Captain Sir Hubert Guy Dyke Acland, 4th Baronet Acland, DSO (8 June 1890 – 6 May 1978) was an officer in the British

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 ...

who served during both World Wars.

Biography

Naval career

Acland was born in London, the younger son of Admiral Sir William Acland, 2nd Bt, (1847–1924), and the Hon. Emily Anna Smith (1859–1942). After attending

Bradfield College Bradfield College, formally St Andrew's College, Bradfield, is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils aged 11–18, located in the small village of Bradfield in the English county of Berkshire. It is note ...

, Acland joined the Royal Navy on 15 January 1905, at the age of 14. After training, he was assigned to the armoured cruiser , part of the Channel Fleet, with the rank of midshipman in 1908. He attained promotion to sub-lieutenant on 15 November 1909, and

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 ...

on 15 November 1910. He served throughout the

Great War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, receiving a

Mention in Dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. On 15 November 1918, within a few days of the

armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

, Acland was promoted to

lieutenant commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

. On 8 March 1920, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, ty ...

to recognize his "distinguished services as Gunnery Officer of the 1st Destroyer Flotilla, while operating in the Baltic in 1919". From late 1920 until early 1922, Acland was Stationed at

Port Edgar Port Edgar is a marina on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth, immediately west of the Forth Road Bridge and the town of South Queensferry, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Originally a naval base, HMS Lochinvar (shore establishment), HMS ''Lochinvar ...

on the Firth of Forth. In July 1922, he returned to sea to serve as Gunnery Officer aboard the

light cruiser A light cruiser is a type of small or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck. Prior to th ...

. Starting in July 1924, he was aboard the cadet training battleship from July 1924, receiving a promotion to commander on 31 December 1924. Acland spent two years from March 1925 in the Naval Intelligence Division at the Admiralty, before serving aboard the

heavy cruiser The heavy cruiser was a type of cruiser, a naval warship designed for long range and high speed, armed generally with naval guns of roughly 203 mm (8 inches) in caliber, whose design parameters were dictated by the Washington Naval T ...

from December 1927 as Fleet Gunnery Officer of the

China Station The Commander-in-Chief, China was the admiral in command of what was usually known as the China Station, at once both a British Royal Navy naval formation and its admiral in command. It was created in 1865 and deactivated in 1941. From 1831 to 18 ...

. After returning to England in 1930, he briefly commanded the reserve cruiser, at Devonport, before being assigned to the battleship in the Mediterranean Fleet in December. Promoted to captain on 30 June 1932, he attended the Royal Navy War College at

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

and the Senior Officers' School at Sheerness from March 1933, before being appointed to command of as Senior Officer of the 1st Minesweeping Flotilla on 12 March 1934. From 1 August 1935 he was in command of and the Fishery Protection and Minesweeping Flotilla. He returned to duty at the Admiralty in April 1936 and briefly commanded the target vessel in October of that year. In February 1937, Acland was lent to the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

. He served as commanding officer of the heavy cruiser from April 1937 to April 1938, then the

seaplane carrier A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

as she was sailed back to the UK, arriving at Devonport in December 1938. In August 1939, just before the outbreak of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, he was appointed Senior Officer of the Reserve Fleet at Devonport. From November 1939 was Commanding Officer of the Gunnery School at Chatham. From 15 March 1941, he commanded the fleet repair ship and, from 8 July 1941, served as Naval Aide-de-camp to the King. Acland was officially placed on the Retired List on 6 February 1942 but remained in service on the staff of the Commander-in-Chief at

Rosyth Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440. The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...

in 1943, and from November of that year until the end of the war served under the Flag Officer-in-Charge, Northern Ireland, based in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

. He finally retired from the Navy after the end of the war in 1945.

Personal life

On 21 August 1915, Acland married his second

cousin Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

(they were both great-grandchildren of

Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet (29 March 1787 – 22 July 1871) was a British politician and baronet. Background Born in London, he was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 9th Baronet and his wife Henrietta Anne Hoare, daughter of ...

) Lalage Mary Kathleen Acland (1889–1961), at All Saints Church, Dorchester. They had two sons; Major Sir Antony Guy Acland, 5th Bt. (1916–1983) and Lieutenant Colonel James Alison Acland (1919–1993). Acland succeeded to the title of 4th Baronet Acland on 4 December 1970 after the death of his older brother Colonel Sir William Acland, 3rd Baronet. He died at his home on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

on 6 May 1978.

References

External links

*
Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acland, Hubert 1890 births 1978 deaths 304 Hubert Guy Dyke People educated at Bradfield College Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy officers of World War II Companions of the Distinguished Service Order