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Sir Max Kennedy Horton | |
|---|---|
 Admiral Sir Max Horton, 1943 | |
| Born | (1883-11-29)29 November 1883 Rhosneigr,Anglesey |
| Died | 30 July 1951(1951-07-30) (aged 67) London |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Service | Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1898–1945 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | Western Approaches Command Flag Officer Submarines HMS E9 |
| Battles / wars | First World War
|
| Awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Distinguished Service Order &Two Bars Sea Gallantry Medal Mentioned in dispatches Order of St. George (Russia) Order of St. Vladimir (Russia) Order of St. Anna (Russia) Order of St. Stanislaus (Russia) Legion of Honour (France) Croix de Guerre (France) Order of Orange-Nassau (Netherlands) Legion of Merit (United States) Order of St. Olaf (Norway) |
AdmiralSir Max Kennedy Horton,GCB, DSO &Two Bars, SGM (29 November 1883 – 30 July 1951) was a Britishsubmariner during theFirst World War and commander-in-chief of theWestern Approaches in the later half of theSecond World War, responsible for British participation in theBattle of the Atlantic.
Max Horton was born inAnglesey to Robert Joseph Angel Horton and Esther/Hester Maude Goldsmid, of the famous Goldsmid/D'Avigdor Goldsmid Anglo-Jewish family.[1]
Horton joined the Royal Navy officer training ship,HMSBritannia on 15 September 1898. Whilst onHMS Duke of Edinburgh, he was involved in the rescue efforts whenSS Delhi ran aground offCape Spartel and was subsequently awarded theBoard of Trade Medal for Saving Life at Sea in silver.
The outbreak of war sawLieutenant-Commander Horton in command of one of the first British ocean-going submarines, the 800-tonHMS E9. At dawn on 13 September 1914, he torpedoed theGermanlight cruiserSMS Hela six miles southwest ofHeligoland.Hela was hit amidships with the two torpedoes, fired from a range of 600 yards. All but two of her crew were rescued by theU-18 and another German ship. Although pursued most of the day by German naval forces,E9 managed to reachHarwich safely.[2] Entering the port, Horton initiated the tradition of British submariners of hoisting theJolly Roger after a successful patrol.[3]
Three weeks later, Horton sank the German destroyerS116 off the mouth of theriver Ems. For sinking the cruiser and the destroyer, Horton was awarded theDistinguished Service Order (DSO).
Sent to theBaltic Sea aspart of a British flotilla, Horton sank a number of merchant vessels and, on 2 July 1915, damaged the Germanarmoured cruiserSMSPrinz Adalbert. On 31 December 1914, Horton was promoted toCommander.
In 1917, Horton was awarded thebar to his DSO for long and arduous services in command of overseas submarines. Three years later, as a captain, he was awarded a second bar to his DSO for distinguished service in command of the Baltic submarine flotilla.
During the 1920s, Horton served as captain ofHMSConquest and of the battleshipHMSResolution. Promoted torear admiral on 17 October 1932, he became Commander of the2nd Battle Squadron with his flag in the battleshipHMSMalaya in December 1933 and Commander of the1st Cruiser Squadron with his flag inHMSLondon in 1935. Promoted tovice admiral in 1937, he was given command of theReserve Fleet that year.
With the onset of World War II, Horton was put in command of theNorthern Patrol enforcing the distant maritime blockade of Germany in theseas between Orkney and the Faroes. In 1940, he was madeRear Admiral Submarines. In the opinion of Horton's biographer, Rear AdmiralWilliam Scott Chalmers, a new regulation which required the post holder to be an officer who had served aboard submarines in the Great War, was forced through for the sole purpose of ensuring that Horton was on a very short list of qualifiers for this post, almost ensuring his rapid transfer toAberdour, so great was the desire of some within the Admiralty to have Horton revitalize the submarine arm.[4]
Horton moved his headquarters from Aberdour, where he was under the control of the fleet commanders atScapa Flow, toNorthways in north London, officially because he wanted a freer hand in running his command, but purportedly because Northways was located near some of his favouritegolf courses.[citation needed] Horton, an avid golfer, is said to have played a round of golf almost every day during the war (since most of the convoy battles took place at night), and was generouslyhandicapped at a "financial 8".
He was responsible for the creation ofconvoy rescue ships, which accompanied someAtlantic convoys to rescue survivors from ships sunk by enemy action. Rescue ships were typically small freighters with passenger accommodations. Conversion to rescue service involved enlarginggalley and food storage areas and providing berthing and sanitary facilities for approximately 150 men. The ships carried scrambling nets along the sides, and boats suitable for open sea work instead of normal lifeboats. Rescue ships normally included a small operating room for an embarked naval doctor and sick bay staff.
Having been promoted to full Admiral on 9 January 1941, Horton was appointed Commander-in-Chief,Western Approaches Command on 17 November 1942. Here he instituted a series of tactical changes in the way the escort ships were to be used. In addition to the existing escort group system, in which groups of ships were assigned to defend the perimeter of convoy boxes, Horton instituted a system of support groups, who would also travel with the convoys, but have much more freedom in pursuing submarines to the death, even if such action necessitated leaving the convoy for longer periods of time than were considered acceptable for escort groups. Horton's support groups proved to be decisive in the crucial spring of 1943, taking the battle to the U-boats and crushing the morale of theU-boat arm with persistent and successful counterattacks. Horton is widely credited, along with his predecessor, Admiral SirPercy Noble, as being one of the most crucial figures in the Allied victory in the Atlantic. In August 1945, Max Horton, at his own request, was placed on the retired list in order to facilitate the promotion of younger officers. He was made aKnight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in June 1945[5] and wasBath King of Arms from January 1946.[6] He was awarded the Freedom of the City of Liverpool.
There is a memorial to him inLiverpool Cathedral.
In 2019, a full size sculpture of Horton was funded by the Rhosneigr community and placed in Rhosneigr, where he was born.
In 2021 a footstone was funded by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation in his honour. The footstone reads, "Admiral Sir Max Horton, RN, Honouring British Commonality and Diversity, Commander-in-Chief responsible for British participation in the Battle of the Atlantic WWII. Admiral Horton was of Jewish heritage born in Anglesey. 'Be strong and of good courage' Joshua 1:9, Donated by the Hackney Branch of the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen and Women and the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation."[7]https://www.sdjewishworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Admiral-Horton-with-JASHP-plaque19735.jpg
Ananti-submarine trawler,HMS Commander Horton, was sunk on 27 April 1941 byGerman submarine U-552.[8]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Commander-in-Chief, Reserve Fleet 1937–1939 | Succeeded by Post Disbanded |
| Preceded by | Rear-Admiral Submarines 1940–1942 | Succeeded by |
| Heraldic offices | ||
| Preceded by | King of Arms of the Order of the Bath 1946–1951 | Succeeded by |
