Hugh Binney

Infobox Officeholder
honorific-prefix = Sir
name = Thomas Hugh Binney
honorific-suffix =
KCB, KCMG, DSO


imagesize =
small

caption =
order = 16th
office = Governor of Tasmania
term_start = December 24, 1945
term_end = May 8, 1951
lieutenant =
monarch = King George VI
predecessor = Sir Ernest Clark
successor = Sir Ronald Cross
birth_date = birth date|1883|12|9
birth_place = Douglas, Isle of Man, England, UK
death_date = death date and age|1953|1|8|1883|12|9
death_place = Colchester, Essex, England, UK
restingplace =
restingplacecoordinates =
birthname = Thomas Hugh Binney
nationality = British
spouse =
nickname =
allegiance = United Kingdom
branch = Royal Navy
serviceyears = 1896 – 1945
rank = Admiral
unit =
commands = 1st Battle Squadron
battles =
awards =
Admiral Sir Thomas Hugh Binney, KCB, KCMG, DSO (December 9, 1883 – January 8 1953) was a British naval officer and administrator who was Governor of Tasmania from 1945 to 1953.

Early life

Binney was born in Douglas, Isle of Man, England in 1825, the son of Thomas Godfrey Binney and his wife, Susan Lockhart.

Naval career

Binney was determined to pursue a career with the Royal Navy from an early age, and joined the training vessel HMS "Britannia" at Dartmouth at the age of 13.

He served at sea from 1899 until 1914, and was then aboard HMS "Queen Elizabeth" as a gunnery officer for the Dardanelles Campaign. Binney had been promoted to the rank of Commander by 1916, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Order in 1919. He was made Captain whilst on the China Station in 1922.

Between the wars Binney served on various vessels, including HMS "Hawkins", HMS "Nelson", and HMS "Hood".

He became Rear Admiral in 1934, and as of 1936, he commanded the 1st Battle Squadron, Mediterranean Fleet. When World War II broke out, he was in charge of the Imperial Defence College in London. He served as flag officer (ashore), Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands, Scotland, and was made Admiral in 1942. He then served as flag officer-in-charge, in Cardiff before retiring from the navy in 1945.

Governor of Tasmania

Following his retirement from the navy, Hugh Binney was chosen to replace Ernest Clark as Governor of Tasmania, a post he took up on December 24, 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 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 Tasmania.

The Binney's 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 May 8, 1951 and immediately returned to England.

Later life

Hugh Binney was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath (C.B.) in 1935, and was elevated to Knight Commander to the Order of the Bath (K.C.B) in 1940. He married Elizabeth Bride Blair-Imrie at the parish church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London on October 31, 1942, but they were never to have children. Sir Hugh Binney was elevated to Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1951, and following surgery for cholecystitis, he died of pulmonary embolism on January 8, 1953.

References

* [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130215b.htm?hilite=Sir%3BHugh%3BBinney Australian Dictionary of Biography]