- Stanley Colville
Admiral Sir Stanley Cecil James Colville GCB GCMG GCVO (
21 February 1861 –9 April 1939 ) was a BritishRoyal Navy officer.Colville was born in
Eaton Place ,London , the second son of Charles Colville, 10th Lord Colville of Culross, entitling him to the style "The Honourable". His mother Cecile was the daughter ofRobert Carrington, 2nd Baron Carrington . Colville was educated atMarlborough College and entered theRoyal Naval College, Dartmouth in July 1874. In October 1876 he was promotedMidshipman and appointed to thebattleship HMS "Sultan" in the Mediterranean Fleet. In May 1878 he transferred to the battleship HMS "Black Prince" in theChannel Fleet and in January 1879 to thecorvette HMS "Boadicea" at theCape of Good Hope Station . Later that year he served on land during theZulu War . In October 1880 he was commissionedSub-Lieutenant and posted toPortsmouth for further training.In July 1882 he joined the battleship HMS "Alexandra",
flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. He was promotedLieutenant in November 1882 for his services at thebombardment of Alexandria . [LondonGazette |issue=25169 |date=17 November 1882 |startpage=5173 |supp=yes] In May 1883 he joined the corvette HMS "Canada" on theNorth America Station , serving alongside Midshipman Prince George of Wales (later King George V). In September 1884 he rejoined "Alexandra" and served ashore with the force attempting to relieve General Gordon atKhartoum . In October 1889 he joined the sloop HMS "Buzzard" on the North America Station.In August 1890 he was appointed
First Lieutenant of theRoyal Yacht "Victoria and Albert". He was promotedCommander in August 1892 [LondonGazette |issue=26322 |date=2 September 1892 |startpage=5016] and in May 1893 joined the battleship HMS "Trafalgar", now flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet. In 1896 he took command of thegunboat s of theNile Flotilla inSudan . He was badly wounded, promotedCaptain in August 1896, and appointedCompanion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in November 1896. [LondonGazette |issue=26795 |date=17 November 1896 |startpage=6271]From 1897 to 1898 he was Naval Adviser to the Inspector-General of Fortifications at the
War Office in London. In September 1898 he took command of the battleship HMS "Barfleur" asFlag Captain to Rear-Admiral Penrose Fitzgerald, second-in-command of theChina Station . In March 1900 he was appointed Flag Captain to Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick Bedford in thecruiser HMS "Crescent" on the North America and West Indies Station. In May 1902 he becameChief of Staff to Admiral Sir Compton Domvile,Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, in the battleship HMS "Bulwark". He was appointedCommander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in June 1902. [LondonGazette |issue=27440 |date=6 June 1902 |startpage=3681] In December 1905 he took command of the battleship HMS "Hindustan" in the Atlantic Fleet and was appointed an ADC to the King. [LondonGazette |issue=27863 |date=12 December 1905 |startpage=8899]Colville was promoted
Rear-Admiral in November 1906 and hoisted his flag in the "Bulwark", now in theHome Fleet . In February 1909 he was appointed to command the1st Cruiser Squadron of the Channel Fleet in HMS "Drake". In July 1909 he transferred his flag to the newbattlecruiser HMS "Indomitable". He was promotedVice-Admiral in April 1911. [LondonGazette |issue=28485 |date=14 April 1911 |startpage=2967] In June 1912 he took command of the1st Battle Squadron of the Home Fleet, flying his flag in HMS "Collingwood" and was appointedKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). In September 1914 he was given shore command of theOrkney Islands andShetland Islands and was shortly afterwards promotedAdmiral . He held this vital command, responsible for the main support of the Grand Fleet atScapa Flow and other bases, until February 1916, when he was appointedCommander-in-Chief Portsmouth . He was appointedKnight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in July 1915 [LondonGazette |issue=29232 |date=16 July 1915 |startpage=6959] andKnight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George (GCMG) in 1919. In July 1919 he was appointedFirst and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King, [LondonGazette |issue=31489 |date=5 August 1919 |startpage=9961] a post he held until his retirement in April 1922. [LondonGazette |issue=32668 |date=11 April 1922 |startpage=2934] He was appointedKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) in July 1921.He was appointed to the honorary offices of
Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom in 1927 [LondonGazette |issue=33236 |date=4 January 1927 |startpage=39] andVice-Admiral of the United Kingdom andLieutenant of the Admiralty in 1929. [LondonGazette |issue=33480 |date=26 March 1929 |startpage=2084]Footnotes
References
*Biography, "
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography "
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.