Frederic Charles Dreyer

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Admiral SIR Frederic Charles Dreyer, G.B.E., K.C.B., Royal Navy (8 January, 1878 – 11 December, 1956) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the First World War. He is chiefly known as the inventor of the Dreyer Fire Control Table, a fire control device which in varying forms equipped the majority of British dreadnoughts from 1911 to 1948. Dreyer, the son of the Danish-born astronomer J. L. E. Dreyer, joined the navy in 1891 and specialised in gunnery duties. In 1903 he fell under the wing of Vice-Admiral Sir Arthur K. Wilson. He was highly regarded within the Navy as its foremost gunnery expert, and became a devoted friend of John Jellicoe, serving as his Flag Captain at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. After the war he appeared destined for great things, but his abrasive personality and later determination to exonerate the Board of Admiralty of which he was a member of all blame during the Invergordon Mutiny presented an opportunity for his detractors to sideline him. Having retired in 1939, he saw varied active service during the Second World War as a Commodore of Convoys, liason officer with the British Army, Inspector of Merchant Navy Gunnery and finally as Chief of Air Services at the Admiralty.

Early Life & Career

Frederic Charles Dreyer was born on 8 January, 1878, in Parsonstown (now Birr) in the King's County, Ireland (now County Offaly). His father was Danish-born John Louis Emil Dreyer, astronomer to the Fourth Earl of Rosse. When he was eight months old the Dreyer family moved to Dunsink near Dublin upon John Dreyer's appointment to the Dunsink Observatory. In August, 1882, John Dreyer was appointed Director of the Armagh Observatory and the family moved to Ulster. He was educated with his two brothers, John and George, at home by governesses until he was sent to the Royal School, Armagh. In 1890 Dreyer "expressed a strong desire to become a naval officer" and his father was able to secure a nomination from the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord George Hamilton. He passed the entrance examination in June, 1891 and on 15 July 1891 was appointed to the training ship Britannia at Dartmouth.[1]

After "a grand time" in Britannia he passed out with First Classes in all subjects in July, 1893,[2] fifth out of his term of fifty-eight.[3] He was rated Midshipman on 15 July, 1893, having gained twelve months' time (service) in Britannia.[4] On 12 September he was appointed to the battleship Anson which was recommissioning for service in the Mediterranean Fleet. Anson left Chatham on 14 October for Malta. The usual drill consisted of rigging torpedo net defence, sailing races and occasional target practice and torpedo firings. At his first annual rifle practice Dreyer was recognised as a potential marksman and joined the ship's rifle team. At a rifle meeting in March 1895 he competed against a number of others in a 200-yard rapid-fire contest, and drew with the Commander of the flagship, Commander John Jellicoe.[5] Dreyer recounted in his memoirs,

Every time the targets appeared there was an outburst of rapid firing, except from Commander Jellicoe. He fired one shot each time—a well-aimed shot. I could see from the splash of each bullet in the butt that he was hitting his target.
When he had done this on seven occasions, firing each round with the utmost coolness and precision, I waited in anxiety, realising that if his target appeared an eighth time he would be the winner. It just failed to do so. Commander Jellicoe and Midshipman Dreyer tied, each with seven hits. What a lesson! Jellicoe had fired to hit, not merely in the hope of hitting. I never forgot this, my first meeting with Jellicoe, and the first of many lessons from him.[6]

In June, 1895 Dreyer was awarded 1st Prize for German in the examination of junior officers afloat. He passed in Seamanship with a First Class Certificate, with 904 marks. In his Lieutenant's examinations at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich, in September, 1897 in Part I he obtained a Second Class Certificate with 931 marks, and in November, 1897, a First Class in Part II with 1,690. In February, 1898 he took a Second Class Certificate in Pilotage with 833 marks; in April he received a First Class in Gunnery with 543 and in May a First Class in Torpedo with 184 marks.[4] On 27 May 1898, Dreyer was confirmed in the rank of Sub-Lieutenant, dated 15 January, 1897.[7] He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 July.[8]

