In From The Cold - 04.03.08

[Terry Denham]

CWGC added the following 'new' WW2 casualty to its Debt of Honour database today – Tuesday 4th March

Admiral of the Fleet Sir Osmond de Beauvoir BROCK, GCB KCMG KCVO

Royal Navy

Died 14.10.47 Age 78

Buried: Portsmouth Cathedral, Hants, UK

NOT FORGOTTEN

This casualty is the second from WW2 put forward by GWF. He was one of four missing high rankers discovered by myself and put forward on 16.10.07.

[paul guthrie]

Terry do you have any idea how he was missed? I guess it makes a good argument for equality in death. Now I see he retired 1934, how was he eligible?

[Neil Mackenzie]

Now I see he retired 1934, how was he eligible?

Paul.

I vaguely remember in a much earlier thread that someone (possibly Terry) advised that certain ranks were deemed to always be in service so if they died in the qualifying periods they would be comemorated. I thought this was Field Marshal types though.

Neil

[Terry Denham]

You are remembering my post on the first of these high ranker commemorations.

The highest ranks in the army (Field Marshal), Royal Navy (Admiral of the Fleet) and RAF (Marshal of the Royal Air Force) hold equal status to each other.

My explanation from the other post follows....

______________________

It is often said that the highest rankers (Field Marshal, Admiral of the Fleet and Marshal of the RAF) never retire and are therefore always ‘in-service’. With this in mind, I checked to see if there were any of this rank that died during the CWGC qualifying periods who were ‘missing’ from those commemorated by CWGC – and there were some from both world wars! Therefore, it looked like they should all qualify. CWGC agreed.

During the subsequent research, we discovered that the ‘never retiring’ regulation only came into force on 6th February 1940 and that, before that date, men of this rank always retired from service according to various other regulations. So none of my ‘missing’ men from WW1 would qualify. However, those alive from the date of the new rule stayed in service for life. Even if they had retired at that date, they were returned to the Active List. So the WW2 ‘missing’ men would qualify.

And so it remains for those alive today – on the Active List for life though the ranks are no longer conferred.

[Neil Clark]

I must tell you how impressed I am. Now that is really quite clever indeed....

Sort of reminds me of those acting senior officers killed alongside Kitchener on the Hampshire who were missed off all records. Of course this was expertly recognised and then righted by our mutual friend John Morcombe. I wonder how many more senior officers are waiting to be found? Probably not very many now you have taken the time to look for them.

Well done Terry

[Terry Denham]

There are two more WW2 Field Marshals to follow shortly when their burial sites are checked.

[Will O'Brien]

Raising a glass to Sir Osmond tonight. Here is his service biography courtesy of the Kings College London Liddle Hart Centre for Military Archives site.

Midshipman 1886

Gunnery specialist

Assistant Director, Naval Mobilisation 1910

Assistant Director, Naval Mobilisation Div, Admiralty War Staff 1912

World War I 1914-1918

naval engagements, North Sea 1914-1915

Cdr HMS PRINCESS ROYAL during action against German sqn in Heligoland Bight, Aug 1914

Cdr HMS PRINCESS ROYAL in Adm Beatty's action off Dogger Bank, Jan 1915

Chief of Staff to Commander-in-Chief, Grand Fleet 1916-1919

Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and Lord Commissioner, Admiralty 1919-1921

Commander-in-Chief, Mediterranean 1922-1925

Commander-in-Chief, Portsmouth 1926-1929

Retired 1934

A long & distinguished career.