Difference between revisions of "George Holmes Borrett"

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Revision as of 10:24, 24 August 2012

Admiral George Holmes Borrett, C.B., Royal Navy, Retired (10 March, 1868 – 10 June, 1952) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Borrett scored 1,322 marks in the competitive examinations for cadetships in the Royal Navy, coming third out of his batch of twenty.[1]

Borrett was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 13 November, 1889.[2]

Borrett was specially promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1901, for services in China.[3]

Borrett was promoted to the rank of Captain on 31 December, 1906.[4]

He was appointed command of the battlecruiser Indefatigable on 23 January, 1908.[5]

Great War

At the outbreak of war, he was in command of Warrior, operating with the First Cruiser Squadron in the Mediterranean.[6]

He commanded the dreadnought Monarch at the Battle of Jutland.

On 5 October, 1917, he was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V, vice Ley.[7] He was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 1 January, 1918.[8] He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 16 August.[9]

Post-War

Borrett was appointed Rear-Admiral Commanding the Fifth Light Cruiser Squadron, dated 1 March, 1919.[10]

He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 14 October, 1923, vice Colomb.[11] He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 17 February, 1925.[12]

He was advanced to the rank of Admiral on the Retired List on 1 August, 1927.[13]

Assessment

Speaking to Captain Herbert W. Richmond in 1917, Borrett apparently said of Jutland, "We had them [the Germans] stone cold & we let them go."[14] Accepting that this conversation took place, this writer has been unable to find among the Jutland papers any mention of Captain Borrett hauling Monarch out of the line after the Germans, or of him signalling his immediate superior in the battle line, Rear-Admiral Leveson, suggesting that he do the same. — SIMON HARLEY, Co-editor.

Footnotes

  1. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 27 June, 1881. Issue 30231, col E, pg. 8.
  2. London Gazette: no. 25994. p. 6135. 19 November, 1889.
  3. London Gazette: no. 27263. p. 82. 4 January, 1901.
  4. London Gazette: no. 27982. p. 31. 1 January, 1907.
  5. The Navy List (October, 1908). p. 331.
  6. Corbett. Naval Operations. Volume I. p. 440.
  7. London Gazette: no. 30343. p. 10762. 19 October, 1917.
  8. London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30451. p. 80. 1 January, 1918.
  9. Borrett Service Record. f. 505.
  10. "End of Grand Fleet" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 3 April, 1919. Issue 42065, col D, pg. 13.
  11. London Gazette: no. 32886. p. 8537. 7 December, 1923.
  12. London Gazette: no. 33025. p. 1426. 27 February, 1925.
  13. London Gazette: no. 33300. p. 5105. 5 August, 1927.
  14. Diary entry for 4 May, 1917. Quoted in Marder. Portrait of an Admiral. p. 247.

Bibliography

  • "Admiral G. H. Borrett" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 11 June, 1952. Issue 52335, col D, pg. 8.

Service Records

Naval Appointments
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