Dreyer applied to specialise in Gunnery duties and was given a good recommendation by Captain Groome and consequently was given a place on the course.[9] According to his Service Record, Dreyer's term of service in Repulse ended on 8 May, 1899 while in his memoirs he gives the date as 25 September. He was attached to Excellent for the duration of the course, which began on 30 September. By his account, he was one of eighteen officers who joined the Royal Naval College, Greenwich to qualify in Gunnery, with twelve who were studying to qualify in torpedo duties. By his own account, he passed with a First Class certificate for Gunnery Officer on 25 June, 1901. He then left Portsmouth on the train, picking up at the next station Lieutenant Francis H. Mitchell, his best man for his wedding.[9] The next day, 26 June, Dreyer married Una Maria Hallett, the only daughter of the Reverend J. T. Hallett. The wedding took place at Bishop's Tachbrooke Church, and was conducted by the Reverend Canon E. A. Waller.[10] His brother-in-law was Theodore J. Hallett,[11] who rose to flag rank in the Royal Navy.[12] According to Dreyer's Service Record, he actually passed his final Gunnery examination on 8 July. On 9 July he was appointed to Wildfire for service on the Junior Staff of Sheerness Gunnery School, and on 16 July he was appointed gunnery officer of Scylla for the annual manœuvres. After Scylla was paid off, Dreyer was appointed to the Royal Naval College at Greenwich for a three month advanced course in mathematics, and he and his wife moved to Blackheath.[13][4] In his own words:

We learned under very high pressure advanced mathematics, physics, and quantitative chemistry. Mr. Chalmers, recently assistant to the Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, where he had also been a coach, told us that we were being taught in three months by Professor Lambert what undergraduates at Cambridge reading for an honours degree would take more than a year to cover.[14]

In January, 1902 Dreyer took up his post at Sheerness and he and his wife took rooms in a house on the sea-front. In his own words his "duties at times involved going to sea with firing classes in gunboats and destroyers. This, incidentally, gave me good practice in pilotage." That year Dreyer competed for the first time at Bisley in the United Services Cup, as part of the Royal Navy's rifle-shooting team. He had come fourth in the Navy's qualifying meet at Sheerness. The Navy came third, after the the Army and the Volunteers, but Dreyer entered for Lord Wantage's Prize in rapid-fire shooting with service rifles, and came joint first with a Sergeant-Major.[15] Dreyer remained at the Sheerness Gunnery School until 12 August, 1902, when he was lent as gunnery officer to the cruiser Hawke for a trooping trip to the Mediterranean. he was appointed to the battleship Hood in the Mediterranean on 23 September, but the ship's rudder had been damaged and the ship proceeded home to be repaired and paid off at Plymouth. Dreyer was reappointed to the Hawke on 13 January, 1903 and after another trooping voyage to Malta she was paid off on 12 March. On 13 March he was appointed to the staff of H.M.S. Excellent, then under the command of Captain Percy M. Scott, for whom Dreyer has nothing but praise in his memoirs. After two months at Excellent, Scott submitted Dreyer's name for appointment as gunnery officer to the new battleship Exmouth, which appointment he received on 2 June.[4][16]

Commander

Dreyer was promoted to the rank of Commander in the half yearly promotions of 31 December 1907.[17]

On 10 March, 1908 Fisher wrote to Julian Corbett noting that Dreyer had "the brain of a Newton!" but that "only 1 in a 100 could understand him."[18]

Jellicoe, now a Vice-Admiral appointed to command the Atlantic Fleet, wrote to Dreyer offering him the position of Flag Commander. Jellicoe had also written to Dreyer's captain, J. B. Eustace. "I told him I was loth to leave the Vanguard, but since the appointment would lead to others, I told him I would like to accept it. He agreed, and Commander E. O. Ballantyne was appointed to relieve me."[19] He was appointed to Jellicoe's flagship Prince of Wales on 20 December, 1910 and from 19 December, 1911 he served in the new dreadnought Hercules, appointments which established their "long and close connection which has been so valuable to me" (Jellicoe). A midshipman in Hercules, Stewart Arnold Pears (later Rear-Admiral), later wrote:

Dreyer, as a Commander, was of a contrasting type [to Jellicoe]. Tall, with a large head and brain, he was intolerant of lesser men. He would "fly off the handle" not just over a mistake, which might be understandable, but over the slightest hesitation in carrying out an often complicated instruction. He seemed to expect nothing but idiocy from his junior staff and while we admired his ability and devotion to his task we kept out of his way as much as we could. I remember being used as a "living" blast gauge before such things were invented. He had a wife and family but I do not recall any sight or sign of their existence during the year or more that I served in the same ship with him before the war. Later, my wife and I got to know them well and we have been in contact with one or another until quite recently. Meanwhile I encountered a mellowed Dreyer from time to time; on the last occasion before his death we reminisced over the early days in the friendliest manner.[20]

On 30 June 1913 Dreyer was promoted to the rank of Captain in the half yearly promotions.[21]

