Arthur Moore (Royal Navy officer)
Encyclopedia
Admiral Sir Arthur William Moore GCB
GCVO
CMG
(30 July 1847 – 3 April 1934) was a Royal Navy
officer who went on to command the China Station
and to serve as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
.
, Kent, the son of the Rev. Edward Moore, rector
of the parish, by his marriage to Lady Harriet Montagu-Scott (1814–1870), a daughter of the fourth Duke of Buccleuch
. His father was an Honorary Canon of Canterbury, and his great grandfather was John Moore
, Archbishop of Canterbury
.
as a cadet in 1860, at the age of thirteen.
In 1881 he was given command of the battleship HMS Invincible
in the Mediterranean Fleet
and in 1882 he commanded the corvette
HMS Orion
in the Anglo-Egyptian War. He was present at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir. In 1884 he was appointed Flag Captain to the Commander in Chief of the East Indies Station
.
He later took command of the battleship HMS Dreadnought
in the Mediterranean Fleet before becoming Commandant of HMS Britannia
at Dartmouth
.
In 1889 Moore was sent as a British representative to the Anti-Slavery Congress held in Brussels
. In 1890-1891 he was a member of the Australian Defence Committee.
He was made Junior Naval Lord
at the Admiralty
in 1898, and Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station
in 1901. In this capacity he took part in the closing phases of the Second Boer War
. In 1905 he became Second in Command in the Channel Fleet
and in 1906 he was made Commander-in-Chief of the China Station
. His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
from 1911; he retired in 1912.
When he died in 1934, Moore was buried with other members of his family at St Mary's Church, Frittenden, near the west end of the church.
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...
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...
CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
(30 July 1847 – 3 April 1934) was a 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...
officer who went on to command the 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....
and to serve as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
.
Early life
Moore was born in 1847 in FrittendenFrittenden
Frittenden is a village and civil parish in the Tunbridge Wells District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the flood plain of one of the tributaries of the River Medway, 15 miles to the east of Tunbridge Wells: the village is three miles south of Headcorn. It is in a very rural...
, Kent, the son of the Rev. Edward Moore, rector
Rector
The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...
of the parish, by his marriage to Lady Harriet Montagu-Scott (1814–1870), a daughter of the fourth Duke of Buccleuch
Charles Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch
Charles William Henry Montagu-Scott, 4th Duke of Buccleuch & 6th Duke of Queensberry, KT was the son of Henry Scott, 3rd Duke of Buccleuch and Lady Elizabeth Montagu...
. His father was an Honorary Canon of Canterbury, and his great grandfather was John Moore
John Moore (Archbishop)
John Moore was a bishop in the Church of England.-Life:Moore was the son of George Moore, butcher, and his wife Jane.He was born in Gloucester and was educated at the Crypt School there...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
.
Military career
Moore joined the Royal NavyRoyal 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...
as a cadet in 1860, at the age of thirteen.
In 1881 he was given command of the battleship HMS Invincible
HMS Invincible (1869)
HMS Invincible was an Audacious-class ironclad battleship of the Royal Navy. She was built at the Napier shipyard and completed in 1870. Completed just 10 years after , she still carried sails as well as a steam engine.-Armament:...
in the Mediterranean Fleet
Mediterranean Fleet
Several countries have or have had a Mediterranean Fleet in their navy. See:* Mediterranean Fleet * French Mediterranean Fleet* Mediterranean Squadron * United States Sixth Fleet...
and in 1882 he commanded the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
HMS Orion
HMS Orion (1879)
HMS Orion was a of the Victorian Royal Navy. Originally constructed for the Ottoman Empire, and called Bourdjou-Zaffer, she was purchased by the British Government before completion....
in the Anglo-Egyptian War. He was present at the Battle of Tel-el-Kebir. In 1884 he was appointed Flag Captain to the Commander in Chief of the East Indies Station
East Indies Station
The East Indies Station was a formation of the British Royal Navy from 1865 to 1941.From 1831 to 1865 the East Indies and the China Station were a single command known as the East Indies and China Station...
.
He later took command of the battleship HMS Dreadnought
HMS Dreadnought (1875)
The fifth HMS Dreadnought of the British Royal Navy was a turret ironclad battleship built at Pembroke Dockyard, Wales.-Construction:Begun as Fury in 1870, the original design was recast for heavier armour and higher speed. The renamed ship was laid down in 1872 at Pembroke Dockyard and was...
in the Mediterranean Fleet before becoming Commandant of HMS Britannia
HMS Prince of Wales (1860)
HMS Prince of Wales was one of six 121-gun screw-propelled first-rate three-decker line-of-battle ships of the Royal Navy. She was launched on 25 January 1860...
at Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
.
In 1889 Moore was sent as a British representative to the Anti-Slavery Congress held in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. In 1890-1891 he was a member of the Australian Defence Committee.
He was made Junior Naval Lord
Fourth Sea Lord
The Fourth Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Supplies was formerly one of the Naval Lords and members of the Board of Admiralty which controlled the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom.-History:...
at 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 1898, and Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa Station
Cape of Good Hope Station
The Cape of Good Hope Station was one of the geographical divisions into which the British Royal Navy divided its worldwide responsibilities. It was formally the units and establishments responsible to the Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope....
in 1901. In this capacity he took part in the closing phases of the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. In 1905 he became Second in Command in the Channel Fleet
Channel Fleet
The Channel Fleet was the Royal Navy formation of warships that defended the waters of the English Channel from 1690 to 1909.-History:The Channel Fleet dates back at least to 1690 when its role was to defend England against the French threat under the leadership of Edward Russell, 1st Earl of...
and in 1906 he was made Commander-in-Chief of the 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....
. His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth
The Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth was a senior commander of the Royal Navy for hundreds of years. Portsmouth Command was a name given to the units, establishments, and staff operating under the post.-History:...
from 1911; he retired in 1912.
When he died in 1934, Moore was buried with other members of his family at St Mary's Church, Frittenden, near the west end of the church.
Honours and awards
- In the 1870s while on the frigate Glasgow Moore was awarded the bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society for gallantry in rescuing a seaman who had fallen overboard.
- 1 January 1892 - Captain Arthur William Moore, RN, is appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George for services in connections with the defences of Australasia.
- 25 June 1897 - Captain Arthur William Moore, CMG, Royal Navy is appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in commemoration of the sixtieth year of Queen Victoria's reign.
- 11 August 1905 - Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur William Moore, KCB, CMG, second on command of the channel fleet is appointed a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on the occasion of the visit of the French fleet.
- 5 February 1906 - Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur William Moore, KCB, KCVO, CMG, lately commanding HMS Ceasar which accomppanied the King of Norway fron Norway to Denmark in November 1905 is allowed to accept and wear the Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav awarded to him by the King of Norway.
- 16 June 1911 - Admiral Sir Arthur William Moore, KCB, KCVO, CMG, is promoted to a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath on the occasion of the His Majesty's Coronation.
- 4 July 1911 - Admiral Sir Arthur William Moore, GCB, KCVO, CMG, Commander-in-Chief Portsmouth, is promoted to a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on the occasion of the Review of the Fleet at Portsmouth.
Further reading
- E. Marjorie Moore, Adventure in the Royal Navy: the life and letters of Admiral Sir Arthur Edward Moore (1964)