Charles Royds
Encyclopedia
Vice-Admiral Sir Charles William Rawson Royds KBE
CMG
ADC
FRGS
(1 February 1876–5 January 1931) was a career Royal Navy
officer who later served as Assistant Commissioner
"A" of the London
Metropolitan Police
from 1926 to 1931. In this role, he was in charge of administration and uniformed operations and also carried the courtesy title of Deputy Commissioner
.
Royds was born in Rochdale
, Lancashire
. He attended Eastman's School in Southsea
and became a Naval Cadet in June 1892. In August 1892, he went to sea in the cruiser
HMS Immortalité of the Channel Squadron. As a Midshipman
, he served in the cruisers HMS Australia
and HMS Barfleur
. In September 1896, he was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant
. In 1897, he was appointed to the cruiser HMS Champion in the Training Squadron. In 1898, he received early promotion to Lieutenant
for his skilled command of a boat that picked up a man who had fallen overboard in the Baltic
. In 1899 he sailed to the West Indies aboard HMS Crescent
.
From 1901 to 1904, Royds was First Lieutenant
of the RRS Discovery
on Robert Falcon Scott
's National Antarctic Expedition. Cape Royds
in Antarctica was named after him. He then joined the battleship
HMS Bulwark
in the Mediterranean, and in 1907 transferred to HMS King Edward VII
in the Channel Fleet. In June 1909 he became Executive Officer
in the rank of Commander
. In January 1911, he became the first Executive Officer of the battleship HMS Hercules
, and in August 1913 transferred to the same post in HMS Iron Duke
, another new battleship and flagship
of Admiral Jellicoe
.
On 31 December 1914, Royds was promoted to Captain
and became Flag Captain
to Admiral Sir Stanley Colville
, commanding Orkney and Shetland. Six months later he was given command of the battleship HMS Emperor of India
, an unusually important command for a junior Captain. He remained in her until January 1919, and was appointed Companion of St Michael and St George
(CMG) on 3 June 1919 for his war service. He served at Dover
for a time and was then the last captain of the Royal Naval College Osborne
, from 2 January 1921 until its closure in May 1921. He then became Director of Physical Training and Sports at the Admiralty
, from 17 May 1921, succeeding his elder brother, Percy
(himself later an admiral
). From October 1923 to 15 October 1925, he was Commodore
of the Royal Naval Barracks at Devonport
, his last naval appointment.
On 1 January 1926, he succeeded Sir James Olive
as Assistant Commissioner "A" and Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. In March 1926, he retired from the Royal Navy on promotion to Rear-Admiral. On 3 June 1929, he was appointed Knight Commander of the British Empire
(KBE) in the Metropolitan Police Centenary Honours, and in the same year was made an ADC to the King. On 23 May 1930, he was promoted to Vice-Admiral on the Retired List. Royds died suddenly while still in office as Assistant Commissioner, and while acting as Commissioner during General Byng's
absence on sick leave. He suffered a heart attack
while attending a rehearsal of the Strauss Ball at the Savoy Hotel
and was rushed to Charing Cross Hospital
, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Royds was a very large man, standing well over six feet tall. In 1918, he married the widowed Mary Louisa Blane, a former actress. They had a daughter named Minna Mary Jessica Royds.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
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....
ADC
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...
FRGS
Royal Geographical Society
The Royal Geographical Society is a British learned society founded in 1830 for the advancement of geographical sciences...
(1 February 1876–5 January 1931) was a career 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 later served as Assistant Commissioner
Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, usually just Assistant Commissioner , is the third highest rank in London's Metropolitan Police, ranking below Deputy Commissioner and above Deputy Assistant Commissioner. There are usually four officers in the rank...
"A" of the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
from 1926 to 1931. In this role, he was in charge of administration and uniformed operations and also carried the courtesy title of Deputy Commissioner
Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
The Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, commonly referred to simply as the Deputy Commissioner, is the second-in-command of London's Metropolitan Police Service. The rank is senior to Assistant Commissioner, but junior by one rank to Commissioner...
.
Royds was born in Rochdale
Rochdale
Rochdale is a large market town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the foothills of the Pennines on the River Roch, north-northwest of Oldham, and north-northeast of the city of Manchester. Rochdale is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. He attended Eastman's School in Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
and became a Naval Cadet in June 1892. In August 1892, he went to sea in the cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
HMS Immortalité of the Channel Squadron. As a 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...
, he served in the cruisers HMS Australia
HMS Australia (1888)
HMS Australia, an Orlando-class cruiser of the Royal Navy completed in 1888 and named after the colonies of Australia...
and HMS Barfleur
HMS Barfleur (1892)
HMS Barfleur was a predreadnought second-class battleship of the Royal Navy. She was part of the three-ship Centurion class, designed for long-range patrolling of the United Kingdom's far-flung empire. She mainly saw service in the Mediterranean and Home Fleet, along with Service at China Station,...
. In September 1896, he was commissioned as a 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...
. In 1897, he was appointed to the cruiser HMS Champion in the Training Squadron. In 1898, he received early promotion 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...
for his skilled command of a boat that picked up a man who had fallen overboard in the Baltic
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
. In 1899 he sailed to the West Indies aboard HMS Crescent
HMS Crescent (1892)
HMS Crescent was a first class cruiser of the Edgar class. Crescent, and her sister ship Royal Arthur, were built to a slightly modified design and are sometimes considered a separate class. She was built at Portsmouth and launched on 30 March 1892. As at 11 January 1895 she was leaving Australia...