In the King's Birthday Honours of 22 June 1914 Dreyer was appointed a Companion of the Civil Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath.[22]

While in Orion, Sub-Lieutenant (later Admiral Sir) Angus Cunninghame Graham wrote of Dreyer:

Freddy Dreyer, the Captain, was quite a different type [compared to Arbuthnot], efficient, clever, one who did much for the Navy's gunnery and who rightly rose to high rank. He could be described as a caricature of the Navy's stock notion of a gunnery officer, an idea which does not fit most gunnery officers whom I have known, who were nice, able, normal people. Freddy did not inspire the lovable awe in which we held Sir Robert. He was obviously scared of his Admiral and seemed unwilling to assert his rights as a captain of his own ship in which Sir Robert was only a rather formidable lodger.[23]

First World War

After being mentioned in Jellicoe's Jutland Despatch, Dreyer was appointed a Companion of the Military Division of the Order of the Bath.[24] In 1917 he was awarded the Russian Order of St Anne, Second Class (with Swords).[25]

Director of Naval Ordnance

Due to his efforts in pushing through the design and production of new shells for the Grand Fleet's dreadnoughts, Beatty in a letter to Wemyss on 3 June described Dreyer as "a most exceptional man". Having learnt that Dreyer was to be given a sea-going command, he urged both Geddes and Wemyss that Dreyer ought to remain at the Admiralty because "there is nobody to take his place."[26]

Post-war service

For "valuable services rendered during the War" Dreyer was appointed Commander of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (C.B.E.) on 1 January, 1919.[27] Also in recognition of his services was the award of the American Distinguished Service Medal,[28] Japanese Order of the Rising Sun, Second Class.[29]

Dreyer was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 12 December, 1923, vice Rear-Admiral Alderson.[30]

In a lecture at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich on 23 June, 1924, entitled "Study of War & of the Conduct of Naval Operations", Dreyer declared:

The Tactical encounter is the culminating act in war and is therefore of supreme importance, for though bad strategy may be redeemed by successful tactics, there is no remedy for defeat in battle.[31]

Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff

Dreyer succeeded Rear-Admiral Arthur K. Waistell as Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff on 9 October, 1924.[32]

Giving evidence before the Colwyn Committee on 12 November, 1925, Dreyer declared that the Royal Navy did not want:

[a] corps separate from the Royal Navy, possessing its own sources of supply, administration, recruitment ..... On the contrary, the Naval Air Arm will be one with the Royal Navy in all the above important points ..... an integral part of the Navy as a whole.[33]

Admiral Commanding, Battle Cruiser Squadron

Dreyer succeeded Fuller as Rear-Admiral Commanding the Battle Cruiser Squadron on 21 May, 1927, and hoisted his flag in the Hood the following day.[34]

Presumably while in command of the Battle Cruiser Squadron, Dreyer proposed the concept of group shadowing known as the "elastic ring", so that light forces, supported by battle cruisers, could shadow a heavier enemy force.[35]

On 1 March, 1929 Dreyer was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral, vice Vice-Admiral A. P. Addison.[36]

Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff

On 30 June, 1930, Dreyer succeeded Vice-Admiral Sir William Fisher as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff, with responsibility for the Plans, Operations and Intelligence Divisions of the Naval Staff, as well as the Hydrographic Department of the Admiralty.[37]

Invergordon

After the "mutiny" heads began to roll. Captain J. F. C. Patterson of Hood was relieved at the first opportunity. Captain R. M. Bellairs of Rodney and Captain A. D. H. Dibben of Adventure weren't given another sea-going command when their ships paid off. Captain F. B. Watson of Nelson went to command the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy as planned and retired afterwards. Captain C. B. Prickett of Norfolk was denied command of H.M.S. Excellent, the Navy's foremost gunnery school. Rear-Admiral J. C. W. Henley was retired on promotion to Vice-Admiral and Rear-Admiral C. V. Usborne retired after his term as Director of Naval Intelligence ended.[38]

The Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth, Sir Hubert Brand, said of Dreyer:

The question of Kelly's successor I approach with great diffidence. I have the greatest admiration for Dreyer's technical, professional and administrative abilities, but I do not think he should be selected for this command under the circumstances. He is not very human and for some reason he has lost the confidence of a good many of his juniors and I believe his selection for the Atlantic Fleet would be unpopular with officers and men.[39]

