Arthur Knyvet Wilson
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet
An admiral of the fleet is a military naval officer of the highest rank. In many nations the rank is reserved for wartime or ceremonial appointments...

 Sir Arthur Knyvet Wilson VC
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

, GCB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...

, OM
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...

, GCVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...

 (4 March 1842 – 25 May 1921) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 Admiral and briefly First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...

 who was awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

 for gallantry during the war in Sudan. An early expert on torpedoes, he twice commanded , and he was an early proponent of submarines in the Royal Navy.

Early life

He was born on 4 March 1842 in Swaffham
Swaffham
Swaffham is a market town and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The town is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich.The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,935 in 3,130 households...

 in Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

, the son of Rear-Admiral George Knyvet Wilson. He was the nephew of Major-General Sir Archdale Wilson of Delhi.

Early career

He entered the Royal Navy in 1855 and served as a midshipman aboard during the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...

 (1855) followed by the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...

 (1858). In 1870 he became a member of the committee investigating the effectiveness of the Whitehead torpedo, and in 1876 became commander of the new torpedo school , where his duties included rewriting torpedo manuals, inventing aiming apparatus and developing mine warfare
Mine warfare
Mine warfare refers to the use of different types of explosive devices:*Land mine, a weight-triggered explosive device intended to maim or kill people or to destroy vehicles...

.

El Teb

As a result of being appointed to command the torpedo boat depot ship
Depot ship
A depot ship is a ship which acts as a mobile or fixed base for other ships and submarines or supports a naval base. Depot ships may be specifically designed for their purpose or be converted from another purpose...

 , Wilson became involved in both the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War and the Mahdist War
Mahdist War
The Mahdist War was a colonial war of the late 19th century. It was fought between the Mahdist Sudanese and the Egyptian and later British forces. It has also been called the Anglo-Sudan War or the Sudanese Mahdist Revolt. The British have called their part in the conflict the Sudan Campaign...

 in 1884. As a captain
Captain (Royal Navy)
Captain is a senior officer rank of the Royal Navy. It ranks above Commander and below Commodore and has a NATO ranking code of OF-5. The rank is equivalent to a Colonel in the British Army or Royal Marines and to a Group Captain in the Royal Air Force. The rank of Group Captain is based on the...

 in the Naval Brigade
Naval Brigade
A Naval Brigade is a body of sailors serving in a ground combat role to augment land forces.-Royal Navy:Within the Royal Navy, a Naval Brigade is a large temporary detachment of Royal Marines and of seamen from the Royal Navy formed to undertake operations on shore, particularly during the mid- to...

, during the Sudan Campaign the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.

On 29 February 1884, at the Battle of El Teb, Captain Wilson of HMS Hecla attached himself, during the advance, to the right half-battery, Naval Brigade
Naval Brigade
A Naval Brigade is a body of sailors serving in a ground combat role to augment land forces.-Royal Navy:Within the Royal Navy, a Naval Brigade is a large temporary detachment of Royal Marines and of seamen from the Royal Navy formed to undertake operations on shore, particularly during the mid- to...

, in place of a lieutenant who was mortally wounded. As the troops closed on the enemy battery, the Arabs charged out on the detachment which was dragging one of the guns, whereupon Captain Wilson sprang to the front and engaged in single combat with some of the enemy, and so protected the detachment until men of the 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment
The 1st Battalion, York and Lancaster Regiment was formed in 1881 from the 65th Regiment of Foot .- Early history :After amalgamation in the army reform of 1881 the new 1st Battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment were based in Bengal, India. In 1882 they were shipped to Aden while the 2nd...

, came to his assistance.

Admiralty and Fleet Command

He was called to the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...

 in 1897 as Third Naval Lord and Controller of the Navy
Third Sea Lord
The Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy was formerly the Naval Lord and member of the Board of Admiralty responsible for procurement and matériel in the British Royal Navy...

.

From 1901 to 1903 he was in command of the Channel Squadron. "Known as 'Old 'Ard 'Art' for his refusal to consider the cares and comforts of officers and men, no one expected more of his captains and officers than Wilson." From 1903 he became Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet. In 1906 ran aground. Highly embarrassed but lacking anyone with salvage expertise, the Admiralty appointed a civilian, Frederick Young of the Liverpool Salvage Company to assist but not take command of the operation. This disastrous arrangement saw Wilson blamed by Young for the loss of the ship but led to the establishment of an independent salvage arm under Young.

Wilson reached the rank of Admiral of the Fleet
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy)
Admiral of the fleet is the highest rank of the British Royal Navy and other navies, which equates to the NATO rank code OF-10. The rank still exists in the Royal Navy but routine appointments ceased in 1996....

 in 1907, and became First Sea Lord
First Sea Lord
The First Sea Lord is the professional head of the Royal Navy and the whole Naval Service; it was formerly known as First Naval Lord. He also holds the title of Chief of Naval Staff, and is known by the abbreviations 1SL/CNS...

 in 1910. Wilson "was abrasive, inarticulate, and autocratic. He was selected as Fisher's successor because he was the potential protector of his legacy; Wilson's seniority would enable him to control the twelve full admirals on the active list, at least five of whom belonged to the 'syndicate of discontent' committed to dismantling Fisher's reforms if given the opportunity. But by 1910 Wilson had been retired three years. Furthermore, although his reputation had been gained at sea rather than in the corridors of the Admiralty, he had never commanded Dreadnoughts.It should be pointed out that one of Wilson's successors, Prince Louis of Battenberg, commanded dreadnoughts for a month in 1912 before becoming First Sea Lord. Wilson survived for even less time than was intended by the stopgap nature of his appointment. His successor in November 1911, Sir Francis Bridgeman also got the job by default." "The combination of frequent change and weak appointees [Wilson, Bridgeman and Battenberg] ensured that the professional leadership of the Royal Navy lost its direction in the four years preceding the war." Wilson retired in 1911, and received the Order of Merit
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...

 in 1912.

