Rear-Admiral Thomas Benjamin Stratton Adair (6 November 1861 – 12 August 1928) was a British

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 ...

officer and Unionist MP for Glasgow Shettleston from December 1918 to October 1922. Adair was the son of General Sir Charles William Adair. He entered the Navy in 1874, was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

on 1 January 1894, and to

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 ...

on 31 December 1899. From 1900 to 1902 he was a member of the Navy's Ordnance Committee. He was appointed in command of the second class

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of naval cruiser of the late-19th century, gained their description because an armoured deck offered protection for vital machine-spaces from fragments caused by shells exploding above them. Protected cruisers r ...

HMS ''Gladiator'' on 22 September 1902, serving with her 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 t ...

. In 1906, he grounded the battleship HMS ''Montagu'' at Shutter Point, Lundy Island, in a thick fog during naval manoeuvres. Despite extensive efforts, the ship could not be salvaged, and was dismantled ''in situ''. Adair was court-martialled for the stranding and was sentenced to be severely reprimanded and dismissed from ship. Much regret was felt for Adair, whose naval career was effectively ended by the incident. He retired the following year and was advanced to rear-admiral on the retired list. After his retirement, he was Head of the Ordnance Department of W. Beardmore & Co. Ltd, Parkhead Steelworks, Glasgow.Who's Who 1897-1998 D-ROM edition(A & C Black Publishers & Oxford University Press, 1998) He was elected as a supporter of

David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...

's coalition government for Glasgow Shettleston in December 1918, serving until 1922.

References

External links

* Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Glasgow constituencies 1861 births 1928 deaths 19th-century Royal Navy personnel UK MPs 1918–1922 Unionist Party (Scotland) MPs Royal Navy rear admirals Royal Navy officers who were court-martialled Royal Navy personnel of the Anglo-Egyptian War {{Conservative-UK-MP-1860s-stub