Thomas Webster Kemp (27 September 1866 – 13 January 1928) was an

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 ...

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 ...

Career

Kemp joined the Royal Navy and waspromoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 1 January 1890. He served in China, and for his services was promoted to

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 ...

on 9 November 1900. He was appointed in command of the special service vessel HMS ''Sphinx'' on the

East Indies Station The East Indies Station was a formation and command of the British Royal Navy. Created in 1744 by the Admiralty, it was under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, East Indies. Even in official documents, the term ''East Indies Station'' wa ...

in October 1901, and remained in command for three years until October 1904. During this time he served as Senior Naval Officer,

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

. In 1917 Rear Admiral Kemp was given command of the

British North Russia Squadron The British North Russia Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Navy based at Murmansk from 1917 to 1919. History The squadron was formed as part of an initiative by the Entente Powers to keep the Russian Empire in the First World War. One goa ...

. As commander of the naval forces in North Russia, Admiral Kemp directed light cruiser HMS Attentive (1904) and seaplane carrier HMS Nairana (1917) in the seizing of Mudyug Island. These action against Bolshevik-controlled batteries on Mudyug island constituted the first combined sea-air attack ever performed by British forces.Anna Reid, A Nasty Little War: The Western Intervention into the Russian Civil War (New York: Basic Books, 2024), 52.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemp, Thomas Webster 1866 births 1928 deaths Royal Navy admirals of World War I Companions of the Order of the Bath Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Companions of the Order of the Indian Empire