George Callaghan
Encyclopedia
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir George Astley Callaghan GCB
GCVO
(December 21, 1852 – November 23, 1920) was a senior officer in the Royal Navy
.
Royal Navy
as a cadet in 1865. In 1900, under Sir Edward Seymour, he was in command of the HMS Endymion
and entered Peking as part of the British response to the Boxer Rebellion
. He was mentioned in despatches and consequently was awarded the CB
in November 1900.
In 1911, he was named Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, and his term in this command was announced to be extended to December 1914. However, on the outbreak of World War I
some months before that, when Callaghan was at sea on his flagship, the battleship
Iron Duke, his successor-designate Sir John Jellicoe
received orders to immediately relieve the aging Callaghan of command of the fleet. Although this was a move which had always been planned in the event of war, Jellicoe objected to the order, believing it would cause tension in the fleet. Jellicoe's protests were brushed aside by the senior officials at the Admiralty, however, and he succeeded Callaghan in August 1914. Callaghan, meanwhile, was transferred to the more defensive station of Commander-in-Chief, The Nore and served until 1918, by which time he had been promoted to the Navy's highest rank, Admiral of the Fleet.
He ended his days as King of Arms of the Order of the Bath
and his funeral was held in Westminster Abbey
.
He was also appointed a Grand Officier of the Legion of Honour and was awarded the Order of the Crown of Italy
.
, still owned over 5,000 acres in County Cork
and lived there and in Bath. His grandfather Daniel had been an MP for Cork city
in the 1830s-40s. He married Edith Saumarez in 1876, daughter of the Rev. Frederick Grosvenor, rector of Dunkerton
.
|-
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....
Sir George Astley Callaghan 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...
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...
(December 21, 1852 – November 23, 1920) 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...
.
Naval career
Callaghan entered the BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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...
as a cadet in 1865. In 1900, under Sir Edward Seymour, he was in command of the HMS Endymion
HMS Endymion (1891)
HMS Endymion was a first class cruiser of the Edgar class. She was launched on 22 July 1891. She took part in suppressing the Boxer Rebellion in China, during which time future rear admiral and VC recipient Eric Gascoigne Robinson served aboard her...
and entered Peking as part of the British response to the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
. He was mentioned in despatches and consequently was awarded the CB
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...
in November 1900.
In 1911, he was named Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, and his term in this command was announced to be extended to December 1914. However, on 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...
some months before that, when Callaghan was at sea on his flagship, 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...
Iron Duke, his successor-designate Sir John 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...
received orders to immediately relieve the aging Callaghan of command of the fleet. Although this was a move which had always been planned in the event of war, Jellicoe objected to the order, believing it would cause tension in the fleet. Jellicoe's protests were brushed aside by the senior officials at the Admiralty, however, and he succeeded Callaghan in August 1914. Callaghan, meanwhile, was transferred to the more defensive station of Commander-in-Chief, The Nore and served until 1918, by which time he had been promoted to the Navy's highest rank, Admiral of the Fleet.
He ended his days as King of Arms of the Order of the Bath
King of Arms of the Order of the Bath
-Kings of Arms:*1725–1745: Grey Longueville*1745–?: Edward Younge *?–1757: William Woodley*1757–1771: Samuel Horsey*1771–1800: Sir Thomas Cullum, 7th Baronet*1800–1829: John Palmer Cullum, Esq. *1829–1864: Algernon Frederick Greville...
and his funeral was held in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
He was also appointed a Grand Officier of the Legion of Honour and was awarded the Order of the Crown of Italy
Order of the Crown of Italy
The Order of the Crown of Italy was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861...
.
Family
His father's family had owned land near Cork city in Ireland that was being sold about the time of his birth there. In the 1870s his father Frederick Marcus Callaghan, J.P.Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, still owned over 5,000 acres in County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
and lived there and in Bath. His grandfather Daniel had been an MP for Cork city
Cork City (UK Parliament constituency)
Cork City was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, represented in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. From 1880 to 1922 it returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
in the 1830s-40s. He married Edith Saumarez in 1876, daughter of the Rev. Frederick Grosvenor, rector of Dunkerton
Dunkerton, Somerset
Dunkerton is a small village and civil parish north east of Radstock, and south west of Bath, in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority, Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 479.-History:...
.
External links
|-|-