.
From 1901 to 1904, Royds was First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
of the RRS Discovery
RRS Discovery
The RRS Discovery was the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in Britain. Designed for Antarctic research, she was launched in 1901. Her first mission was the British National Antarctic Expedition, carrying Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their first, successful...
on Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
's National Antarctic Expedition. Cape Royds
Cape Royds
Cape Royds, Antarctica, is a dark rock cape forming the west extremity of Ross Island, facing on McMurdo Sound. Discovered by the Discovery Expedition and named for Lieutenant Charles W.R. Royds, Royal Navy, who acted as meteorologist for the expedition...
in Antarctica was named after him. He then joined the battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
HMS Bulwark
HMS Bulwark (1899)
HMS Bulwark belonged to a sub-class of the Formidable-class of pre-dreadnought battleships of the Royal Navy known as the London-class.-Technical description:...
in the Mediterranean, and in 1907 transferred to HMS King Edward VII
HMS King Edward VII
HMS King Edward VII, named after King Edward VII, was the lead ship of her class of Royal Navy pre-dreadnought battleships.-Technical characteristics:HMS King Edward VII was laid down at Devonport Dockyard on 8 March 1902...
in the Channel Fleet. In June 1909 he became Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
in the rank of 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...
. In January 1911, he became the first Executive Officer of the battleship HMS Hercules
HMS Hercules (1910)
HMS Hercules was a Colossus-class battleship built by Palmers, launched on 10 May 1910, and commissioned on 31 July 1911 at Portsmouth. She was a 20,000-ton dreadnought, mounting ten 12 inch guns in five twin gun turrets, sixteen 4 inch , four 3 pounders, and three 21 inch ...
, and in August 1913 transferred to the same post in HMS Iron Duke
HMS Iron Duke (1912)
HMS Iron Duke was a battleship of the Royal Navy, the lead ship of her class, named in honour of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. She served as the flagship of the Grand Fleet during the First World War, including at the Battle of Jutland...
, another new battleship and flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Admiral Jellicoe
John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe
Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I...
.
On 31 December 1914, Royds was promoted to 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...
and became Flag Captain
Flag captain
In the Royal Navy, a flag captain was the captain of an admiral's flagship. During the 18th and 19th centuries, this ship might also have a "captain of the fleet", who would be ranked between the admiral and the "flag captain" as the ship's "First Captain", with the "flag captain" as the ship's...
to Admiral Sir Stanley Colville
Stanley Colville
Admiral Sir Stanley Cecil James Colville GCB GCMG GCVO was a British Royal 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 of Robert...
, commanding Orkney and Shetland. Six months later he was given command of the battleship HMS Emperor of India
HMS Emperor of India (1913)
HMS Emperor of India was an Iron Duke-class battleship of the British Royal Navy. She was originally to have been named Delhi but was renamed just a month before launching after King George V, who was also Emperor of India....
, an unusually important command for a junior Captain. He remained in her until January 1919, and was appointed Companion of St Michael and St George
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....
(CMG) on 3 June 1919 for his war service. He served at Dover
Dover
Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent's administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings...
for a time and was then the last captain of the Royal Naval College Osborne
Osborne House
Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, UK. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat....
, from 2 January 1921 until its closure in May 1921. He then became Director of Physical Training and Sports 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...
, from 17 May 1921, succeeding his elder brother, Percy
Percy Royds
Admiral Sir Percy Molyneux Rawson Royds CB CMG ADC was a British admiral and politician.Royds was born in Rochdale, the son of Ernest Royds and the older brother of Charles Royds, also later an admiral. He was educated at Eastman's School in Southsea, a naval school, and joined HMS Britannia,...
(himself later an admiral
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"...
). From October 1923 to 15 October 1925, he was Commodore
Commodore (rank)
Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...
of the Royal Naval Barracks at Devonport
HMNB Devonport
Her Majesty's Naval Base Devonport , is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy . HMNB Devonport is located in Devonport, in the west of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England...
, his last naval appointment.
On 1 January 1926, he succeeded Sir James Olive
James Olive
Sir James William Olive KBE was Assistant Commissioner "A" of the London Metropolitan Police from 1920 to 1925. As such, he was in charge of administration and uniformed operations and was the Commissioner's deputy...
as Assistant Commissioner "A" and Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. In March 1926, he retired from the Royal Navy on promotion to Rear-Admiral. On 3 June 1929, he was appointed Knight Commander of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(KBE) in the Metropolitan Police Centenary Honours, and in the same year was made an ADC to the King. On 23 May 1930, he was promoted to Vice-Admiral on the Retired List. Royds died suddenly while still in office as Assistant Commissioner, and while acting as Commissioner during General Byng's
Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the 12th since Canadian Confederation....
absence on sick leave. He suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
while attending a rehearsal of the Strauss Ball at the Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
and was rushed to Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital
Charing Cross Hospital is a general, acute hospital located in London, United Kingdom and established in 1818. It is located several miles to the west of the city centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham....
, but was pronounced dead on arrival.
Royds was a very large man, standing well over six feet tall. In 1918, he married the widowed Mary Louisa Blane, a former actress. They had a daughter named Minna Mary Jessica Royds.