Henry Bertram Pelly

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Admiral Sir Henry B. Pelly as a Rear-Admiral, 1917.
Portrait: Francis Dodd. © IWM (Art.IWM ART 1766).

Admiral SIR Henry Bertram Pelly, K.C.V.O., C.B., Royal Navy, Retired (9 September, 1867 – 27 December, 1942) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early Life & Career

Pelly was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 January, 1891.[1]

Pelly was appointed a Member of the Fourth Class in the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) on 1 February, 1901.[2]

Pelly was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 August, 1901.[3]

Captain

Pelly was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 January, 1906.[4] In March of that same year, he was appointed captain of battleship Venerable, remaining in command until some time in 1907.[5]

Pelly was appointed Flag Captain to Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, and in command of King Edward VII, on 5 March, 1907.[6][7]

When Beresford hauled down his flag, Pelly was placed on half-pay on 27 March, 1909. He asked that he might be considered for a shore appointment, and on 16 August he was appointed for temporary service at the Admiralty. On 31 August he was appointed Captain Superintendent of Contract-Built Ships.

He was appointed in command of Invincible on 10 August, 1913.[8]

Pelly's appointment as Chief of Staff to Admiral Sir Henry B. Jackson, to date 1 September, was announced on 24 July, 1914.[9]

Great War

Pelly commanded H.M.S. Tiger from her commissioning through actions at Dogger Bank and Jutland.

On 15 September he was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) dated 31 May.[10]

He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 17 May, 1917, vice de Robeck.[11]

Post-War

Henry B. Pelly as a Rear-Admiral, 1920.
Portrait: © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Pelly was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 3 May, 1922.[12]

On 1 January, 1923, Pelly was knighted and appointed a Knight Commander in the Royal Victorian Order (K.C.V.O.).[13]

He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 18 January, 1925,[14] and was advanced to the rank of Admiral on the Retired List on 8 November, 1926.[15]

Bibliography

  • "Admiral Sir Henry Pelly" (Obituaries). The Times. Tuesday, 29 December, 1942. Issue 49429, col F, p. 6.
  • Kipling, Rudyard (1899). A Fleet in Being: Notes of Two Trips with the Channel Squadron. London: Macmillan and Co. Limited.
  • Pelly, Admiral Sir Henry, K.C.V.O., C.B. (1938). 300,000 Sea Miles: An Autobiography. London: Chatto and Windus.

Papers

  • Papers in the possession of the Imperial War Museum.

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Arthur J. Henniker-Hughan
Captain of H.M.S. Venerable
15 Mar, 1906[16] – 1 Feb, 1907[17]
Succeeded by
Herbert W. Savory
Preceded by
Arthur C. Leveson
Captain of H.M.S. King Edward VII
5 Mar, 1907[18] – 26 Mar, 1909[19]
Succeeded by
Osmond de B. Brock
Preceded by
Herbert C. C. Da Costa
Captain of H.M.S. Devonshire
15 Oct, 1912[20] – 10 Aug, 1913[21]
Succeeded by
William J. S. Alderson
Preceded by
Michael Culme-Seymour
Captain of H.M.S. Invincible
10 Aug, 1913[22] – 1 Aug, 1914[23]
Succeeded by
Charles Martin-de-Bartolomé
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Tiger
3 Aug, 1914[24] – 29 Jun, 1916[25]
Succeeded by
Rudolf W. Bentinck
Preceded by
John B. Eustace
as Rear-Admiral-in-Command, Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth
Commodore-in-Command, Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth
29 Jun, 1916[26][27] – 15 Nov, 1918[28]
Succeeded by
A. Gordon Smith
Preceded by
Thomas Jackson
Senior Naval Officer, Egypt
24 Dec, 1918[29] – Mar, 1920[30]
Succeeded by
Command Abolished
Preceded by
Reginald Y. Tyrwhitt
as Senior Officer, Gibraltar
Rear-Admiral in Charge, Gibraltar
17 Dec, 1920[31] – 7 Feb, 1922[32]
Succeeded by
Walter W. Ellerton
as Senior Officer, Gibraltar

 

Footnotes

  1. The London Gazette: no. 26121. p. 4. 2 January, 1891.
  2. The London Gazette: no. 27283. p. 1058. 12 February, 1901.
  3. The London Gazette: no. 27359. p. 6292. 27 September, 1901.
  4. The London Gazette: no. 27870. p. 25. 2 January, 1906.
  5. Mackie, Colin. ROYAL NAVY WARSHIPS.
  6. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 11 February, 1907. Issue 38253, col E, p. 6.
  7. The Navy List. (October, 1908). p. 337.
  8. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 14 July, 1913. Issue 40263, col E, p. 6.
  9. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Friday, 24 July, 1914. Issue 40584, col F, p. 10.
  10. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29751. p. 9070. 15 September, 1916.
  11. The London Gazette: no. 30084. p. 4942. 22 May, 1917.
  12. The London Gazette: no. 32695. p. 3626. 9 May, 1922.
  13. The London Gazette: no. 32782. p. 6. (Supplement) 1 January, 1923.
  14. The London Gazette: no. 33015. p. 591. 27 January, 1925.
  15. The London Gazette: no. 33222. p. 7477. 19 November, 1926.
  16. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  17. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  18. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  19. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  20. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  21. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  22. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  23. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  24. The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 398q.
  25. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  26. Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (June, 1918). p. 3.
  27. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  28. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 483.
  29. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 483.
  30. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 483.
  31. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 235.
  32. Pelly Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 235.