Difference between revisions of "Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax"

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Admiral THE HONOURABLE SIR Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax, K.C.B., D.S.O., Royal Navy (22 August, 1880 – 16 October, 1967) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early Life & Career

Drax was born Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett in London on 28 August, 1880, the second son of John William Plunkett, later Seventeenth Baron of Dunsany, and his wife, Ernle Elizabeth Louisa Maria Grosvenor Burton. He was the younger brother of the future Eighteenth Baron of Dunsany and in 1916 on inheriting estates from his mother he assumed by Royal Licence the additional names of Ernle-Erle-Drax. Thenceforth he was usually known by the surname of Drax.

From Cheam School he joined the Royal Navy, being appointed to the training ship Britannia on 15 July, 1894. He was rated Midshipman immediately on 15 July, 1896, and on 18 August he joined the battleship Revenge in the Particular Service Squadron. He remained in Revenge until 13 December, 1898, when he returned to Britain. On 15 March, 1899, he was appointed to Impregnable for Pilot, where he remained until 1 July, joining the battleship Magnificent in the Channel Squadron. He obtained a First Class certificate in his Seamanship examination with 921 marks on 15 January, 1900, and was promoted Acting Sub-Lieutenant from that date. On 9 February he was appointed for study at the Royal Naval College, Greenwich. His studies were broken by an appointment to H.M.S. Blenheim for the annual manœuvres on 10 July. He obtained a first class certificate in Parts I and II of the College examinations (Navigation) in April and July, 1900, a first in Pilotage in October, a first in Gunnery in January, 1901, and a first in Torpedo in March. For attaining five first class certificates he was awarded a £10 prize.

Lieutenant

Plunkett was appointed to H.M.S. Jupiter on 22 March, 1901, and on 4 November he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant, dated 15 January.^[1] He had been awarded a certificate of efficiency by Captain Sir A. Berkeley Milne, Bart., in September. On 26 November he was appointed to the sloop Rinaldo on the China Station. He remained in her until 28 June, 1903, when he was superseded, and returned to Britain to qualify in Torpedo duties.

On 1 September, 1903, Plunkett was appointed to H.M.S. Vernon at Portsmouth, the home of the torpedo branch. On 31 August, 1904, he qualified as a torpedo officer, with 1661 out of 1900 marks. On 1 September he was reappointed to Vernon for service on the Junior Staff of the school. Around this time he met Admiral Sir John Fisher, the Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth, and recalled the incident in correspondence with Arthur Marder:

I met Fisher only once when, as a very junior Lieutenant, I was bidden to dine with the C. in C. at Admiralty House, Portsmouth because some friends of mine were staying there. After dinner we sat down to play bridge and I somehow found myself as the partner of the great man. In one hand that I had to play I succeeded, mostly by luck, in winning a grand slam, on which Jackie said "good lad: your promotion is assured", to which I replied "Thank you sir, it's a bargain".^[2]

Plunkett remained on the staff of Vernon until 8 May, 1905, when he was appointed Lieutenant (T) of the armoured cruiser Bacchante, then in Reserve. On 5 September he joined the cruiser Roxburgh of the First Cruiser Squadron as Lieutenant (T). He was temporarily relieved as torpedo lieutenant from 18 July, 1906, when he went on sick leave suffering from synovitis. He was found fit on 7 December and returned to Roxburgh.

He was appointed on 1 April, 1907, Lieutenant (T) additional for W.T. duties in H.M.S. King Edward VII, flagship of Admiral Lord Charles Beresford, Commander-in-Chief, Channel Fleet. There he remained until 28 July, 1908, when he was appointed to Vernon to requalify in torpedo duties. On 29 September he was appointed to the Royal Naval War College at Portsmouth. There he placed first out of six lieutenants in order of merit, and consequently was sent to the Army Staff College, Camberley, from 22 January to 23 July, 1909. Dr. Robert S. Davison opines that this latter appointment "was extremely unusual duty for a naval officer, especially considering the often strained relations between the Admiralty and the War Office."^[3] Plunkett was actually one of seven officers to study at Camberley before the war. The strained relations referred to by Davison weren't the problem (if indeed they were a problem at all). In reality it simply wasn't practical to spare junior officers for courses of study at Camberley, which usually lasted two years, rather than the six months' course Plunkett undertook.

On 31 July, 1909, he again requalified at Vernon, and on 27 December was appointed Lieutenant (T) of H.M.S. Cressy in the Home Fleet. On 10 May, 1910, he became Lieutenant (T) of H.M.S. Natal. He was appointed First Lieutenant and Torpedo Lieutenant (First & T) on 27 June, 1911.

With superb conceit, Plunkett wrote in his diary in 1912:

I cannot help thinking that Richmond, Dewar, I and a few others must try to undertake the regeneration of the British Navy.^[4]

On 30 June, 1912, Plunkett was promoted to the rank of Commander.^[5]

Drax was appointed C.B. in 1928 and K.C.B. in 1934. In 1916 he married Kathleen (died 1980), daughter of Quintin Chalmers, MD, and sister of Lieutenant (later Rear-Admiral) W. S. Chalmers. Drax died in Poole on 16 October, 1967.

Footnotes

Bibliography

Papers

Service Record