Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many 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. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Sir Alexander Edward Bethell (28 August 1855 – 13 June 1932) was a British naval officer who served as

Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Plymouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the admiral's command. Between 1845 and 1896, this offi ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

Naval career

Born the second son of Richard Augustus Bethell, 2nd Baron Westbury, Bethell joined the

in 1869.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> In July–August 1899 he commanded the ''Arethusa'', which was commissioned for the annual manoeuvres.''Navy List, August 1899, corrected to 18 July 1899 - Supplement: Ships and Officers Engaged in the Naval Manoeuvres'', page 28. He was given command of the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

HMS ''Naiad'' serving in the

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

in March 1901, and landed the Somaliland Field Force in East Africa before returning to the United Kingdom to become assistant director of torpedoes. He was given command of the

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

HMS ''Hindustan'' in 1908. He was appointed Director of Naval Intelligence in 1909. In that capacity he attended the famous CID meeting on 23 August, at which the government rejected the Royal Navy's proposal that 5 divisions guard Britain whilst one land on the Baltic coast in the event of war with Germany. Instead the Army's plan, to send an Expeditionary Force of between four and six divisions to France, was adopted. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station in 1912. He was appointed Officer Commanding the Royal Navy War College at

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

in 1913. He served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as Commander, Battleships for the 3rd Fleet. He was President of the

Royal Naval College, Greenwich The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...

, from 1914 to 1915 and was appointed

, in 1916 and Admiral commanding the Coastguards and Reserves in 1918. He retired later that year. He lived at Wadeford House in Combe St Nicholas in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

. He died in a London nursing home on 13 June 1932.Admiral Sir Alexander Bethell" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 15 June 1932. Issue 46160, col C, p. 9.

Family

In 1890 he married Hilda Huntsman; they had two sons and a daughter. Both his sons were killed in World War I.

References

Books

External links

The Dreadnought Project - Alexander Bethell
, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bethell, Alexander 1855 births 1932 deaths Royal Navy admirals Royal Navy admirals of World War I Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Directors of Naval Intelligence Admiral presidents of the Royal Naval College, Greenwich Younger sons of barons Military personnel from London 19th-century Royal Navy personnel