# Bertram Chambers

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[Admiral](/source/Admiral_(Royal_Navy)) **Bertram Mordaunt Chambers** [CB](/source/Order_of_the_Bath) (3 October 1866 – 27 April 1945) was a [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy) officer who served in [Australia](/source/Australia) and [Canada](/source/Canada).

## Life and career

### Early life and career

Born in London, Chambers was the son of Lucibella (*[née](/source/N%C3%A9e)* Hare) and barrister Charles Harcourt Chambers. His paternal grandfather was Sir Charles Harcourt Chambers, [puisne judge](/source/Puisne_judge) of the [Supreme Court of Bombay](/source/Supreme_Court_of_Bombay). Chambers was educated at [Clifton College](/source/Clifton_College) and [Stubbington House School](/source/Stubbington_House_School), before entering HMS *Britannia* as a cadet in 1879, placing twenty-seventh out of thirty-seven successful candidates.[1][2] Passing out of *Britannia* in 1881, Chambers was appointed to [HMS *Monarch*](/source/HMS_Monarch_(1868)) in which, as a [midshipman](/source/Midshipman), he was present at the [bombardment of Alexandria](/source/Bombardment_of_Alexandria) in 1882.[1] In 1883 he was appointed to [HMS *Satellite*](/source/HMS_Satellite_(1855)), remaining in her until 1886.

Promoted to lieutenant in 1889, Chambers was awarded the Shadwell Testimonial for naval surveying in 1894 and 1895. He was promoted to the rank of commander in 1900 and captain in 1905. He then attended a signals course and a war course in Portsmouth, finishing in 1906. He became [flag captain](/source/Flag_captain) of the battleship [HMS *Bulwark*](/source/HMS_Bulwark_(1899)) in 1907, the flagship of [Rear-Admiral](/source/Rear_Admiral_(Royal_Navy)) [Frank Finnis](/source/Frank_Finnis) of the [Nore Division](/source/Commander-in-Chief,_The_Nore), [Home Fleet](/source/Home_Fleet). He was also in command of HMS *Resolution* for much of the period. In 1908 he was given command of the second class protected cruiser [HMS *Talbot*](/source/HMS_Talbot_(1895)). In 1910 he took up command of the battleship [HMS *Majestic*](/source/HMS_Majestic_(1895)).

### Australian service

In 1911, he was loaned to the Australian government, becoming a member of the first [Australian Commonwealth Naval Board](/source/Australian_Commonwealth_Naval_Board), of which he was Second Naval Member. He also was involved in the establishment of the [Royal Australian Naval College](/source/Royal_Australian_Naval_College,_HMAS_Creswell), of which he was the first head.

### First World War and service in Canada

Returning to England, Chambers took command of [HMS *Illustrious*](/source/HMS_Illustrious_(1896)) from August to October 1914, then took command of [HMS *Roxburgh*](/source/HMS_Roxburgh_(1904)) until April 1915. From 1915 to 1917, he was Admiralty Port Officer, Scapa, concurrently commanding [HMS *Imperieuse*](/source/HMS_Audacious_(1869))*.* He was promoted to rear-admiral on 27 April 1917 and retired the following day at his own request.

In July 1917, he was appointed Port Convoy Officer and Senior Naval Officer, Escorts, [Halifax](/source/Halifax,_Nova_Scotia), arriving the following month. The Admiralty had initially proposed that Chambers should be titled "Senior Naval Officer Afloat, Halifax".[3] The [Royal Canadian Navy](/source/Royal_Canadian_Navy) objected to the idea of giving such a title to a British officer under the command of the Admiralty, and transferred Vice-Admiral [William Oswald Story](/source/William_Oswald_Story), who outranked him, to Halifax.[3][4] In December 1917, Chambers was among the senior officers who dealt with the aftermath of the [Halifax Explosion](/source/Halifax_Explosion).[4] In 1918, he and his staff were transferred to [Quebec City](/source/Quebec_City).

He was appointed a [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Companion_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath) in 1919 "For valuable services as Port Convoy Officer, Halifax, Nova Scotia".

### Later life

Chambers was promoted to [vice-admiral](/source/Vice-admiral_(Royal_Navy)) on the Retired List in 1922 and [admiral](/source/Admiral_(Royal_Navy)) on the Retired List in 1926. He was a member of the [Metropolitan Asylums Board](/source/Metropolitan_Asylums_Board) in 1921, as well as a Younger Brother of [Trinity House](/source/Trinity_House). He published his memoirs, *Salt Junk*, in 1927. He died at [Moreton Hampstead](/source/Moretonhampstead), [Devon](/source/Devon), in 1945.

## Family

In 1901, Chambers married Nora Bertrand, Daughter of William Wickham Bertrand of [Roy Cove](/source/Roy_Cove), [Falkland Islands](/source/Falkland_Islands), and sister of botanist [Elinor Frances Vallentin](/source/Elinor_Frances_Vallentin). Together they had a son; motor racing manager [Marcus Mordaunt Bertrand Chambers](/source/Marcus_Chambers_(motorsport_manager)), and a daughter.[5][6][7][8]

## References

1. "Admiral Bertram Chambers". *[The Times](/source/The_Times)*. 28 April 1945. p. 6.

1. ["Bertram Mordaunt Chambers"](http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Bertram_Mordaunt_Chambers). *The Dreadnought Project*

1. Johnston, William; Rawling, William G.P.; Gimblett, Richard H.; MacFarlane, John (2010). *The Seabound Coast: The Official History of the Royal Canadian Navy, 1867–1939*. Vol. I. Toronto: [Dundurn Press](/source/Dundurn_Press). pp. 467–468.

1. Hadley, Michael L. & Sarty, Roger (1991). *Tin-pots and Pirate Ship: Canadian Naval Forces and German Sea Raiders, 1880-1918*. [McGill-Queen's University Press](/source/McGill-Queen's_University_Press). p. 202.

1. Parker, Paul (March 2001). ["On days like these"](https://www.motorsportmagazine.com/archive/article/march-2001/61/on-days-like-these). *[Motor Sport](/source/Motor_Sport)*

1. Buckley, Martin (2009-10-06). ["Marcus Chambers obituary"](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/oct/06/marcus-chambers-obituary). *The Guardian*. [ISSN 0261-3077](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0261-3077). Retrieved 2025-03-08.

1. ["The Mariners' Museum Online Catalog"](https://catalogs.marinersmuseum.org/object/CL12800). *catalogs.marinersmuseum.org*. Retrieved 2025-03-08.

1. ["Bertram Mordaunt Chambers - The Dreadnought Project"](http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/Bertram_Mordaunt_Chambers). *www.dreadnoughtproject.org*. Retrieved 2025-03-08.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bertram Chambers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_Chambers) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertram_Chambers?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.