Arthur Leveson
Encyclopedia
Admiral
Sir Arthur Cavenagh Leveson GCB
(27 January 1868 – 26 June 1929) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy
. He was the Rear Admiral Commanding His Majesty's Australian Fleet between 9 January 1917 and 3 September 1918 and later Commander in Chief, China Station
between 10 September 1922 and 22 April 1925.
, London, he attended a private school, and began his Naval cadetship aboard the training ship HMS Britannia on 13 January 1881. He was rated Midshipman
on 15 January 1883 and Sub-Lieutenant
on 17 January 1887 and promoted Lieutenant
on 27 July 1887. He was awarded the Beaufort Testimonial and Goodenough Medal in 1888 and qualified in gunnery in 1891.
Serving as a Gunnery Lieutenant upon HMS Victoria
in 1893, he survived the sinking of HMS Victoria on 22 June 1893 after she collided with HMS Camperdown
near Tripoli
, Lebanon
during manoeuvres and quickly sank, taking 358 crew with her, including the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon
.
Transferred to Whale Island
at the shore establishment HMS Excellent as a 1st Gunnery Office. He was promoted to Lieutenant
on 27 July 1887. While as a Brigade Major to the Naval Brigade in London, he participated in the occasion of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, for which he received the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal. Promoted to Commander
on 1 January 1899 he became a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
. Serving as Commander under his first commission aboard HMS Canopus
he was promoted to Captain
on 1 July 1903.
Between August 1903 until February 1905, he served as the Naval Assistant to the Controller of the Navy. While serving as Flag Captain to Admiral Sir William May, Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet
, he took part in 1904 in the Entente Cordiale
at Brest and in Paris, for which he received the Croix d'Officier of the Legion of Honour. He later commanded HMS Africa
and HMS Indefatigable
and received the Coronation Medal
of King George V
in 1911.
On 27 September 1912, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the Civil Division in the first batch of Naval officers awarded this honour, and was made naval aide-de-camp
to King George V in 1913. He was also a Commodore (First Class) on the staff of Admiral of the Fleet Sir William May, Umpire-in-Chief during the Naval Manoeuvres which took place during July and August 1913. Promoted to Rear-Admiral on 1 December 1913, and Director of Operations Divisions of the Admiralty War Staff on 1 May 1914.
He was appointed Rear-Admiral on 1 December 1913. After the outbreak of World War I
in 1914, he was Second in Command of the 2nd Battle Squadron
, and was present at the Battle of Jutland
on 31 May 1916, where he was mentioned in despatches, received a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the Military Division, the Order of St. Stanislaus (First Class) with swords and the Order of the Rising Sun
(Second Class).
He was appointed the Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Fleet on 9 January 1917 until 3 September 1918. Later he was appointed Commander in Chief, China Station
between 10 September 1922 and 22 April 1925. He became the First and Principal Naval aide-de-camp and was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 3 June 1927.
He married Jemima Adeline Beatrice Blackwood, daughter of Francis James Lindesay Blackwood, on 3 March 1902 and had a son Arthur Edmund Leveson. Arther Cavenagh Leveson died on 26 June 1929.
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Sir Arthur Cavenagh Leveson 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...
(27 January 1868 – 26 June 1929) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
. He was the Rear Admiral Commanding His Majesty's Australian Fleet between 9 January 1917 and 3 September 1918 and later Commander in Chief, China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
between 10 September 1922 and 22 April 1925.
Biography
Born on 27 January 1868 at KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London, he attended a private school, and began his Naval cadetship aboard the training ship HMS Britannia on 13 January 1881. He was rated Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
on 15 January 1883 and Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
on 17 January 1887 and promoted Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 27 July 1887. He was awarded the Beaufort Testimonial and Goodenough Medal in 1888 and qualified in gunnery in 1891.
Serving as a Gunnery Lieutenant upon HMS Victoria
HMS Victoria (1887)
HMS Victoria was the lead ship in her class of two battleships of the Royal Navy. On 22 June 1893, she collided with near Tripoli, Lebanon during manoeuvres and quickly sank, taking 358 crew with her, including the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon...
in 1893, he survived the sinking of HMS Victoria on 22 June 1893 after she collided with HMS Camperdown
HMS Camperdown (1885)
HMS Camperdown was an Admiral-class battleship of the Royal Navy, named after Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan of Camperdown.She was a full sister to , and was an improved version of the earlier and . In comparison to these earlier ships, she had an increased thickness of barbette armour, and a...
near Tripoli
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
during manoeuvres and quickly sank, taking 358 crew with her, including the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon
George Tryon
Vice-Admiral Sir George Tryon, KCB was a British admiral who died when his flagship HMS Victoria collided with HMS Camperdown during manoeuvres off Tripoli, Lebanon.-Early life:...