Tyrwhitt and Waistell concurred in Brand's assessment. The Home Ports Commanders-in-Chief eventually agreed that Dreyer should be sent to command the China Station after his term as D.C.N.S. ended. One of only two contributions from Field on Invergordon which were recorded concerned Dreyer. The First Sea Lord emphasised Dreyer's exceptional service record and his tenure as D.C.N.S., but the three admirals remained firm and Dreyer was denied command of the Atlantic Fleet.[40] Dreyer himself recounted in his memoirs that he had been prevented "from becoming C.-in-C. Atlantic Fleet, which deprived me of subsequent chances of promotion."[41]

In his memoirs, Admiral Sir William James, who succeded Dreyer as D.C.N.S., wrote:

… I have never understood why Sir Frederick [sic] Dreyer was a victim, because no papers on personnel matters ever reach the holder of that office. He was given the China Command, but if there had been no mutiny he would have commanded a main fleet and probably held other high appointments.[42]

In the King's Birthday Honours of 3 June 1932 Dreyer was promoted Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath and knighted.[43]

On 31 December, 1932 Dreyer was promoted to the rank of Admiral, vice Admiral Bertram S. Thesiger.[44]

China Station

In the King's Coronation Honours, Dreyer was advanced to Knight Grand Cross Commander of the Military Division of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) on 11 May, 1937.[45]

Dreyer was placed on the Retired List on 15 May 1939.[46]

Second World War service

Upon the outbreak of the Second World War in September, 1939 Dreyer offered his services to the Admiralty as a Commodore of Convoys. His offer was accepted and he attended a course at the Admiralty "on the organisation for forming convoys at various ports and the orders, manuals, and signal books issued for the conduct of convoys at sea, including their defence by ships and aircraft of the Royal Navy and of Coastal Command. The course also dealt with the installation of weapons, life-saving rafts, and bridge protection, the supply of signalling gear, smoke-making apparatus, the fitting of communications from bridges to engine-rooms, the training of guns' crews in merchant ships, and other matters." A dozen other retired admirals took the course at the same time. Dreyer was appointed a Commodore, Second Class in the Royal Naval Reserve on 15 September.[47] Accompanied by his signal staff of three Royal Navy signalmen he sailed with his first convoy from Southend-on-Sea for Liverpool on 13 October, and proceeded to St Johns, Newfoundland on 25 October in command of Convoy O.B. 25.[48]

Family Service

During the war, Dreyer's three sons all served in the Royal Navy. The eldest, Richard Christopher John Dreyer, served as Gunnery Officer of the ships Hobart, Valiant and Renown. The second son, Desmond Parry Dreyer (1910 - 2003), served as Gunnery Officer of the light cruiser Ajax at the Battle of the River Plate and later as Assistant Fleet Gunnery Officer for the Home Fleet in King George V, and as Gunnery Officer in Duke of York. Dreyer's youngest son, Raymond Garnier served as Executive Officer of the destroyer Avon Vale and Signal Officer of the light cruiser Scylla.[49]

