Charles James Colebrooke Little

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Admiral SIR Charles James Colebrooke Little, G.C.B., G.B.E. (14 June 1882 – 20 June 1973) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Born in Shanghai, the son of a physician.

Little was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 January, 1903.[1]

Little married Rothes B. Leslie on 29 February, 1908, but Lady Little died 9 May, 1909.[2]

Little was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1913.[3]

Commander Little was appointed in command of the torpedo gunboat Hazard and of the Fourth Submarine Flotilla on 23 November, 1911.[4]

Great War

On 10 February, 1915, Little was appointed to Dolphin, additional, as assistant to Commodore (S) and for duty with submarines. He was awarded the Order of Cavalieri Ufficiele of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus by the Italian government for his assistance in their purchase of submarines from Britain.

In 1916, an able bodied sailor in Fearless drowned. An ensuing Court of Enquiry commended Little for his "exceedingly prompt and courageous action" in attempting to assist the man. Little was awarded the Royal Humane Society's Bronze Medal and certificate for this.[5]

He was appointed in command of the scout cruiser Fearless in September 1916,[6] and remained in her to the end of the war. In May, 1917, he appears to have been appointed the role of Captain (S) to the Twelfth Submarine Flotilla, of which Fearless was flag/flotilla cruiser.[7]

Little was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1917.[8]

Post-War

Little was appointed in command of the light cruiser Cleopatra on 4 March, 1919.[9]

He was appointed as captain of Iron Duke in 1926.

Little was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 27 February, 1929.[10]

Little was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 1 September, 1933.[11]

Little was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 25 June, 1937.[12]

On New Year's Day, 1940, Little married Mary Elizabeth in Westminster Abbey.

Little hoisted his flag as Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth on 1 October, 1942. He stepped down upon being placed on the Retired List on 15 April, 1945.[13]

See Also

Papers

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Robert R. Cooke
Captain of H.M.S. A 4
c. 1904[14]
Succeeded by
Martin E. Nasmith
Preceded by
?
Captain of H.M.S. D 1
1 Aug, 1908[15] – 3 May, 1910[16]
Succeeded by
Noel F. Laurence
Preceded by
Alexander R. Palmer
Captain of H.M.S. Hazard
23 Nov, 1911[17][18] – 3 Aug, 1914[19]
Succeeded by
Nicholas E. Archdale
Preceded by
?
Commander (S), Fourth Submarine Flotilla
1 Jan, 1913[20] – 3 Aug, 1914[21]
Succeeded by
Henry Spencer
Preceded by
Martin E. Nasmith
Captain of H.M.S. Arrogant
3 Aug, 1914[22][23] – 10 Feb, 1915[24]
Succeeded by
Alexander R. Palmer
Preceded by
Charles D. Roper
Captain of H.M.S. Fearless
Sep, 1916[25][26] – 4 Mar, 1919[27]
Succeeded by
Ernest W. Leir
Preceded by
?
Captain (S), Twelfth Submarine Flotilla
26 Sep, 1916[28] – 4 Mar, 1919[29]
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
Walter R. G. Petre
Captain of H.M.S. Cleopatra
4 Mar, 1919[30][31] – 23 Dec, 1919[32]
Succeeded by
Arthur Stopford
Preceded by
Charles T. Hardy
Assistant Director of the Trade Division
23 Dec, 1919[33] – 24 May, 1920[34]
Succeeded by
Oliver L. Gordon
Preceded by
Alan G. Hotham
Director of the Trade Division
24 May, 1920[35][36] – 2 May, 1922[37]
Succeeded by
Martin E. Dunbar-Nasmith
Preceded by
Frank Larken
Captain of the Fleet, Mediterranean Fleet
after Jun, 1922[38] – 20 Aug, 1924[39]
Succeeded by
Theodore J. Hallett
Preceded by
Raymond Fitzmaurice
Captain of H.M.S. Iron Duke
24 Jul, 1926[40] – 8 Aug, 1927[41]
Succeeded by
Francis M. Austin
Preceded by
Francis H. Mitchell
Rear-Admiral, Second-in-Command, Second Battle Squadron
26 Apr, 1930[42] – 25 Apr, 1931[43]
Succeeded by
Lancelot E. Holland
Preceded by
Martin E. Nasmith
Rear-Admiral (S)
2 Sep, 1931[44] – 10 Dec, 1932[45]
Succeeded by
Noel F. Laurence
Preceded by
Sir Frederic C. Dreyer
Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
9 Jan, 1933[46][47] – 8 Nov, 1935[48]
Succeeded by
Sir William M. James
Preceded by
Sir Frederic C. Dreyer
Commander-in-Chief, China Station
8 Nov, 1935[49] – 5 Feb, 1938[50]
Succeeded by
Lewis G. E. Crabbe
as Acting Commander-in-Chief, China Station
Preceded by
Sir Martin E. Dunbar-Nasmith
Second Sea Lord
2 Sep, 1938[51] – 1 Jun, 1941[52]
Succeeded by
Sir William J. Whitworth
Preceded by
Sir William M. James
Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth Station
1 Oct, 1942[53] – 15 Apr, 1945[54]
Succeeded by
Sir Geoffrey Layton

Footnotes

  1. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  2. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  3. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  4. The Navy List. (April, 1914). p. 322b.
  5. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  6. The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 793.
  7. Supplement to the Monthly Navy List. (May, 1917). p. 12.
  8. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  9. The Navy List. (May, 1919). p. 758.
  10. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  11. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  12. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  13. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  14. "The Submarine Disaster." The Times (London, England), 24 Feb. 1905, p. 12.
  15. The Navy List. (April, 1910). p. 344.
  16. Appointed to St. Vincent that day and Noel Laurence took command of D 1 that day.
  17. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  18. The Navy List. (January, 1912). p. 323.
  19. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/45/95
  20. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  21. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  22. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  23. The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 277.
  24. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  25. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  26. The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 793.
  27. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  28. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  29. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  30. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  31. The Navy List. (May, 1919). p. 758.
  32. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  33. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  34. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  35. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  36. The Navy List. (January, 1921). p. 1816.
  37. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  38. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  39. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  40. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  41. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  42. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  43. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  44. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  45. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  46. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  47. "Admiralty Change" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 30 June, 1932. Issue 46173, col D, p. 16.
  48. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  49. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  50. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  51. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  52. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  53. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.
  54. Little Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/47/95. f. 300.