Kenneth Gilbert Balmain Dewar

Vice-Admiral Kenneth Gilbert Balmain Dewar, C.B.E., Royal Navy, Retired (21 September, 1879 – 8 September, 1964) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

He was co-author (with his brother Alfred) of the Naval Staff Appreciation of Jutland — an account so pointed and contentious that copies were recalled to be destroyed after distribution.

Early Life & Career

Dewar was appointed to the training ship Britannia on 15 July, 1893.

He was appointed to Victory on 15 July, 1895, and on 15 August was rated Midshipman.

He was promoted to Commander on 22 June, 1911.

Great War

In June, 1915, Vice-Admiral The Hon. Sir Alexander E. Bethell, commanding the Channel Fleet, recommended Dewar for promotion. He was superseded in Prince of Wales on 12 October. The following day he was appointed to Vivid for Devonport Gunnery School, and on 31 October he took command of the school. Rear-Admiral John de M. Hutchison, commanding Devonport Naval Barracks, wrote of Dewar:

Sat. Above av. Has made a special study of the operatns of war. Due course. Has carried out his duties to my entire satisfaction. A v. capable offr.

He was appointed in command of the monitor Marshal Ney on 30 July, 1916, before being given command of the monitor Roberts on 28 August.

In May, 1917, he was appointed to President for service in the Operations Division of the Admiralty. As of June he was in charge of Section 15, assisting the Director of the Operations Division, Rear-Admiral George P. W. Hope.

On 1 February, 1918, he was appointed an Assistant Director of Plans with the rank of Acting Captain. He was confirmed in the rank of Captain on 30 June.

Post-war

Dewar was appointed in command of Royal Oak in October 1927 as Flag Captain to Rear-Admiral Bernard Collard.

On 1 March, 1928, Dewar was removed from command and taken to Cormorant to await a court martial on two counts related to handling objectionable correspondence. In this case, it appears that Dewar had forwarded a letter from the ship's executive officer, Commander Henry M. Daniel alleging that Rear-Admiral Collard publicly abused and criticised the ship's crew.

Dewar's court martial convened in Cormorant on 4th April, and on the 5th returned a verdict of "proved" on a charge of an "[a]ct to the prejudice of good order and naval discipline in accepting and forwarding a letter of which the terms were subversive of discipline" and "not proved" that the same actions constituted a breach of K.R. & A.I Article 11 in that they contained criticisms of his superior officer. The sentence was that he was to be "[d]ismissed from H.M.S. CORMORANT and to be severely reprimanded." As dire as this blight on his record would appear, Dewar's career recovered. On 16 April, it was separately determined that Collard was chiefly to blame for the event and that it was he who should be expeditiously retired.

Brushing it off, Dewar was appointed command of the battlecruiser Tiger on 5 November, 1928, and of Iron Duke on 14 May, 1929, staying in her for ten days after his promotion to flag rank in August.

Retirement

On 4 August, 1929, Dewar was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral, vice Carpenter, and was placed on the Retired List on 5 August. He was advanced to the rank of Vice-Admiral on the Retired List on 31 July, 1934.

Of his career, Admiral The Hon. Sir Reginald A. R. P.-E.-E.-Drax told Arthur Marder "it must be remembered that K. Dewar was a disappointed, angry man and much inclined to be hyper-critical."

Bibliography

• "Vice-Admiral K. G. B. Dewar" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 10 September, 1964. Issue 56113, col C, p. 16.
• Dewar, Kenneth (1939). The Navy From Within. London: Victor Gollancz.
• Dewar, K. G. B. (1956). "Escape of the Goeben and Breslau." The Naval Review. Vol. XLIV. No. 1. pp. 33-44.
• Glenton, Robert (1991). The Royal Oak Affair: The Saga of Admiral Collard and Bandmaster Barnacle. London: Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-85052-266-8.

Papers

• Papers in the possession of the National Maritime Museum. For a detailed list see Dewar Papers at the National Maritime Museum.

Service Record

• The National Archives. ADM 196/142.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/125.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/90.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/45.

Naval Appointments
Preceded by John F. E. Green	Captain of H.M.S. Mermaid 21 Apr, 1903 – 19 Aug, 1903	Succeeded by Kenneth G. B. Dewar
Preceded by Kenneth G. B. Dewar	Captain of H.M.S. Mermaid 14 Jul, 1904 – 1 Sep, 1904	Succeeded by Alfred G. Peace
Preceded by Charles F. Thorp	Captain of Devonport Gunnery School 31 Oct, 1915 – 30 Jul, 1916	Succeeded by James G. P. Ingham
Preceded by Henry K. Kitson	Captain of H.M.S. Marshal Ney 30 Jul, 1916 – 15 Aug, 1916	Succeeded by Reginald J. N. Watson
Preceded by Argentine H. Alington	Captain of H.M.S. Roberts 28 Aug, 1916 – May, 1917	Succeeded by Frederick V. Williamson
Preceded by Walter B. Compton	Captain of H.M.S. Calcutta 9 May, 1922 – Feb, 1923	Succeeded by Henry K. Kitson
Preceded by Edward R. Jones	Captain of H.M.S. Capetown Feb, 1923 – May, 1924	Succeeded by George H. Knowles
Preceded by George K. Chetwode	Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence 15 May, 1925 – May, 1927	Succeeded by Cecil B. Prickett
Preceded by Arthur C. Strutt	Captain of H.M.S. Royal Oak 15 Oct, 1927 – 1 Mar, 1928	Succeeded by Hugh D. Hamilton
Preceded by Walter J. C. Lake	Captain of H.M.S. Tiger 5 Nov, 1928 – 10 May, 1929	Succeeded by Dudley B. N. North
Preceded by Francis M. Austin	Captain of H.M.S. Iron Duke 11 May, 1929 – 14 Aug, 1929	Succeeded by Edward C. Boyle

 

Footnotes

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