Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

George Alexander Ballard (7 March 1862 – 16 September 1948) was an officer of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

and a historian.

Biography

Ballard was the eldest son of General John Archibald Ballard (1829–1880), and his wife Joanna, the daughter of Robert Scott-Moncrieff, and was born at Malabar Hill, Bombay on 7 March 1862. He joined the

as a

sub-lieutenant Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces. In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second hig ...

, was promoted

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

15 March 1884, and

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

31 December 1897. In February 1902 he was ordered to six months' service at the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

. He was further promoted

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

31 December 1903. In May 1913, Ballard was appointed a naval aide-de-camp to

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

, and in the King´s Birthday Honours 3 June 1913 he was appointed a Companion of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) a ...

. The following year he was appointed

rear admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

27 August 1914. He became Admiral Superintendent

Malta Dockyard Malta Dockyard was an important naval base in the Grand Harbour in Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. The infrastructure which is still in operation is now operated by Palumbo Shipyards. History Pre-1800 The Knights of Malta established dockyard ...

in September 1916. After a long and active career in the Navy he retired as vice-admiral in 1921 and was advanced to the rank of admiral on the Retired List in 1924. During the 1930s he contributed two extensive series of technical articles on the warships of the mid-Victorian Navy to the quarterly '' Mariner's Mirror'', one series on the armoured vessels (which was subsequently republished in a consolidated form in his book ''The Black Battlefleet'') and one on lesser warships.

Publications

* ''The Influence of the Sea on the Political History of Japan'' (John Murray, London, 1921) * ''America and the Atlantic'' (Duckworth & Co, London, 1923) * ''Rulers of the Indian Ocean'' (Duckworth & Co, London, 1927) * ''The Black Battlefleet'' (Nautical Publications Company, 1980)

References

Sources

* "Bombay Almanac" * ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'' (18 Sept 1948), 4 * ''The Times'' (28 Sept 1948), 7 * A. J. Marder, ''From the Dreadnought to Scapa Flow: The Royal Navy in the Fisher Era, 1904–1919'', 5 vols. (1961–70) * S. W. Roskill, ''Hankey, Man of Secrets'', 3 vols. (1970–74) * N. A. Lambert, ''Sir John Fisher's Naval Revolution'' (1999)

External links

The Dreadnought Project – George Alexander Ballard
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballard, George Alexander 1862 births 1948 deaths Military personnel of British India Companions of the Order of the Bath Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy personnel of World War I

Biography

Archives

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References

Sources

External links