An influential membership: The Society for Nautical Research, 1911–1913

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Notes

¹ H. Murphy and D. J. Oddy, The Mirror of the Seas: A centenary history of the Society for Nautical Research (London, 2010). This is not an arbitrary date as the outbreak of the First World War occasioned the suspension of the Society's monthly journal, The Mariner's Mirror by September 1914. No membership list survives for December 1914. See (Sir) A. H. Moore, ‘The beginning of the SNR’, The Mariner's Mirror, 44:4 (1955), 267–80, and A. B. Sainsbury, ‘The origins of the Society for Nautical Research’, The Mariner's Mirror, 80:4 (1994), 450–8, and also, R. Harding, ‘Organizational Life Cycles, the SNR and Maritime History’, The Mariner's Mirror, 97:2 (2011), 5–20.

² For Sir Clements R. Markham, see Admiral Albert H. Markham, The Life of Sir Clements R. Markham (London, 1917). For extensive obituaries of him see Royal Geographical Journal, 47:3 (1917), 161–76. Markham was president of the RGS from 1893–1905 and of the Hakluyt Society from 1889–1909. He died tragically on 30 Jan. 1916 after accidentally setting fire to his bedclothes when reading in bed by candlelight. For Julian Corbett, see D. M. Schurman, Julian S. Corbett, 1854–1922 (London, 1981).

³ The Navy Records Society was founded in 1883. See appendices for full membership lists, 1911–13. For Knox-Laughton, see, A. D. Lambert (1998) The Foundations of Naval History: John Knox Laughton, the Royal Navy and the historical profession (London, 1998). Bridge was a critic of Sir John ‘Jacky’ Fisher (1841–1920, as was another prominent naval member, Admiral Sir Reginald Custance (1847–1935).

⁴ Leonard George Carr Laughton, son of Professor Sir John Knox Laughton by his first wife, evidently shared his eminent father's passion for maritime history. He also studied archaeology and etymology and contributed three long chapters to Laird Clowes's, The Royal Navy.

⁵ Brindley was a demonstrator in elementary biology at St John's College, Cambridge, 1915–26, then was university demonstrator in zoology until 1934 and a Fellow of St John's.

⁶ C. N. Robinson was for 43 years naval correspondent of The Times.

⁷ For example, C. N. Robinson and J. Leyland, In The Queen's Navee: The adventures of a colonial cadet on his way to the ‘Britannia’, illustrated by Walter W. May, (New York, 1892). Leyland was a naval historian and a travel writer and remained an active member of the Society until his death.

⁸ Although Cardiff-born to Cornish parents, Nance later returned to Cornwall and became a leading authority on the Cornish language, he was also a prolific contributor to The Mariner's Mirror.

⁹ A physician and author, Moore was highly influential in the formation of the Society and contributed to the first issue of The Mariner's Mirror.

¹⁰ Anderson first became Hon. Editor of The Mariner's Mirror in 1913–23, and again in 1931–2 and 1939–46. He was a noted author on sailing ships and a prolific contributor to The Mariner's Mirror.

¹¹ Educated at King's College School, Wimbledon, Owen later joined the staff of Alliance Marine, and eventually became the secretary of the company. He acquired an intimate knowledge of the law regarding marine insurance, and was always the leading figure representing the underwriters at annual meetings of the Average Adjusters Association. Owen was called to the Bar of England and Wales but never practised. He was one of the first to respond to the Preliminary Circular inviting support for the proposed Society, and was a member of the General Committee appointed at a meeting on 14 Jun. 1910 and of two of its subcommittees, one to consider Ways and Means, and the other to draw up a set of rules. Finally, at the first Annual General Meeting of the Society on 2 Dec. 1910 he was elected Hon. Secretary and Treasurer. This double post he held until he was compelled by illness to resign in Oct. 1919. Owen was knighted in 1915.

