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 Thomas Hugh Binney, (9 December 1883 – 8 January 1953) was a senior officer in 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 ...

and the 16th

Governor of Tasmania The governor of Tasmania is the representative in the Australian state of Tasmania of the monarch, currently King Charles III. The incumbent governor is Barbara Baker, who was appointed in June 2021. The official residence of the governor is Gov ...

from 1945 to 1951.

Early life

Binney was born in

Douglas, Isle of Man Douglas (, ) is the Capital (political), capital city and largest settlement of the Isle of Man, with a population of 26,677 (2021) and an area of . It is located at the mouth of the River Douglas, Isle of Man, River Douglas, and on a sweepi ...

on 9 December 1883, the son of Thomas Godfrey Binney and his wife, Susan Lockhart.Australian Dictionary of Biography
/ref>

Naval career

Binney was determined to pursue a career with the

from an early age, and he joined the training vessel HMS ''Britannia'' at Dartmouth at the age of 13.Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
/ref> He served at sea from 1899 until 1914, and was then aboard as a gunnery officer for the Dardanelles Campaign. Binney had been promoted to the rank of

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

by 1916, and was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a Military awards and decorations, military award of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful ...

in 1919. He was made

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

whilst on the China Station in 1922. He became deputy director of plans at the Admiralty in 1925. He went on to be Flag Captain on in 1928, Captain of in 1932 and Chief of Staff to

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 ...

in 1933. Promoted to

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in 1934, he became commander of the 1st Battle Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet in 1936. When the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

broke out, he was Commandant of the Imperial Defence College in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He became Flag Officer, Orkneys and Shetlands in December 1939 and was promoted to

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 ...

in 1942. He then served as flag officer-in-charge, in

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

before retiring from the navy in 1944.

Governor of Tasmania

Following his retirement from the navy, Hugh Binney was chosen to replace Ernest Clark as

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

, a post he took up on 24 December 1945. He excelled at the post, and was a popular governor. Despite this, his governorship was not a quiet one. He oversaw the Robert Cosgrove government forced to call an early election in 1948 due to the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

rejecting the supply bill. He again dissolved the second Cosgrove government in 1950 due to the retirement of speaker of the house, W.G. Wedd, in protest at the appointment of Thomas D'Alton as Agent General for

. The Binneys both engaged themselves in the Tasmanian way of life, and were both involved in many social organisations. Hugh Binney was a member of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, and won the Derwent Sailing Pennant in 1951. He retired as governor on 8 May 1951 and immediately returned to England.

Later life

Hugh Binney was made a

Companion of the Order of the Bath Companion may refer to: Relationships Currently * Any of several interpersonal relationships such as friend or acquaintance * A domestic partner, akin to a spouse * Sober companion, an addiction treatment coach * Companion (caregiving), a caregi ...

(CB) in 1935, and was elevated to

Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

(KCB) in 1940. He married Elizabeth Bride Blair-Imrie, a granddaughter of Brigadier General Eyre Macdonell Stewart Crabbe, at the parish church of

St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England parish church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, there has been a church on the site since at least the medieval pe ...

, London on 31 October 1942, but they were never to have children. She excelled in the role of governor's wife. Sir Hugh Binney was elevated to

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

in 1951, and following surgery for

cholecystitis Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. Symptoms include Right upper quadrant (abdomen), right upper abdominal pain, pain in the right shoulder, nausea, vomiting, and occasionally fever. Often gallbladder attacks (biliary colic) precede ...

, he died of

pulmonary embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an pulmonary artery, artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include dyspnea, shortness of breath, chest pain ...

on 8 January 1953. His grave lies in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin,

Tollesbury Tollesbury is a village in England, located on the Essex coast at the mouth of the River Blackwater, Essex, River Blackwater. It is situated nine miles east of the historic port of Maldon, Essex, Maldon and twelve miles south of Colchester, Engl ...

, Essex.

References

External links

Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939–1945
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Binney, Hugh 1883 births 1953 deaths Burials in Essex Royal Navy admirals Companions of the Distinguished Service Order Deaths from pulmonary embolism Governors of Tasmania Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath People from Douglas, Isle of Man Royal Navy admirals of World War II Royal Navy officers of World War I 19th-century Royal Navy personnel