Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Schomberg Arbuthnot, (18 January 1885 – 4 October 1957) was a senior officer in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

Naval career

Born in

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England between Portsmouth and Chichester. Its borough (population: 125,000) comprises the town (45,826) and its suburbs including the resort of Hayling Island as well as Rowland's Cas ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, on 18 January 1885, Arbuthnot was the son of Admiral Charles Ramsay Arbuthnot and Emily Caroline Schomberg. Educated at the

Royal Naval College, Dartmouth Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a ...

, Arbuthnot joined the

in 1900 and fought in the

First World 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 fig ...

, where he was

mentioned in despatches 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 ...

and 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, typi ...

in 1919. He was appointed Naval Member of the Ordnance Committee at

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained thro ...

in 1927 and then given command of the cruiser in 1929. He went on to be Deputy Director of Training in 1932, Director of Training and Staff Duties in 1933 and Commander of the destroyer flotillas in the

Home Fleet The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy that operated from the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967. In 1967, it was merged with the Mediterranean Fleet creating the new Western Fleet. Before the Fi ...

in 1934 before being given command of in 1935. He was made Naval Aide-de-Camp to

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

in 1936. In 1937 he became Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Supplies and Transport. He also served in 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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and, having been Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station from 1941 to 1942, Arbuthnot was made a

Knight Commander 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) as one ...

(1942) and a Knight of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. He was Chairman of the Honours and Awards Committee from 1942 to 1945 when he retired.

Family

On 22 October 1913, he married Jessie Marguerite Henderson, second daughter of William Henderson of Berkeley House,

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip ...

. They three children; Mary Marguerite (1914–1999), Lieutenant Peter Charles Reginald (1915–1941) and Michael Geoffrey Henderson (1919–1967).

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Arbuthnot, Geoffrey Schomberg 1885 births 1957 deaths Military personnel from Hampshire People from Havant Geoffrey Royal Navy admirals of World War II Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Legion of Honour Lords of the Admiralty Royal Navy officers of World War I Royal Navy vice admirals Admiralty personnel of World War II

Naval career

Family

References

Further reading

External links