Royal Navy officer (1864–1929)
Admiral Sir William Lowther Grant KCB (10 November 1864 – 30 January 1929) was a Royal Navy officer who went on to be Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station.[1]
Naval career
Grant joined the Royal Navy in 1877,[3] and served in the Anglo-Egyptian War in 1882.[3] He was later Commander on board HMS Doris, flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Cape of Good Hope Station, Admiral Sir Robert Hastings Harris, and was in January 1900 landed in Cape Colony to take part in the Second Boer War.[4] During the next months he commanded a detachment of guns operating in the Orange River Colony, and was specially promoted to captain on 21 October 1900 for services during the war.[5]
Still in South Africa, he was appointed in command of the guardship at Simons Town, the elderly ironclad masted turret ship HMS Monarch on 5 May 1902.[6] After the end of the Second Boer war, he was appointed Naval Advisor to the Inspector-General of Fortifications,[7] and left South Africa on SS Britannic in early October 1902 to take up the position on his return the following month.[8] Appointment as Assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence followed in 1908, before he became rear admiral providing special service with the Home Fleet in 1910.[3] He served in World War I initially commanding the 6th Cruiser Squadron with cruiser HMS Drake as his flagship.[9] He was made Commander-in-Chief, China Station in 1916 and Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station in 1918.[3] He retired in 1920.[3]
In retirement he sought to justify Admiral Lord Jellicoe's actions at the Battle of Jutland in the face of German criticism.[10]
Family
In 1892, Grant married Mabel Emily Brodrick, daughter of the Rev. Henry Brodrick and Emily Hester Brodrick.[11]
References
External links