.
Transferred to Whale Island
Whale Island, Hampshire
Whale Island is a small island in Portsmouth Harbour, close by Portsea Island. It is currently home to HMS Excellent, the oldest shore training establishment within the Royal Navy, and the Headquarters of Commander in Chief, Fleet.-Early history:...
at the shore establishment HMS Excellent as a 1st Gunnery Office. He was promoted to Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
on 27 July 1887. While as a Brigade Major to the Naval Brigade in London, he participated in the occasion of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, for which he received the Queen Victoria Diamond Jubilee Medal. Promoted to Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
on 1 January 1899 he became a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
. Serving as Commander under his first commission aboard HMS Canopus
HMS Canopus (1898)
HMS Canopus was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the British Royal Navy and the lead ship of the Canopus-class. At the beginning of the First world war she was involved in the search for the German East Asia Squadron of Admiral Graf Spee...
he was promoted to Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
on 1 July 1903.
Between August 1903 until February 1905, he served as the Naval Assistant to the Controller of the Navy. While serving as Flag Captain to Admiral Sir William May, Commander in Chief of the Atlantic Fleet
British Atlantic Fleet
The Atlantic Fleet was a major fleet formation of the Royal Navy.There have been two main formations in the Royal Navy officially called the Atlantic Fleet. The first was created in 1909 and lasted until 1914...
, he took part in 1904 in the Entente Cordiale
Entente Cordiale
The Entente Cordiale was a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the French Republic. Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial expansion addressed by the agreement, the signing of the Entente Cordiale marked the end of almost a millennium of intermittent...
at Brest and in Paris, for which he received the Croix d'Officier of the Legion of Honour. He later commanded HMS Africa
HMS Africa (1905)
HMS Africa was a pre-dreadnought battleship of the Royal Navy. She was the penultimate ship of the King Edward VII class. Like all ships of the class , she was named after an important part of the British Empire, namely Africa....
and HMS Indefatigable
HMS Indefatigable (1909)
HMS Indefatigable was a battlecruiser of the Royal Navy and the lead ship of her class. Her keel was laid down in 1909 and she was commissioned in 1911...
and received the 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...
of King George V
George V of the United Kingdom
George V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
in 1911.
On 27 September 1912, he was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the Civil Division in the first batch of Naval officers awarded this honour, and was made naval aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to King George V in 1913. He was also a Commodore (First Class) on the staff of Admiral of the Fleet Sir William May, Umpire-in-Chief during the Naval Manoeuvres which took place during July and August 1913. Promoted to Rear-Admiral on 1 December 1913, and Director of Operations Divisions of the Admiralty War Staff on 1 May 1914.
He was appointed Rear-Admiral on 1 December 1913. After the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914, he was Second in Command of the 2nd Battle Squadron
2nd Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)
The British Royal Navy 2nd Battle Squadron was a naval squadron consisting of battleships. The 2nd Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet. After World War I the Grand Fleet was reverted back to its original name, the Atlantic Fleet...
, and was present at the Battle of Jutland
Battle of Jutland
The Battle of Jutland was a naval battle between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War. The battle was fought on 31 May and 1 June 1916 in the North Sea near Jutland, Denmark. It was the largest naval battle and the only...
on 31 May 1916, where he was mentioned in despatches, received a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the Military Division, the Order of St. Stanislaus (First Class) with swords and the Order of the Rising Sun
Order of the Rising Sun
The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese Government, created on April 10, 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight from the rising sun...
(Second Class).
He was appointed the Rear Admiral Commanding HM Australian Fleet on 9 January 1917 until 3 September 1918. Later he was appointed Commander in Chief, China Station
China Station
The China Station was a historical formation of the British Royal Navy. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, China....
between 10 September 1922 and 22 April 1925. He became the First and Principal Naval aide-de-camp and was awarded the Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on 3 June 1927.
He married Jemima Adeline Beatrice Blackwood, daughter of Francis James Lindesay Blackwood, on 3 March 1902 and had a son Arthur Edmund Leveson. Arther Cavenagh Leveson died on 26 June 1929.