He died in Swaffham and is buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul's. His VC was donated to the Royal Naval Museum
Royal Naval Museum
The Royal Naval Museum is the museum of the history of the Royal Navy in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard section of HMNB Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence. Its current Acting Director is Graham Dobbin....

, Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...

.

Medal list

His full medal list runs as follows:
  • Victoria Cross
    Victoria Cross
    The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....

  • Knight Grand Cross, The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
    Order of the Bath
    The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...

     (GCB)
  • Order of Merit
    Order of Merit
    The Order of Merit is a British dynastic order recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture...

     (OM)
  • Grand Officer, Légion d'honneur
    Légion d'honneur
    The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...

     (France)
  • Knight Grand Cross, The Royal Victorian Order
    Royal Victorian Order
    The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...

     (GCVO)
  • Crimea Medal
    Crimea Medal
    The Crimea Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1854, for issue to officers and men of British units which fought in the Crimean War of 1854-56 against Russia....

     - (1854–56) clasp "Sebastopol"
  • 2nd China War Medal - (1857–60) clasps "Canton 1857", "Taku Forts 1858"
  • Egypt Medal
    Egypt Medal
    The Egypt Medal 1882-1889 was awarded for the military actions involving the British Army during the 1882 Anglo-Egyptian War. The war become due to the British involvement in Egypt deepened after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 and foreign armies mutinied and triggered an anti-European...

     - (1882–89) with clasps for "Alexandria 11 July", "Suakin 1884", "El Teb"
  • Queen Victoria Golden Jubilee Medal 1897
  • King Edward VII Coronation Medal
    King Edward VII Coronation Medal
    The King Edward VII Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal issued in 1902 to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII.-Issue:The medal was only awarded to people who attended the coronation, or participated in the coronation parade...

     1902
  • King George V Coronation Medal
    King George V Coronation Medal
    The King George V Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made in 1911 to celebrate the coronation of George V.-Issue:This coronation medal was the first to be issued to people who were not in attendance at the coronation...

     1911
  • Order of the Medjidieh: 3rd Class (Turkey )
  • Order of Naval Merit
    Order of Naval Merit
    The Order of Naval Merit is a is a military decoration of the Russian Federation for Naval Personnel. It was established by presidential decree in December 2002.-References:*...

    : Grand Cross (Spain)
  • Khedive's Star 1882 (Egypt)
  • Turkish Crimean War medal - (1855–56)
  • Order of the Dannebrog
    Order of the Dannebrog
    The Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...

    : Grand Cross (Denmark)
  • Order of the Netherlands Lion: Knight Grand Cross (The Netherlands)

Nickname

Admiral Wilson's nickname of 'Tug' reputedly comes from an incident when he repeatedly ordered a battleship to try and come alongside, and in exasperation offered her Captain a 'Tug'
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...

 to assist, subsequently a number of people with the surname Wilson
Wilson (surname)
Wilson is a common surname of English origin. It literally means "son of Wil" . It is the seventh most common surname in the United Kingdom, and eighth most common in the United States. In Ireland it is often Gaelicised as "McLiam"...which translated means "Son of William"...

 have been given this nickname, e.g. Ebin 'Tug' Wilson
Ebin Wilson
Ebin "Tug" Wilson was an American football player and coach. He was a starter on the 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team that outscored its opponents 550–0 and later coached football at Wabash College and Alma College.-Early life and playing career:Wilson was born in August 1869...

, George Archer 'Tug' Wilson
Tug Wilson
George Archer "Tug" Wilson was an American Major League Baseball player who played in center field and catcher for the Brooklyn Atlantics during the 1884 baseball season. In 24 games played, Wilson batted .232, scored 13 runs, and hit four doubles...

, Kenneth Leon 'Tug' Wilson
Kenneth Wilson (athlete)
Kenneth Leon "Tug" Wilson was an American track and field athlete and amateur athletics administrator. He competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics, finishing tenth in the discus throw competition...

, Lester Wilbur 'Tug' Wilson
Les Wilson (baseball)
Lester Wilbur Wilson [Tug] was a pinch-hitter/outfielder who played briefly for the Boston Red Sox during the season. Listed at 5' 11", 170 lb., Wilson batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in St. Louis, Michigan.In a five-game career, Wilson went hitless in seven at bats ...

, Thomas Harold "Tom" 'Tug' Wilson, and Captain Roi Edgerton 'Tug' Wilson
Roi Wilson
Captain Roi Edgerton "Tug" Wilson, CBE, DFC was a Royal Navy officer and Master of the Royal Caledonian Schools.-Early life:...


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