Alexander Ludovic Duff

Admiral Sir Alexander Ludovic Duff, GCB, GBE, KCVO (20 February 1862 – 22 November 1933) was a British Royal Navy officer.

Duff was born at Knockleith, Aberdeenshire, the fourth son and seventh of the fourteen children of Colonel James Duff, and his wife, Jane Bracken "née" Dunlop. He entered the navy in 1875, and served as midshipman in the Mediterranean from 1877 to 1881. He served as a sub-lieutenant on the "Victoria and Albert II", and was promoted to lieutenant in September 1884, serving on the China Station for two years on the "Agamemnon".

Having qualified as a torpedo lieutenant, Duff served for three years on the "Imperieuse", flagship of the China Station, and afterwards in 1891, in the "Blake", flagship of the North America Station, and the torpedo depot ship "Vulcan". He was promoted to commander in 1897. After two years in command of the destroyer "Bat" on training service at HMNB Devonport, he joined the cruiser "St George" as an executive officer. He was promoted to captain in 1902 and became a flag captain on the battleship "Albemarle", flagship of the rear-admiral, first in the Mediterranean and later in the Channel Fleet. On 3 September 1886, he married his cousin, Janet Douglas (died 1908), daughter of Garden William Duff, of Hatton Castle, Aberdeenshire. They had two daughters. On 10 January 1924, he married (Alice) Marjorie, who survived him, daughter of Charles Hill-Whitson, of Parkhill, Perthshire. They had no children.

In 1905, Duff became Naval Assistant to the Third Sea Lord for three years, then returned to sea service in command of the battleship "Temeraire". In 1910, he was appointed Commodore of the Naval Barracks at Portsmouth for a year before becoming Director of Naval Mobilization (entitled Director of the Mobilization Division after the creation of the Naval War Staff in 1912), and he continued to hold this appointment after his promotion to rear-admiral in March 1913. In October 1914, he returned to sea service as rear-admiral, 4th battle squadron in the Grand Fleet. The Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, recognizing Duff's technical abilities, put him in charge, jointly with Rear-Admiral Arthur Leveson, of experiments with devices for defending ships from submarine mines and with other inventions; during the Battle of Jutland, Duff flew his flag in the "Superb".

When in December 1916, Jellicoe left the fleet to become First Sea Lord in order to cope with the immense problem of the U-boat war, he took Duff with him to the Admiralty as Director of the Anti-Submarine Division which was then formed in the naval staff. Duff formulated the detailed proposals which finally led to the adoption of the convoy system, as well as many other important initiatives in this area, which provided much improved protection for British vessels from the submarines. Six months later, he joined the Board of Admiralty with the title of Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff, with specific responsibility across all divisions for issues concerning anti-submarine warfare. With others, Duff threatened to resign after Jellicoe's dismissal in 1917, but pertinently commented that it was the muddled approach and arguing within the Admiralty that 'put us entirely in the wrong and the politicians were quick to seize it'.

Duff was promoted to vice-admiral in 1918 and appointed a KCB. On leaving the Admiralty in 1919, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the China station and while there, convened a conference with the Commanders-in-Chief of adjoining stations which recommended the establishment of the naval base at Singapore. He was promoted to admiral in 1921 and relinquished the China command the following year. He was appointed a CB (civil in 1912 and military in 1916), GCB in 1926, KCVO in 1922, and GBE in 1924. For his services, he was awarded, among other foreign orders, the commandership of the Légion d'honneur and the American DSM. He retired in 1925, and settled at Copdock, Ipswich. He died in London on 22 November 1933 and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 24 November. His ashes were scattered at sea off Harwich.

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