Retirement

Dreyer died on Tuesday 11 December at Winchester aged seventy-eight years old.[50] His funeral took place at Winchester Cathedral on Saturday, 17 December. His coffin was carried to the Cathedral on a gun carriage and escorted by a party from H.M.S. Excellent. The pallbearers were Admirals of the Fleet Sir Charles Forbes, Lord Cunningham and Sir Arthur Power, Admirals Sir Wilfred French, Sir Vaughan Monroe and Sir William Andrewes, and Vice-Admirals Sir James Pipon and Sir Richard Bell Davies. He was afterwards cremated and his ashes scattered on the sea off Portsmouth from H.M.S. Dundas.[51] Shortly before his death, on 30 November, he had been guest of honour at a gunnery officers' dinner held at Excellent.[52] Admiral Sir William James, who was present, wrote to The Times that those who attended "will long remember the speech of the principal guest. The younger generation then realized why Frederic Dreyer had, in his day, been such a power in the Navy."[53] A memorial service was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields church, London, on 4 January 1957.[54]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 25.
  2. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 26.
  3. ↑ Roskill. Admiral of the Fleet Earl Beatty. p. 64.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Dreyer Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/44. p. 353.
  5. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. pp. 26-27.
  6. ↑ Quoted in Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 27.
  7. ↑ London Gazette: no. 29673. p. 3388. 31 May, 1898.
  8. ↑ London Gazette: no. 26988. p. 4354. 19 July, 1898.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 31.
  10. ↑ "Marriages" (Marriages). The Times. Saturday, 29 June, 1901. Issue 36494, col A, pg. 1.
  11. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 287.
  12. ↑ "Vice-Adml. Sir T. Hallett" (Obituaries). The Times. Monday, 3 June, 1957. Issue 53857, col C, pg. 14.
  13. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 32.
  14. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 32.
  15. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. pp. 32-33.
  16. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. pp. 33-34.
  17. ↑ London Gazette: no. 28096. p. 34. 3 January, 1908.
  18. ↑ Quoted in Brooks. Dreadnought Gunnery at the Battle of Jutland. p. 144.
  19. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 62.
  20. ↑ Pears. Jellicoe and Beatty As Commanders-in-Chief, Grand Fleet. pp. 4-5.
  21. ↑ London Gazette: no. 28733. p. 4640. 1 July, 1913.
  22. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28842. p. 4876. 19 June, 1914.
  23. ↑ Cunninghame Graham. Random Naval Recollections. p. 22.
  24. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29751. p. 9070. 15 September, 1916.
  25. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30316. p. 10157. 1 October, 1917.
  26. ↑ Roskill. Earl Beatty. p. 260.
  27. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31099. p. 111. 31 December, 1918.
  28. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31553. p. 11583. 16 September, 1919.
  29. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31811. p. 2865. 5 March, 1920.
  30. ↑ London Gazette: no. 32894. p. 51. 1 January, 1924.
  31. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 1/8658/69. Quoted in Moretz. The Capital Ship Controversy in the Royal Navy. p. 274.
  32. ↑ "Flag Officers' Posts" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 19 June, 1924. Issue 43682, col E, pg. 7.
  33. ↑ The National Archives. ADM 116/2374. Quoted in Till. The Impact of Airpower on the Royal Navy in the 1920s. p. 312.
  34. ↑ "Naval and Military" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 21 May, 1927. Issue 44587, col G, pg. 9.
  35. ↑ Moretz. The Capital Ship Controversy in the Royal Navy. p. 309.
  36. ↑ London Gazette: no. 33747. p. 1575. 5 March, 1929.
  37. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 291.
  38. ↑ Divine. Mutiny at Invergordon. p. 237.
  39. ↑ Quoted in Divine. Mutiny at Invergordon. p. 234.
  40. ↑ Divine. Mutiny at Invergordon. pp. 234-235.
  41. ↑ Quoted in Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 297.
  42. ↑ James. The Sky was Always Blue. p. 162.
  43. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 33831. p. 3569. 31 May, 1932.
  44. ↑ London Gazette: no. 33900. p. 127. 6 January, 1933.
  45. ↑ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34396. p. 3084. 11 May, 1937.
  46. ↑ London Gazette: no. 34627. p. 3381. 19 May, 1939.
  47. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 353.
  48. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. pp. 354-355.
  49. ↑ Dreyer. Sea Heritage. p. 463.
  50. ↑ "Adml. Sir F. C. Dreyer" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 12 December, 1956. Issue 53712, col E, pg. 12.
  51. ↑ "Funeral" (Deaths). The Times. Monday, 17 December, 1956. Issue 53716, col B, pg. 8.
  52. ↑ "Court Circular" (Court and Social). The Times. Saturday, 1 December, 1956. Issue 53703, col B, pg. 8.
  53. ↑ "Sir Frederic Dreyer" (Obituaries). The Times. Saturday, 22 December, 1956. Issue 53721, col F, pg. 8.
  54. ↑ "Memorial Services" (Deaths). The Times. Saturday, 5 January, 1957. Issue 53731, col B, pg. 8.

Bibliography

  • Template:BibBrooksDreadnoughtGunnery
  • Cunninghame Grahame, Admiral Sir Angus Edward Malise Bontine (1979). Random Naval Recollections, 1905–1951. Gartochan, Dumbartonshire: Famedram Publishers Limited.
  • Dreyer, Admiral Sir Frederic Charles (1955). The Sea Heritage. London: Museum Press.
  • Template:BibJamesSky
  • Roskill, Captain Stephen Wentworth (1968). Naval Policy between the Wars. Vol II. The Period of Reluctant Rearmament, 1929-1939. London: Collins.

Service Record


Naval Office
Preceded by
Arthur Craig 		In Command, H.M.S. Orion
1914 – 1915 		Succeeded by
Oliver Backhouse
Preceded by
Roger Backhouse 		In Command, H.M.S. Iron Duke
1915 – 1916 		Succeeded by
Ernle Chatfield
Preceded by
Dudley Pound 		In Command, H.M.S. Repulse
1922 – 1923 		Succeeded by
Henry Parker
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