The Lord Tovey | |
|---|---|
 Toveyc. 1943–45 | |
| Nickname | Jack |
| Born | (1885-03-07)7 March 1885 Rochester, Kent |
| Died | 12 January 1971(1971-01-12) (aged 85) |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1900–1946 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Commands | Commander-in-Chief, The Nore (1943–46) Home Fleet (1940–43) 1st Battle Squadron (1940) 7th Cruiser Squadron (Mediterranean) (1940) Destroyer Flotillas,Mediterranean Fleet (1938–40) RN Barracks,Chatham (1935–37) HMS Rodney (1932–34) 6th Destroyer Flotilla (1926–27) HMS Campbell (1926–27) 8th Destroyer Flotilla (1924–26) HMSBruce (1924–26) HMS Seawolf (1922–24) HMS Wolfhound (1918–19) HMS Ursa (1917–18) HMS Onslow (1916–17) HMS Jackal (1915–16) |
| Conflicts | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire Distinguished Service Order Mentioned in Despatches |
Admiral of the FleetJohn Cronyn Tovey, 1st Baron Tovey,GCB, KBE, DSO (7 March 1885 – 12 January 1971), sometimes known asJack Tovey, was aRoyal Navy officer. During theFirst World War he commanded thedestroyerHMS Onslow at theBattle of Jutland and then commanded the destroyerUrsa at theSecond Battle of Heligoland Bight. During theSecond World War he initially served as Second-in-Command of theMediterranean Fleet in which role he commanded the Mediterranean Fleet's Light Forces (i.e. cruisers and destroyers). He then served as Commander-in-Chief of theHome Fleet and was responsible for orchestrating the pursuit and destruction of theBismarck. After that he becameCommander-in-Chief, The Nore with responsibility for controlling the east coast convoys and organising minesweeping operations.
Tovey was born on 7 March 1885 at Borley Hill,Rochester, Kent, the youngest child (of eleven) ofLieutenant Colonel Hamilton Tovey,RE, and Maria Elizabeth Goodhue.[1] He was educated atDurnford School,Langton Matravers (joining the school shortly before another future British admiral,Geoffrey Oliver)[2] and as anaval cadet in the training shipBritannia atDartmouth (15 January 1900 – 15 May 1901).[1] Tovey's parents spent much time abroad and as a result, Durnford and its headmaster, Thomas Pellatt, were a significant and happy influence upon the young Tovey. He excelled at sports, playing well at cricket for Durnford and he was a schoolboy international footballer and later played golf for the Royal Navy.[3]
Tovey passed out ofBritannia with four months' time awarded (effectively an improvement in seniority) and entered the Royal Navy on 15 May 1901 as amidshipman. A month later he was posted to the battleshipMajestic, flagship of theChannel Squadron, Vice-AdmiralArthur Wilson. He remained inMajestic until June 1902, when he transferred to the cruiserHMS Ariadne, flagship on theNorth America and West Indies Station.[4] Tovey passed his Seamanship examination (1st class) and on his promotion tosub-lieutenant on 15 July 1904,[5] he was transferred fromAriadne. In his time as a midshipman, his performance ratings had all been good or better with comments such as "zealous" and "painstaking", although not without criticisms ("Painstaking & steady" and "Manner bad with the men").[6]
In 1905, Tovey attended courses in gunnery, torpedo, navigation and pilotage.[7] In November, he was appointed to the flagship,HMS Exmouth, at the request of Admiral SirArthur Wilson, the Commander-in-Chief of theChannel Fleet.[3] Tovey's length of service onExmouth is unclear, but he was promoted tolieutenant on 15 July 1906.[8]
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Tovey was appointed, on 18 May 1908, to thearmoured cruiserHMS King Alfred, on theChina Station, where he served for two years. During 1910, 1911 and 1912, there was a series of appointments to ships of differing types.[note 1][6]
At the start of 1913, Tovey was posted toHMS Vivid (the naval barracks atDevonport) for trials ofHMS Amphion and subsequently served onAmphion from 2 April 1913. He was promoted tolieutenant commander on 15 July 1914.[6]
Tovey continued to serve onAmphion as its first lieutenant until she was mined and sunk on 6 August 1914 (the first British warship to be sunk in the First World War).[9] He was subsequently posted to the destroyerHMS Faulknor.[6]
