Difference between revisions of "William Bowden-Smith"

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==Life & Career==
 
==Life & Career==
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The son of W. Bowden-Smith of Brockenhurst.{{ToL|Vice-Adm. W. Bowden-Smith|March 19, 1962, Issue 55343, p.16}}
  
 
Bowden-Smith was promoted to the rank of {{LieutRN}} on 31 December, 1895.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
 
Bowden-Smith was promoted to the rank of {{LieutRN}} on 31 December, 1895.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
  
He was promoted to the rank of {{CommRN}} on 30 June, 1906.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
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Bowden-Smith ended a year in command of the {{UK-Sylvia|f=t}} in March 1901 and was appointed to {{UK-1Resolution}} in the Channel.  In September he joined the {{UK-Formidable|f=t}}.  In June 1902 he was appointed to the {{UK-1Surprise|f=t}} as first officer, where he would spend a year and a half before being moved to the {{UK-1Crescent|f=t}} as first officer in February 1904, having been granted 30 days leave to England in January after his brother had been killed in Somaliland.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
  
He was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 1 January, 1913.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
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Bowden-Smith stayed in ''Crescent'' until he was promoted to the rank of {{CommRN}} on 30 June, 1906.  He was then sent to the pre-dreadnought {{UK-Bulwark|f=t}}, in which he would spend 28 months.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
  
Bowden-Smith was appointed in command of the {{UK-Russell|f=t}} on 5 December, 1913.{{NLDec14|p. 378''a''}}  He remained in her until her loss on 27 April, 1916.  Following some time as flag captain to the Commander-in-Chief at The Nore, he was made captain of the {{UK-Carnarvon|f=t}} in August 1916.  She paid off in February, 1918 and Bowden-Smith was appointed in command of {{UK-Satellite}} and as Senior Naval Officer, Tyne.
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On 22 November 1910, he was admited to Haslar Hospital with a compound fracture of a finger on his right hand, which would require a partial amputation.  He was in the midst of an appointment to the [[Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth]] at the time.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
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Bowden-Smith was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 1 January, 1913.  In mid-July, he was placed in command of the {{UK-Topaze|f=tp}} for the [[Annual Manoeuvres of 1913]].<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
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 +
Bowden-Smith was appointed in command of the {{UK-Russell|f=t}} on 5 December, 1913.{{NLDec14|p. 378''a''}}  He remained in her until her loss in a minefield near Malta on 27 April, 1916.  Following some time as flag captain to the Commander-in-Chief at The Nore, he was made captain of the {{UK-Carnarvon|f=t}} in August 1916.  He grounded her on Lichfield Shoal in June 1917 and was subjected to a Court of Enquiry on 9 June which found he had committed an error in judgment by placing undue confidence in his navigating officer.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
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''Carnarvon'' paid off in February, 1918 and Bowden-Smith was presently appointed in command of {{UK-Satellite}} and as Senior Naval Officer, Tyne.
  
 
He was promoted to the rank of {{RearRN}} on 2 August, 1923 and placed on the Retired List the following day.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
 
He was promoted to the rank of {{RearRN}} on 2 August, 1923 and placed on the Retired List the following day.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
  
 
He was promoted to the rank of {{ViceRN}} on 5 April, 1928.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
 
He was promoted to the rank of {{ViceRN}} on 5 April, 1928.<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>
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Bowden-Smith died at age 87 in Horsham, Sussex.  He was survived by his wife Ada Margaret (née Sandham), whom he'd married in 1913, and two sons and a daughter.{{ToL|Vice-Adm. W. Bowden-Smith|March 19, 1962, Issue 55343, p.16}}
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==
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<div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}}
 
<div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}}
 
{{TabNaval}}
 
{{TabNaval}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Robert Gwynne Corbett|Robert G. Corbett]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Chamois (1896)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Chamois'']]'''<br>15 Mar, 1900<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 12 March, 1900.  Issue '''36087''', col E, p. 7.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Cecil Foley Lambert|Cecil F. Lambert]]'''}}
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Robert Gwynne Corbett|Robert G. Corbett]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Chamois (1896)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Chamois'']]'''<br>15 Mar, 1900<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 12 March, 1900.  Issue '''36087''', col E, p. 7.</ref><ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref> &ndash; 17 Mar, 1900<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Cecil Foley Lambert|Cecil F. Lambert]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''?'''|'''[[H.M.S. Sylvia (1897)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Sylvia'']]'''<br>9 Oct, 1900{{NLJan01|p. 305}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[John Alexander Ingles|John A. Ingles]]'''}}
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''?'''|'''[[H.M.S. Sylvia (1897)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Sylvia'']]'''<br>17 Mar, 1900<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}} f. 461.</ref> &ndash; 5 Mar, 1901<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[John Alexander Ingles|John A. Ingles]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[George Piercy Leith|George P. Leith]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Topaze (1903)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Topaze'']]'''<br>15 Jul, 1913<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Herbert John Anthony Throckmorton|Herbert J. A. Throckmorton]]'''}}
 
