- Lionel Halsey
Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey GCMG GCVO KCIE CB ADC (
26 February 1872 –26 October 1949 ) was a BritishRoyal Navy officer andcourtier .Early life and career
Halsey was born in
London , the fourth son of Sir Thomas Frederick Halsey, 1st Baronet. After primary education atStubbington House ,Fareham ,Hampshire , he entered theRoyal Naval College, Dartmouth in January 1885. He was commissioned aSub-Lieutenant on14 July 1891 . [LondonGazette|issue=26347|startpage=6582|date=22 November 1892 |accessdate=2007-12-18] In July 1893 he was posted to the Royal Yacht and was promotedLieutenant on28 August 1893 . [LondonGazette|issue=26444|startpage=5433|date=26 September 1893 |accessdate=2007-12-18] He served with the Mediterranean Fleet and then on theNorth America and West Indies Station , before joining HMS "Powerful". In theSouth African War he commanded a battery of naval guns in theDefence of Ladysmith , for which he wasmentioned in dispatches [LondonGazette|issue=27194|startpage=3249|date=22 May 1900 |accessdate=2007-12-18] [LondonGazette|issue=27282|startpage=930|date=8 February 1901 |accessdate=2007-12-18] [LondonGazette|issue=27293|startpage=1729|date=17 March 1901 |accessdate=2007-12-18] and promotedCommander on1 January 1901 . ["Oxford Dictionary of National Biography"] He was posted to thecruiser HMS "Diana" asExecutive Officer and served in her in theMediterranean until June 1902. From November 1902 he served as Executive Officer in HMS "Good Hope", flagship of the1st Cruiser Squadron .In January 1905 Halsey was appointed Naval Member of the new
Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Committee at theAdmiralty , and was promoted Captain on30 June 1905 . [LondonGazette|issue=27812|startpage=4557|date=30 June 1905 |accessdate=2007-12-18] In August 1905 he took command of HMS "Powerful", [LondonGazette|issue=27922|startpage=4157|date=15 June 1906 |accessdate=2007-12-18] [LondonGazette|issue=27950|startpage=6326|date=18 September 1906 |accessdate=2007-12-18] asflag captain to Sir Wilmot Hawkes asCommander-in-Chief Australia Station . In April 1911 he was given command of HMS "Donegal" in the4th Cruiser Squadron and in 1912 took over the newbattle cruiser HMS "New Zealand" on her cruise around the world to "show the flag". He was appointed Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) on8 December 1913 . [LondonGazette|issue=28780|startpage=9077|date=9 December 1913 |accessdate=2007-12-18] On19 September 1914 he was appointed a Naval ADC to the King. [LondonGazette|issue=28910|startpage=7478|date=22 September 1914 |accessdate=2007-12-18]First World War
After the outbreak of the
First World War , Halsey commanded the "New Zealand" at the Battle of Dogger Bank in January 1915, for which he was again mentioned in dispatches. [LondonGazette|issue=29088|supp=yes|startpage=2211|date=2 March 1915 |accessdate=2007-12-18] In June 1915 he becameCaptain of the Fleet to Sir John Jellicoe in HMS "Iron Duke" with the rank of Commodore 1st Class. He was granted a specialGood Service Pension in July 1915. [LondonGazette|issue=29239|startpage=7193|date=23 July 1915 |accessdate=2007-12-18] He was present at theBattle of Jutland , being mentioned in dispatches [LondonGazette|issue=29751|supp=yes|startpage=9068|date=15 September 1916 |accessdate=2007-12-18] for a third time and appointed Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on3 June 1916 (in theKing's Birthday Honours ). [LondonGazette|issue=29608|supp=yes|startpage=5553|date=2 June 1916 |accessdate=2007-12-18] On15 September 1916 he was appointed an Officer of the "Légion d'honneur " [LondonGazette|issue=29751|supp=yes|startpage=9081|date=15 September 1916 |accessdate=2007-12-18] and was promoted to Commander in 1917. [LondonGazette|issue=30029|supp=yes|startpage=3821|date=20 April 1917 |accessdate=2007-12-18]On