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Tovey received his first command on 13 January 1915, when he was appointed to the destroyerHMS Jackal,[7] which as part of the1st Destroyer Flotilla, took part in theBattle of Dogger Bank on 24 January. He subsequently commandedHMS Onslow (from 7 May 1916) at theBattle of Jutland on 31 May.Onslow and another destroyer,HMS Moresby, had escorted the seaplane carrierHMS Engadine, but laterOnslow became involved in action, first against German battlecruisers, then in an attack on the damaged German cruiserSMS Wiesbaden[note 2] and finally on a line of enemy battleships.Onslow had been severely damaged during the attack on theWiesbaden, nonetheless, Tovey ordered that the remaining torpedoes be fired at the battleships, although no hits were scored. Despite heavy shelling,Onslow was towed to safety byHMS Defender (herself also damaged) and eventually both ships reached Aberdeen.[note 3] As a result of this action,[10] Tovey was promoted tocommander (effective 30 June 1916),[11]Mentioned in Dispatches[12] and subsequently awarded theDSO in 1919.[13]
Tovey remained onOnslow until October 1917, when he transferred to command the new destroyer HMSUrsa, which he commanded at theSecond Battle of Heligoland Bight in November 1917. It was during this time that he was awarded theCroix de Guerre. In April 1918, Tovey took command of another new destroyer,HMS Wolfhound, and was also appointed to the staff of the Captain Superintendent Torpedo-Boat Destroyers; these appointments lasted until June 1919, after the war's end.[1]
In June 1919, Tovey attended the Senior Officers' Technical Course at theRoyal Naval College, Greenwich, for a year; subsequently he was appointed to the Naval Staff Operations Division at theAdmiralty for a further two years.[6] His next sea appointment, in August 1922, was to commandHMS Seawolf,[1] which he held until his promotion tocaptain on 31 December 1923.[14] In August 1924, Tovey was briefly appointed asCaptain (D),2nd Destroyer Flotilla, for exercises before attending a course at theSenior Officers' School, Sheerness.[6]
At the end of 1924, Tovey was appointed as captain (D) to commandHMSBruce and the8th Destroyer Flotilla. He commanded the 8thDF and other flotillas, in turn, until he attended the Imperial Defence Course, for a year from mid January 1927, at theImperial Defence College. This was immediately followed by the Senior Officers' Technical Course atPortsmouth and from February 1928 to April 1930, Tovey was assistant director of Tactical School,[6] followed by yet another shore appointment at the Admiralty as naval assistant to the Second Sea Lord.[1]
After five years ashore, Tovey was given command of the battleshipHMS Rodney in April 1932. This ship had been heavily involved in the recentInvergordon mutiny and elements of its crew were among the most vociferous protestors, and Tovey was seen as a "safe pair of hands" to restore the battleship's efficiency. Tovey quickly transformed the ship's crew into an efficient and confident unit[3] and in his confidential personnel report, AdmiralSir John Kelly judged that Tovey "...has brought his ship to a high state of fighting efficiency".[6] He stayed withRodney until August 1934.[6]
In October, Tovey attended a Senior Officers' course and in January 1935, he was appointed ascommodore (2nd rank) (at the time "commodore" was not a substantive rank[15]) to command the Naval Barracks atChatham, an important depot and training establishment involved in the rapid naval expansion of the 1930s. When promoted torear admiral on 27 August 1935,[16] he continued at Chatham until he attended a Senior Officers Tactical Course from September 1937 and a Senior Officers' War Course at the Royal Naval War College, Greenwich, in December 1937. Until February 1938, Tovey also acted as NavalADC to theKing.[6]
Tovey had been nominated in early 1935 to berear admiral (D), commanding the Destroyer Flotillas of theMediterranean Fleet, the appointment not taking effect until early 1938. Once in post atMalta, Tovey's role involved interventions in theSpanish Civil War and atHaifa as well as the command and administrative roles of bringing the destroyer flotillas to peak efficiency.[3] He was promoted tovice admiral on 3 May 1939.[17]
For some months after Britain and Germany had declared war, theMediterranean was a backwater. Italy remained nominally neutral with her fleet as only a potential threat and France maintained a powerful naval force as a counter to the Italians. As a result, British naval forces were reduced as units were transferred to meet immediate threats elsewhere and Tovey's command was reduced to five elderly AustralianScott-class andV and W-class destroyers[note 4][3]
