Montague Edward Browning

Admiral SIR Montague Edward Browning, G.C.B., G.C.M.G, G.C.V.O., Royal Navy (18 January, 1863 – 4 November, 1947) was an officer of the Royal Navy during the First World War.

Early Life & Career

Browning was born on 18 January 1863 at Fornham St Martin, Suffolk, the eldest child of Captain Montague Charles Browning, who subsequently became a justice of the peace for Suffolk when living at Manningtree, and his wife, Fanny Allen, daughter of the Reverend Edward Hogg, rector of Fornham St. Martin.

Browning entered the training ship Britannia as a naval cadet in July, 1876 and after two years was appointed Midshipman in the Invincible, Mediterranean station. In September, 1880 he was transferred to the screw corvette Carysfort on special service and served in her as Acting-Lieutenant during the Egyptian campaign of 1882, being awarded the war medal and the Khedive's bronze star. Promoted Sub-Lieutenant in July, 1882 he returned home to the Excellent gunnery school at Portsmouth for examinations and obtained first-class certificates in all subjects. He remained in the Excellent until November, 1884. While doing a year's sea service, he was promoted Lieutenant in June, 1885, and, except for three years as Gunnery Lieutenant in the battleship Dreadnought, he was employed almost continuously in the Excellent until promoted Commander in January, 1897, and then was specially employed on the preparation of a handbook for quick-firing guns. He served as commander in the Prince George, Channel Squadron, from January, 1898, and then in September, 1900 he was chosen to be secretary of the committee which had been appointed by G. J. Goschen to report on the controversy regarding the respective merits of the cylindrical and water-tube types of boiler and on those of the Belleville and other types of water-tube boilers. In 1890 he married Ruth, daughter of Lieutenant-General George Neeld Boldero. They had one daughter.

Captaincy

After promotion to Captain in January, 1902, Browning remained for six months with the committee until the presentation of its first report, and then joined Sir Archibald L. Douglas, Commander-in-Chief on the North America and West Indies Station, as Flag Captain in the Ariadne. In 1905 he became flag captain to Sir Lewis Beaumont at Devonport. In May, 1907 he commissioned the battleship Commonwealth in the Channel Fleet and a year later was transferred to the King Edward VII as chief of staff to Charles Beresford. After Beresford hauled down his flag Browning went on half-pay on 24 March, 1909. Having asked to be considered for command of a first-class battleship, he was appointed to the first ship available, H.M.S. Britannia, on 27 July. At the end of the next year he was given the appointment of Inspector of Target Practice, in recognition of his reputation as a gunnery expert. He continued in this duty after promotion to Rear-Admiral (September, 1911) until August, 1913. While in this role he was criticized for opposing the more accurate system of centralized "director firing" of guns. Browning and others wanted to continue the practice of independent gunlaying, a decision the developer of director firing attributed to "simply professional jealousy" (cited Marder, 1.415). In a letter to Winston Churchill, the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Fisher described Browning as a "Psalm-singing fool."

Great War

Browning then hoisted his flag in the Hibernia as Rear-Admiral in the Third Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet. In July, 1915 he was appointed to the command of the Third Cruiser Squadron, with his flag in the Antrim, which with the Third Battle Squadron had been stationed at Rosyth since the war began. In April, 1916 both squadrons were detached from the Grand Fleet and moved to the Swin (Thames estuary), then returned north after the battle of Jutland. In the King's Birthday Honours of 3 June, 1916, he was appointed a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.).

In August 1916 Browning was appointed commander-in-chief of the North America and West Indies station with the acting rank of vice-admiral with his flag in the Leviathan. In that capacity he represented his country in discussions with the United States naval authorities on joint action in the conduct of the war at sea. He was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral on 26 April, 1917, and in February, 1918 returned to the Grand Fleet to take command of the Fourth Battle Squadron with his flag in the Hercules. After the armistice of November, 1918 he was appointed president of the allied naval armistice commission, and paid visits in the Hercules to the German naval ports to see that the settled terms were duly carried out. The economist J. M. Keynes alleged that Browning had "no idea in his head but the extirpation and further humiliation of a despised and defeated enemy." Browning joined the Board of Admiralty as Second Sea Lord in March, 1919 and was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 1 November. He had no previous experience of administrative work in Whitehall and was more happily placed at Devonport where he became Commander-in-Chief for three years in September, 1920. He was appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King in May, 1925 and placed on the Retired List on 4 October, 1926. He returned to court duty in March, 1929 as Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom, became Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom in February, 1939, and finally retired in June, 1945.

Awards and Legacy

Browning was appointed M.V.O. (1908), C.B. (1916), K.C.B. (1917), G.C.M.G. (1919), G.C.B. (1924), and G.C.V.O. (1933). He held a number of foreign decorations. In 1889 he had the misfortune to lose his left hand through an accident while visiting the Inflexible. Thereafter he wore an iron hook. After retirement he lived near Winchester and became a J.P. and Deputy Lieutenant for Hampshire. He died at his home, Sleepers Hill House, Winchester, Hampshire, on 4 November, 1947 and was buried at Magdalen Hill cemetery, Winchester, on 7 November.

Regarded as a fine type of sea officer, Browning had great natural ability, good brains, and a thorough knowledge of the navy. A stern disciplinarian with a determined character, he was never unfair, and was liked and trusted by his subordinates, in spite of his somewhat grim manner.

Bibliography

• "Admiral Sir Montague Browning" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 6 November, 1947. Issue 50911, col E, pg. 7.
• Baddeley, V. W. (1959). Dictionary of National Biography: 1941-1950 Supplement. London: Oxford University Press.

Service Records

• The National Archives. ADM 196/42.
• The National Archives. ADM 196/20.