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Herbert Arthur Stevenson Fyler|Herbert A. S. Fyler]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Russell (1901)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Russell'']]'''<br>5 Dec, 1913{{NLOct15|p. 397''t''}} &ndash; 27 Apr, 1916{{HepperLosses|p. 58}}|Succeeded by<br>'''Vessel Lost'''}}
 
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Herbert Arthur Stevenson Fyler|Herbert A. S. Fyler]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Russell (1901)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Russell'']]'''<br>5 Dec, 1913{{NLOct15|p. 397''t''}} &ndash; 27 Apr, 1916{{HepperLosses|p. 58}}|Succeeded by<br>'''Vessel Lost'''}}
 
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Ernest Alfred Taylor|Ernest A. Taylor]]'''|'''[[Nore Station|Flag Captain at the Nore]]'''<br>May, 1916|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Alexander Victor Campbell|Alexander V. Campbell]]'''}}
 
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Ernest Alfred Taylor|Ernest A. Taylor]]'''|'''[[Nore Station|Flag Captain at the Nore]]'''<br>May, 1916|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Alexander Victor Campbell|Alexander V. Campbell]]'''}}
 
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Hugh Thomas Hibbert|Hugh T. Hibbert]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Carnarvon (1903)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Carnarvon'']]'''<br>1 Aug, 1916{{NLNov17|p. 392''e''}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Richard Greville Arthur Wellington Stapleton-Cotton|Richard G. A. W. Stapleton-Cotton]]'''}}
 
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Hugh Thomas Hibbert|Hugh T. Hibbert]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Carnarvon (1903)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Carnarvon'']]'''<br>1 Aug, 1916{{NLNov17|p. 392''e''}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Richard Greville Arthur Wellington Stapleton-Cotton|Richard G. A. W. Stapleton-Cotton]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Edward George Lowther-Crofton|Edward G. Lowther-Crofton]]'''|'''[[Tyne|Senior Naval Officer, Tyne]]'''<br>Mar, 1918 &ndash; 1 Jun, 1919|Succeeded by<br>'''[[George Macgregor Skinner|George M. Skinner]]'''}}
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Edward George Lowther-Crofton|Edward G. Lowther-Crofton]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Satellite (1881)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Satellite'']]'''<br>Mar, 1918<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref> &ndash; 1 Jun, 1919<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[George Macgregor Skinner|George M. Skinner]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Victor Gallafent Gurner|Victor G. Gurner]]'''|'''[[Hong Kong|Commodore in Charge at Hong Kong]]'''<br>Jun, 1920{{MackieRNSA}} &ndash; Jun, 1922{{MackieRNSA}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Henry Edgar Grace|Henry E. Grace]]'''}}
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Edward George Lowther-Crofton|Edward G. Lowther-Crofton]]'''|'''[[Tyne|Senior Naval Officer, Tyne]]'''<br>Mar, 1918<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref> &ndash; 1 Jun, 1919<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}}  f. 461.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[George Macgregor Skinner|George M. Skinner]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Victor Gallafent Gurner|Victor G. Gurner]]'''|'''[[Hong Kong|Commodore in Charge at Hong Kong]]'''<br>1 Apr, 1920<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}} f. 461.</ref> &ndash; 20 Apr, 1922<ref>Bowden-Smith Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/43/415.|}} f. 461.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Henry Edgar Grace|Henry E. Grace]]'''}}
 
{{TabEnd}}
 
{{TabEnd}}
 
</div name=fredbot:appts>
 
</div name=fredbot:appts>

Revision as of 11:04, 8 January 2019

Vice-Admiral (retired) William Bowden-Smith, C.B.E. (28 March, 1874 – 17 March, 1962) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

The son of W. Bowden-Smith of Brockenhurst.[1]