WhenItaly declared war in June 1940, Tovey was commanding the Mediterranean Fleet's Light Forces (i.e. cruisers and destroyers) and had become Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet, underAndrew Cunningham. As Italy's participation became more certain, the Mediterranean Fleet had been reinforced and by June, Tovey commanded nine cruisers and around twenty-five destroyers, with his flag inHMS Orion.[3]
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In his first action in the Mediterranean, Tovey commanded the7th Cruiser Squadron when, on 28 June 1940, it intercepted three Italian destroyers that were making an urgent supply run to north Africa (Battle of the Espero Convoy).[note 5] The five British cruisers engaged the Italian flotilla at extreme range and sank theEspero, while the other two escaped. The British use of ammunition had been extensive and, due to this and the shortage of stores atAlexandria, convoys from Malta were postponed. Cunningham was not pleased and commented that the ammunition used was "tremendous ... to sink this one 1,000-ton destroyer".[18]
On 9 July, Tovey commanded the Light Forces (cruisers and destroyers) at the indecisiveBattle of Calabria.[7] Although little was achieved by either fleet, Tovey's handling of his command was praised in Cunningham's subsequent report.[note 6][19] In October 1940 he became commander of the1st Battle Squadron.[20]
In November 1940 Tovey was appointed Commander-in-Chief of theHome Fleet with theacting rank ofadmiral (he was promoted to the substantive rank on 30 October 1942). As commander of the Home Fleet he had several clashes withDudley Pound, theFirst Sea Lord, andWinston Churchill but retained the post for the normal two and a half years' duration.[1]
Tovey's best known achievement in this period was orchestrating the pursuit and destruction of theBismarck. He had insisted on being a "sea-going" admiral, despite pressure from above and the disadvantages of being away from command centres. He believed that this was one element in maintaining morale in the fleet, by sharing the privations and dangers of his men. Thefinal action against theBismarck added further weight to his decision. When the two British battleshipsHMS Rodney andKing George V locatedBismarck, they had the setting sun silhouetting them whileBismarck remained in the evening gloom. Tovey observed this and, to the surprise of his staff, ordered that the final action be delayed until the following morning. In so doing, he ensured that the benefits of the light would be reversed to the British advantage and that the German crews would be fatigued by constant harassment byVian's destroyers. The risk was thatBismarck would, somehow, escape but Tovey accepted this.[1] Tovey was made aKBE "... for distinguished services in the masterly and determined action in which the German BattleshipBismarck was destroyed."[21]
After theBismarck action, Tovey resisted moves tocourt-martial thePrince of Wales' captain,John Leach, andFrederic Wake-Walker, the admiral commandingSuffolk andNorfolk, who had broken off the battle withBismarck afterHood had been sunk. Tovey was appalled and a row ensued between Tovey and his superior, Pound. Tovey stated that the two officers had acted correctly in the circumstances. He threatened to resign his position and appear at any court-martial as 'defendant's friend' and defence witness. No more was heard of the proposal.[22][note 7]King George V was extremely short of fuel and had stayed at the scene far longer than Tovey had thought it could, so another cause for friction between Tovey and his political and professional superiors was a signal that his flagship was to remain in action untilBismarck had sunk, "Bismarck must be sunk at all costs ... even if it ... means towingKing George V". In these circumstances it would have been highly likely that the ship would have been lost to either U-boats or aircraft. The signal had initially caused amusement amongst Tovey and his staff, but later its risks and implications angered them; Tovey later said "It was the stupidest and most ill-considered signal ever made" and he made it clear that he would have disobeyed and risked court-martial.[23]
Tovey also had responsibility for the safe passage of theArctic Convoys to Russia. TheSoviet Union subsequently awarded him theOrder of Suvorov, First Class, for "distinguished services in securing the passage of convoys to the U.S.S.R.", but Tovey never wore the medal or its ribbon.[24][note 8] He had repeated disagreements with Pound and Churchill over the conduct of these convoys, arguing that summer operations were too dangerous due to the long daylight hours and the lack of air cover.[3] The disastrousPQ17 convoy, in June and July 1942, demonstrated the validity of Tovey's fears, exacerbated by Pound's poor decision to scatter the convoy. Arctic convoys were suspended until September, when close air cover was available and darkness offered protection.[25][note 9]
