a b "No. 29066". The London Gazette. 12 February 1915. p. 1443.
  23. ^ Brooks, p. 232-237
  24. ^ Massie, p. 621
  25. ^ Massie, p. 645
  26. ^ "No. 29751". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 September 1916. p. 9070.
  27. ^ "No. 29629". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 June 1916. p. 6063.
  28. ^ "No. 29751". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 September 1916. p. 9081.
  29. ^ a b c Heathcote, p. 131
  30. ^ Grigg 2002, p49, 51, 53
  31. ^ Grigg 2002, p. 373
  32. ^ Grigg 2002, p371-3
  33. ^ Grigg 2002, p374-5
  34. ^ Grigg 2002, p374
  35. ^ a b c "No. 30029". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 April 1917. p. 3821.
  36. ^ a b "No. 30116". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 June 1917. p. 5591.
  37. ^ a b "No. 30227". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 August 1917. p. 8208.
  38. ^ a b "No. 30258". The London Gazette (Supplement). 29 August 1917. p. 8989.
  39. ^ a b "No. 30565". The London Gazette. 8 March 1918. p. 2989.
  40. ^ a b Grigg 2002, p372
  41. ^ "No. 31327". The London Gazette. 6 May 1919. p. 5653.
  42. ^ "No. 31983". The London Gazette. 16 July 1920. p. 7577.
  43. ^ "Grand Master & Past Grand Masters". The New Zealand Freemasons. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  44. ^ a b "No. 33063". The London Gazette. 3 July 1925. p. 4448.
  45. ^ Nevill, Percy Bantock (1966). Scouting in London, 1908-1965. London Scout Council. p. 202.
  46. ^ "The London Gazette" (PDF). 29 April 1932. p. 2795. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
  47. ^ "Sleep, beneath the wave! a requiem" with words by Rev. Alfred Hall and Music by Albert Ham. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Waley, Royce and Co., 1919
  48. ^ "Court Circular". The Times. No. 36809. London. 2 July 1902. p. 10.
  49. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/98592. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  50. ^ "No. 28505". The London Gazette (Supplement). 19 June 1911. p. 4588.
  51. ^ "No. 27246". The London Gazette. 13 November 1900. p. 6927.
  52. ^ "No. 29751". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 September 1916. p. 9070.
  53. ^ "No. 29629". The London Gazette (Supplement). 20 June 1916. p. 6063.
  54. ^ "Court News". The Times. No. 36738. London. 10 April 1902. p. 4.
  55. ^ "No. 29751". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 September 1916. p. 9081.
  56. ^ "No. 13501". The Edinburgh Gazette. 16 September 1919. p. 3098.
  57. ^ "No. 13407". The Edinburgh Gazette. 21 February 1919. p. 985.
  58. OCLC 681198465
    .
  59. ^ Cox, Noel. "THE ARMS OF EARL JELLICOE". www.geocities.ws. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  60. ^ Debrett's Peerage, and Titles of Courtesy. London, Dean. 1921. p. 507, JELLIC0E, VISCOUNT. (Jellicoe.). Retrieved 20 May 2022.

Sources

Further reading

External links

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John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe
Military offices
Preceded by
Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy

1908–1910 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Vice-Admiral Commanding, Atlantic Fleet
1910–1911 		Succeeded by
Second Sea Lord

1912–1914 		Succeeded by
New command Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet
1914–1916 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
First Sea Lord

1916–1917 		Succeeded by
Government offices
Preceded by Governor-General of New Zealand
1920–1924 		Succeeded by
Peerage of the United Kingdom
New creation Earl Jellicoe
1925–1935 		Succeeded by
Viscount Jellicoe

1918–1935

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