Frederick Shirley Litchfield-Speer

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Rear-Admiral Frederick Shirley Litchfield-Speer, C.M.G., D.S.O., Royal Navy (24 March, 1874 – 30 May, 1922) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early Life & Career

Litchfield-Speer was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 4 August, 1895.

Litchfield-Speer was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1895.

Litchfield was appointed to the President, additional, on 7 January, 1905, as an Assistant to D.N.O..[1]

On 11 January, 1910, Litchfield was appointed to Vernon.[2]

Litchfield-Speer was promoted to the rank of Captain on 22 June, 1911.

On 1 January, 1912, Litchfield was appointed to President for service on the staff of the Inspector of Target Practice.[3]

On 11 December 1912, he was appointed in command of the armoured cruiser Antrim.[4]

Litchfield was appointed in command of H.M.S. Shannon as Flag Captain to Charles E. Madden on 19 December, 1913,[5] but this appointment was cancelled.

Great-War

On 1 August, 1914, he was appointed in command of the Caronia, a passenger liner commissioned into Royal Navy service as an armed merchant cruiser.[6]

He was appointed a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) on 3 June, 1916.[7]

He was appointed in command of H.M.S. Agamemnon on 25 September, 1918.[8]

Post-War

Litchfield-Speer returned with Agamemnon from service in Near Eastern waters in mid-April, 1919 and superseded Rear-Admiral Hyde Smith as Superintendent of Sheerness Dockyard.[9]

Litchfield-Speer was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 5 April, 1922, vice Crampton. He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 6 April. He died aged forty-nine on 30 May on the way to Redhill Hospital, Reigate, having fallen ill after going to the Derby with his wife and Captain Willis of the Admiralty.[10] Cause of death was stated at the the inquest to be "the acute inflammatory condition of the lungs."[11]

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Henry G. Vereker
Captain of H.M. T.B. 74
10 Jul, 1900
Succeeded by
Charles V. L. Norcock
Preceded by
Henry D. Wilkin
Captain of H.M.S. Antrim
11 Dec, 1912[12] – Dec, 1913
Succeeded by
Vincent B. Molteno
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Caronia
1 Aug, 1914[13] – 10 Apr, 1915[14]
Succeeded by
Reginald A. Norton
Preceded by
?
Captain of H.M.S. Princess Margaret
Jun, 1915 – Jan, 1916
Succeeded by
Lockhart Leith
Preceded by
Philip W. Dumas
Captain of H.M.S. Agamemnon
25 Sep, 1918[15] – 14 Apr, 1919
Succeeded by
Henry G. Giffard
Preceded by
E. Hyde Smith
as Senior Officer in Charge, Sheerness Dockyard
Captain Superintendent, Sheerness Dockyard
15 Apr, 1919[16] – 14 Mar, 1922
Succeeded by
Herbert N. Garnett

 

Footnotes

  1. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 14 January, 1905. Issue 37604, col B, p. 6.
  2. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 1 January, 1910. Issue 39158, col D, p. 10.
  3. "Naval Appointments" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 2 December, 1911. Issue 39758, col A, p. 14.
  4. The Navy List. (July, 1913). p. 278.
  5. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 10 December, 1913. Issue 40391, col A, p. 15.
  6. The Navy List. (December, 1914). p. 401e.
  7. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29608. p. 5563. 3 June, 1916.
  8. The Navy List. (December, 1918). p. 725.
  9. "Naval & Military Intelligence." The Times (London, England), April 16, 1919, Issue 42076, p.7.
  10. "News in Brief" (News in Brief). The Times. Thursday, 1 June, 1922. Issue 43046, col C, p. 10.
  11. "News in Brief" (News in Brief). The Times. Friday, 2 June, 1922. Issue 43047, col G, p. 5.
  12. The Navy List. (July, 1913). p. 278.
  13. The Navy List. (January, 1915). p. 401f.
  14. Ship's Log.
  15. The Navy List. (February, 1919). p. 725.
  16. "Naval Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Wednesday, 16 April, 1919. Issue 42076, col B, p. 7.