Maurice Swynfen Fitzmaurice
Maurice Swynfen Fitzmaurice | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 August 1870 |
| Died | 23 January 1927 (aged 56) |
| Allegiance |  Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order |
CMG (12 August 1870 – 23 January 1927) was an officer of the Royal Navy
.
He served in a number of campaigns in Africa, being twice
mentioned in despatches, and had risen to the rank of captain prior to the outbreak of World War I. He served in the Mediterranean, where his ship was sunk by a submarine, and was later appointed to a number of staff posts. He collected a number of awards for his services in the war, and after its end became Director of Naval Intelligence
. He died in 1927 while serving as Commander in Chief, Africa, located in Simonstown.
Career
Maurice Fitzmaurice was born on 12 August 1870, the son of John Gerald Fitzmaurice and Florence Augusta Marian Boyrenson.[1]
He entered the British Navy and took part in the Gambia Campaign in 1894. For his services in this conflict he was
mentioned in despatches.[1] He went on to see action in the East African Campaign in 1898, during which he was wounded, and again was mentioned in despatches.[1] Fitzmaurice was active in the Second Boer War between 1899 and 1901. He was promoted to commander on 31 December 1902,[2] and to captain on 30 June 1910.[3]
During
Dardanelles Campaign in 1915.[1][4] Triumph was torpedoed by the German submarine SM U-21 on 25 May. As she capsized Fitzmaurice was thrown into the water 'as though he had been shot from a gun'.[5] He was picked up by a destroyer after several minutes in the water, apparently with his monocle still firmly in place.[5] He then served as Principal Naval Transport Officer, Dardanelles and Salonika from 1915 until 1916, and then Chief of Staff, Eastern Mediterranean until 1917.[4]
Fitzmaurice received a number of awards, including several from foreign powers, for his service during the war. He was made a
Royal Order of the Redeemer by Greece.[1]
He served as captain of
Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order
in 1925.
Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice reached the rank of vice-admiral in 1926 and died on 23 January 1927, aged 56.[1] He was at the time Commander-in-Chief, Africa.[4]
Family and personal life
Fitzmaurice was a keen musician, and a Director of the
J. S. Bach.[7]
Fitzmaurice married Mabel Gertrude Gray, the daughter of
Pilot Officer but died in a flying accident on 14 July 1923).[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Montgomery-Massingberd. Burke's Irish Family Records. p. 435.
- ^ "No. 27512". The London Gazette. 2 January 1903. p. 4.
- ^ a b Bevand, Paul & Allen, Frank (2008). "Rear-Admiral Sir Maurice Swynfen FitzMaurice K.C.V.O., C.B." Royal Navy Flag-Officers 1904-1945. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d Parkinson, John (2001). "Wakamiya Maru off Tsingtao: September 1914". Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- ^ a b Thomas. Raiders of the Deep. p. 66.
- ^ "No. 32166". The London Gazette. 17 December 1920. p. 12399.
- ^ a b The Musical Times. Vol. 68. p. 270.
Sources
- Bevand, Paul & Allen, Frank (2008). "Rear-Admiral Sir Maurice Swynfen FitzMaurice K.C.V.O., C.B." Royal Navy Flag-Officers 1904-1945. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- Montgomery-Massingberd, Hugh (1976). Burke's Irish Family Records. London: Burkes Peerage Ltd.
- Thomas, Lowell (2002). Raiders of the Deep. Periscope Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-904381-03-0.
- Parkinson, John (2001). "Wakamiya Maru off Tsingtao: September 1914". Retrieved 2 January 2010.
- The Musical Times. Vol. 68. 1 March 1927. p. 270.
External links
- The Dreadnought Project: Maurice Swynfen Fitzmaurice
 Directors of Naval Intelligence | |
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