4 December 1916 Halsey was appointedFourth Sea Lord at the Admiralty, becomingThird Sea Lord in May 1917. [LondonGazette|issue=29848|startpage=11839|date=5 December 1916 |accessdate=2007-12-18] [LondonGazette|issue=29865|startpage=12226|endpage=12227|date=15 December 1916 |accessdate=2007-12-18] [LondonGazette|issue=30114|startpage=5514|date=5 June 1917 |accessdate=2007-12-18] [LondonGazette|issue=30278|startpage=9369|date=11 September 1917 |accessdate=2007-12-18] [LondonGazette|issue=30369|startpage=11469|date=6 November 1917 |accessdate=2007-12-18] [LondonGazette|issue=30472|startpage=731|date=11 January 1918 |accessdate=2007-12-18] In April 1917 he was promotedRear-Admiral . He was also awarded theJapan eseOrder of the Rising Sun 2nd Class in 1917. [LondonGazette|issue=30363|supp=yes|startpage=11322|date=30 October 1917 |accessdate=2007-12-18] In September 1918 he returned to sea in the battle cruiser HMAS "Australia" in command of the2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron of theGrand Fleet and was present at the German surrender atScapa Flow . He was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1918 and in 1919 received the Distinguished Service Medal of theUnited States . [LondonGazette|issue=31553|supp=yes|startpage=11582|endpage=11583|date=11 September 1917 |accessdate=2007-12-18] He served at the Admiralty from March to August 1919, when he became chief of staff to the Prince of Wales for his tour ofCanada , theUnited States ,Australia ,New Zealand , theWest Indies , and other colonies in HMS "Renown". For this he was appointed Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) on1 December 1919 [LondonGazette|issue=31705|startpage=15864|date=23 December 1919 |accessdate=2007-12-18] and promoted Knight Grand Cross (GCVO) on11 October 1920 . [LondonGazette|issue=32086|startpage=9986|endpage=9987|date=15 October 1920 |accessdate=2007-12-18]Post-war
In November 1920 Halsey was appointed
Comptroller and Treasurer to the Prince of Wales. [LondonGazette|issue=32145|startpage=11793|date=30 November 1920 |accessdate=2007-12-18] He became a member of the Prince's council in 1920, [LondonGazette|issue=32154|startpage=12052|date=7 December 1920 |accessdate=2007-12-18] and an extraequerry in 1921. [LondonGazette|issue=32180|startpage=55|date=4 January 1921 |accessdate=2007-12-18] He was promotedVice-Admiral on5 July 1921 [LondonGazette|issue=32394|startpage=5733|date=19 July 1921 |accessdate=2007-12-18] and retired from the Navy on1 November 1922 . He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire (KCIE) in 1922 after the Prince's visit toIndia , promoted to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) on16 October 1925 following the Prince's visit to Africa and South America, [LondonGazette|issue=33101|startpage=7349|date=10 November 1925 |accessdate=2007-12-18] and promotedAdmiral on4 October 1926 . [LondonGazette|issue=33209|startpage=6440|date=8 October 1926 |accessdate=2007-12-18] In 1926 he was appointed aDeputy Lieutenant for the County of Bedford. [LondonGazette|issue=33212|startpage=6690|date=19 October 1926 |accessdate=2007-12-18] He was also awarded theJapan eseOrder of the Rising Sun 1st Class in 1922. [LondonGazette|issue=32718|startpage=4390|date=9 June 1922 |accessdate=2007-12-18]In 1936 he was dismissed from the staff of King Edward VIII, as the Prince of Wales had now become. This was probably due to his opposition to
Wallis Simpson becoming queen. In 1937, however, he was appointed an extra equerry to the new King George VI [LondonGazette|issue=34306|supp=yes|startpage=4664|date=20 July 1936 |accessdate=2007-12-18] [LondonGazette|issue=34376|startpage=1406|date=2 March 1937 |accessdate=2007-12-18] and took part in the coronation procession as acting Keeper of the Jewel House. [LondonGazette|issue=34453|startpage=7048|date=10 November 1937 |accessdate=2007-12-18]Footnotes
References
*cite web|first=V. W.|last=Baddeley|title=‘Halsey, Sir Lionel (1872–1949)’|coauthor=rev. Marc Brodie|work=
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2004; online edition, May 2006|format=subscription required|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/33661|accessdate=2007-12-18|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/33661-
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