¹² The RUSI Journal first appeared in 1857. A Report of the Provisional Committee to the First Annual General Meeting of the SNR noted that RUSI had proposed that the SNR should allow it to reproduce in its journal part of the material published in The Mariner's Mirror, conditional on RUSI paying part of the cost of production of that section used. The RUSI proposal was agreed to by an Editorial Sub-committee, which estimated a sum of £45 per annum would accrue to the SNR if the arrangement was entered into. An agreement was drawn up and was recommended to the SNR Council to run for six months in the first instance.

¹³ Harding, ‘Organizational Life Cycles, the SNR and Maritime History’, 5.

¹⁴ Murphy and Oddy, Mirror of the Seas, 4–5.

¹⁵ Sturdee and Beatty held the rank of RearAdmiral on joining the Society. Beatty's career has been recently re-examined by Professor Andrew Lambert. See A. D. Lambert, Admirals: Naval Commanders who made Britain Great (London, 2008), ch. 9.

¹⁶ Blomfield served throughout the Crimean War as a Midshipman, Mate and Lieutenant in HMS Agamemnon and HMS Royal Albert, flagships of Sir Edmund Lyons. Promoted Captain on 2 September 1872, He was on board HMS Invincible at the bombardment of Alexandria, and retired from the active list in 1878. He spent the next 30 years in Egypt, being closely attached with Lord Cromer's administration. One of the most outstanding monuments to his work was the harbour at Alexandria. When he went there in 1878 the harbour was virtually non-existent, but under his supervision as Comptroller of the Port the work of construction grew, until the harbour became one of the most important in the Mediterranean. Massie was promoted Rear-Admiral on the retired list on 1 Jan. 1899, and made a KCMG in 1904. He held several important posts in Egypt, and Retired as Director General of Ports and Lighthouses in the Egyptian government's service in 1908, when the Khedive conferred on him the firstclass order of the Medjidie. See obituary, Mariner's Mirror 7:8 (1921), 250.

¹⁷ The Limpus papers are held at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich (hereafter, NMM), see, LIM/1, 6, 7, 11, 36/2, 59/2, 100, 104, 106, 109, and 113/2. He relinquished office on 31 August 1914 and served in the Royal Naval Reserve for the duration of the war. He was promoted to Vice Admiral on the retired list in 1915 and to Admiral in 1919, in which year he was made kbe. His son, Arthur John was killed in action in HMS Strongbow in October 1917.

¹⁸ See, R. O. Morris, ‘Cust, Sir Herbert Edward Purey(1857–1938)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, (Oxford, 2004); online edn, Oct. 2009 (http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/41230, accessed Sep. 2013).

¹⁹ In August 1914, Cradock, commanding the South Atlantic Squadron of the Royal Navy was ordered to pursue and destroy Admiral von Spee's fleet of commerce-raiding cruisers. Although Cradock's squadron was considerably weaker than von Spee's, he decided to engage the German ships. In the resulting battle of Coronel, off Chile, on 1 Nov., Cradock's two armoured cruisers, HMS Good Hope (his flagship) and HMS Monmouth were sunk with the loss of all lives, including his own. After the defeat at Coronel, Admiral of the Fleet Sir John Fisher who had been recalled to service as First Sea Lord sent Sturdee to the South Atlantic commanding a powerful squadron. On 8 Dec. 1914, while coaling at Stanley, Sturdee was almost surprised by the squadron of von Spee and the battle of the Falklands began. Von Spee, finding that he was engaged with a superior force, was forced to flee. In the course of the pursuit Sturdee's forces sank the entire German group, with the exception of the light cruiser Dresden, which was not hunted down until some months later. For this victory he was created baronet. Sturdee later commanded the Fourth Battle Squadron at the battle of Jutland, becoming Admiral in 1917. He was appointed Commander-in-Chief, The Nore, in Mar. 1918 and was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet in July 1921. He became president of the SNR some four months after the death of the SNR's first president, the Marquis of Milford Haven (HSH Prince Louis of Battenberg).

²⁰ British Parliamentary Papers, Hansard 4th Series, vol. 155, cols. 1582–7 (1906).