Despite these serious differences and although Churchill considered Tovey to be "obstructionist" and attempted to get himsacked, Tovey lasted the full two and a half years of his appointment. At the end of this appointment, when departing Scapa, Tovey was carried toThurso byHMS Onslow, the latter namesake of his notable World War I command.[3] In June 1943, Tovey becameCommander-in-Chief, The Nore, with responsibility for controlling the east coast convoys and organising minesweeping operations. He was promoted toAdmiral of the Fleet on 22 October 1943.[26] Other major responsibilities were the organisation of the logistics for the forthcomingAllied invasion of Sicily and theNormandy landings.[7] He was appointed asFirst and Principal Naval ADC to the King in January 1945.[1]
Tovey retired from the service early in 1946 and wasennobled asBaron Tovey, ofLangton Matravers in the County of Dorset on 15 February 1946.[27] In retirement, Tovey took up a number of appointments; his seat in theHouse of Lords,Third Church Estates Commissioner (1948–1952), President ofThe Royal Naval Benevolent Trust and of theKing George's Fund for Sailors and President of the Shaftesbury Training Ships. These kept him so busy that he had little time for his pastimes of golf and fishing.[3] His wife, Aida, suffered fromarthritis and, as the condition worsened, Tovey gave up his external activities to devote his time to caring for her.[3] He died atFunchal,Madeira on 12 January 1971. His wife, Aida, had died the preceding June, and both are buried at Godlingston Cemetery (plot B500) just outsideSwanage. The couple had had no children, and hispeerage became extinct on his death.[3]
On 28 March 1916, Tovey married Aida Rowe, daughter of John Rowe, atLinlithgow.[1] They had no children.[3]
Confidential reports on Tovey by his commanding officers shine a light on his personality and his abilities. In his early years in the Navy, the most used adjective was "zealous" and in later years, he was consistently praised for his ability and potential. In two instances, in command of a destroyer flotilla and of HMSRodney, his impact on the efficiency of his command was noted. Tovey's ability to command respect was also commended.[6]
There are several documented illustrations of Tovey's willingness to confront higher authorities when he believed it was right to do so. An early example was when, as a midshipman on theExmouth supervising the handling of ships' boats, a superior officer started to give the orders. Tovey "peeled off his white gloves, unbuckled his sword belt, handed them to the astonished Commander and went below."[3]
While in command of HMSRodney, Tovey did not always see eye to eye with his Commander-in-Chief and was inclined to express his views forcibly. In later years he often quoted one paragraph from Sir John Kelly's confidential report: "Captain Tovey shares one characteristic with me. In myself I call it tenacity of purpose; in Captain Tovey I can only describe it as sheer bloody obstinacy".[3][6]
 | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) | (13 April 1943)[28] |
| Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) | (1 January 1941)[29] | |
| Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) | (29 January 1937)[30] | |
_Ribbon.png) | Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) | (14 October 1941)[21] |
 | Companion of the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) | (10 July 1919)[13] |
 | Order of St. Anna 3rd class (with swords) | (Russian Empire) (awarded 1 October 1917)[31] |
 | 1914–1918 War Cross | (France) (2 November 1917)[32] |
 | Order of Suvorov 1st Class | (USSR) (29 February 1944)[24] |
 | Commander of the Legion of Merit | (United States) (28 May 1946)[33] |
 | Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix | (Greece) (15 April 1947)[34] |
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet 1940–1942 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, The Nore 1943–1946 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp 1945–1946 | Succeeded by |
| Church of England titles | ||
| Preceded by | Third Church Estates Commissioner 1948–1952 | Succeeded by |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baron Tovey 1946–1971 | Extinct |