Bowden-Smith was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 31 December, 1895.[2]

Bowden-Smith ended a year in command of the destroyer Sylvia in March 1901 and was appointed to Resolution in the Channel. In September he joined the battleship Formidable. In June 1902 he was appointed to the third class protected cruiser Surprise as first officer, where he would spend a year and a half before being moved to the first class protected cruiser Crescent as first officer in February 1904, having been granted 30 days leave to England in January after his brother had been killed in Somaliland.[3]

Bowden-Smith stayed in Crescent until he was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1906. He was then sent to the pre-dreadnought battleship Bulwark, in which he would spend 28 months.[4]

On 22 November 1910, he was admited to Haslar Hospital with a compound fracture of a finger on his right hand, which would require a partial amputation. He was in the midst of an appointment to the Royal Naval Barracks, Portsmouth at the time.[5]

Bowden-Smith was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 January, 1913. In mid-July, he was placed in command of the third class protected cruiser H.M.S. Topaze for the Annual Manoeuvres of 1913.[6]

Bowden-Smith was appointed in command of the battleship Russell on 5 December, 1913.[7] He remained in her until her loss in a minefield near Malta on 27 April, 1916. Following some time as flag captain to the Commander-in-Chief at The Nore, he was made captain of the armoured cruiser Carnarvon in August 1916. He grounded her on Lichfield Shoal in June 1917 and was subjected to a Court of Enquiry on 9 June which found he had committed an error in judgment by placing undue confidence in his navigating officer.[8]

Carnarvon paid off in February, 1918 and Bowden-Smith was presently appointed in command of Satellite and as Senior Naval Officer, Tyne.

He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 2 August, 1923 and placed on the Retired List the following day.[9]

He was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral on 5 April, 1928.[10]

Bowden-Smith died at age 87 in Horsham, Sussex. He was survived by his wife Ada Margaret (née Sandham), whom he'd married in 1913, and two sons and a daughter.[11]

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Robert G. Corbett
Captain of H.M.S. Chamois
15 Mar, 1900[12][13] – 17 Mar, 1900[14]
Succeeded by
Cecil F. Lambert
Preceded by
?
Captain of H.M.S. Sylvia
17 Mar, 1900[15] – 5 Mar, 1901[16]
Succeeded by
John A. Ingles
Preceded by
George P. Leith
Captain of H.M.S. Topaze
15 Jul, 1913[17]
Succeeded by
Herbert J. A. Throckmorton
Preceded by
Herbert A. S. Fyler
Captain of H.M.S. Russell
5 Dec, 1913[18] – 27 Apr, 1916[19]
Succeeded by
Vessel Lost
Preceded by
Ernest A. Taylor
Flag Captain at the Nore
May, 1916
Succeeded by
Alexander V. Campbell
Preceded by
Hugh T. Hibbert
Captain of H.M.S. Carnarvon
1 Aug, 1916[20]
Succeeded by
Richard G. A. W. Stapleton-Cotton
Preceded by
Edward G. Lowther-Crofton
Captain of H.M.S. Satellite
Mar, 1918[21] – 1 Jun, 1919[22]
Succeeded by
George M. Skinner
Preceded by
Edward G. Lowther-Crofton
Senior Naval Officer, Tyne
Mar, 1918[23] – 1 Jun, 1919[24]
Succeeded by
George M. Skinner
Preceded by
Victor G. Gurner
Commodore in Charge at Hong Kong
1 Apr, 1920[25] – 20 Apr, 1922[26]
Succeeded by
Henry E. Grace

Footnotes

  1. "Vice-Adm. W. Bowden-Smith." The Times (London, England), March 19, 1962, Issue 55343, p.16.
  2. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  3. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  4. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  5. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  6. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  7. The Navy List. (December, 1914). p. 378a.
  8. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  9. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  10. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  11. "Vice-Adm. W. Bowden-Smith." The Times (London, England), March 19, 1962, Issue 55343, p.16.
  12. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 12 March, 1900. Issue 36087, col E, p. 7.
  13. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  14. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  15. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  16. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  17. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  18. The Navy List. (October, 1915). p. 397t.
  19. Hepper. British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era: 1860-1919. p. 58.
  20. The Navy List. (November, 1917). p. 392e.
  21. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  22. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  23. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  24. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  25. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.
  26. Bowden-Smith Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/43/415. f. 461.