²¹ For many years, Phillimore revised John Henry Blunt's The Book of Church Law: Being an exposition of the legal rights and duties of the parochial clergy and laity, (London, 1872, 1882, 1894, 1899, 1901). His many publications included, The Anglican Communion in Relation to its Parts (London, 1908), Three Centuries of Peace and Their Teaching (London, 1917), Destruction of Merchantmen by a Belligerent: Problems of war (London, 1917), Schemes for Maintaining General Peace (London, 1920), and The Law-making Organs of the Church of England (London, 1928).

²² Welch was the author of A Text Book on Naval Architecture for use of officers of the Royal Navy (London, 1893).

²³ Obituary, The Scotsman, 30 Aug. 1930.

²⁴ Oppenheim studied at the University College Hospital Medical School and served as a surgeon with the Royal Mail Steamship Company and P&O. He published a number of articles in the English Historical Review which later appeared in revised and expanded form as A History of the Administration of the Royal Navy 1509–1660 (1896). He was also an influential member of the Navy Records Society and edited several volumes.

²⁵ Lubbock was schooled at Eton, but rather than continue his studies he sought his fortune in the Klondike. He returned to England aboard the four-masted barque Ross-shire, which formed the basis of his first book. He later went on to produce a large number of sailing ship histories including The China Clippers (1914) and The Last of the Windjammers (1927–9).

²⁶ Anderson, a Scot, was educated at Harrow and New College, Oxford. He was manager of the Orient Steam Navigation Company and Director of Anderson, Green & Co., ship owners; He was also the representative of British Ship owners at the Imperial Navigation Conference in 1907; member of Departmental Committee on Inshore Fisheries, 1913; Chairman General Shipowners Society, 1913; President Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom, 1915; member of Committee on Detention of Neutral Ships, 1916, of Committee on National Scheme of Training for Sea Service, 1918, of Food Investigation Board, 1918, of Shipping Control Committee during the War, and of Imperial Shipping Committee.

²⁷ Fry played for Surrey from 1891, captained Sussex 1894, and was Captain of England in six test matches in 1912. He made 94 first-class centuries, and over 30,000 runs at an average of over fifty before retiring from Hampshire County Cricket Club in 1921. As a footballer, he gained one England cap in 1901. Earlier, in 1893, he equalled the then world long-jump record of 23 feet 6 inches.

²⁸ She was involved in the battle of Trafalgar but managed to evade the victorious British fleet. Her escape was short-lived, however, and on 3 Nov. 1805 a British squadron engaged her in the Bay of Biscay. In the ensuing battle, the captain of the Dugay Trouin was killed, her masts were shot away, and she was eventually captured. The ship was commissioned in the Royal Navy, renamed HMS Implacable, and saw action in the Baltic in 1808–9 and off the Syrian coast in 1840. She became a training vessel for boy seamen at Devonport in 1855 and was finally placed on the Royal Navy's disposal list in 1908.

²⁹ The records of Theresa, Lady Londonderry, comprise about 4,600 papers and 15 volumes of scrapbooks and are held at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Belfast. See also H. Montgomery Hyde, The Londonderrys: A family portrait (London, 1979), 63–7, 72–8, 82–5, 92, 94, 111–14, 136–7.

³⁰ Victoria County History, A History of the County of Hertford, vol. 3, (London, 1912), Parishes: Weston, 171–7.

³¹ New York Times, 26 Sep. 1920.

³² http//www.shessem.com/Hessem_Mounsey-Heysham_Line.html, accessed 30 Oct. 2013.

³³ Obituary, The Times 10 Dec. 1942.

³⁴ Rule IX of the Rules of the SNR allowed the Hon. Secretary to call a meeting of Council at any time on receipt of a requisition signed by not less than seven members of Council. Such a letter was sent on 11 Nov. 1912, its signatories included Douglas Owen, Cdr. C. N. Robinson, John Leyland and W. G. Perrin. The letter noted that steps were necessary to secure the resumption of the publication of the Journal, of which no issue had been made since the June number. NMM SNR 3/1 Minute Book No.1, Report of the Council, 1912.

³⁵ This comprised, Roger Charles Anderson, John Leyland, Alan Moore, William George Perrin, Cdr, Charles Napier Robinson and William Senior.

³⁶ Murphy and Oddy, Mirror of the Seas, 13, 15.