# George Callaghan

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Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet (1852-1920)

Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Callaghan GCB GCVO Sir George Callaghan Born (1852-12-21)21 December 1852 London, England Died 23 November 1920(1920-11-23) (aged 67) Chelsea, London, England Buried St Mary the Virgin, Bathwick, Somerset Allegiance United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Branch Royal Navy Service years 1866–1918 Rank Admiral of the Fleet Commands HMS Alacrity HMS Hermione HMS Endymion HMS Edgar HMS Caesar HMS Prince of Wales 5th Cruiser Squadron Home Fleet Nore Command Conflicts Boxer Rebellion World War I Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order

[Admiral of the Fleet](/source/Admiral_of_the_Fleet_(Royal_Navy)) **Sir George Astley Callaghan** [GCB](/source/Knight_Grand_Cross_of_the_Order_of_the_Bath), [GCVO](/source/Knight_Grand_Cross_of_the_Royal_Victorian_Order) (21 December 1852 – 23 November 1920) was an officer in the [Royal Navy](/source/Royal_Navy). During the [Boxer Rebellion](/source/Boxer_Rebellion) he served as commander of a [naval brigade](/source/Naval_brigade) sent ashore to form an element of a larger expedition under Lieutenant-General [Sir Alfred Gaselee](/source/Alfred_Gaselee): the expedition entered [Peking](/source/Beijing) and rescued the legations which had been held hostage there. He came to prominence again when, as Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet, he assisted with the provision of aid to survivors of the [Messina earthquake](/source/1908_Messina_earthquake), which had caused the loss of approximately 123,000 lives.

Callaghan became Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet in November 1911 and was advised in December 1913 that his tenure would be extended for another twelve months. With increasing international tension he started preparing his fleet for war. At the outbreak of the [First World War](/source/World_War_I) in July 1914, Callaghan set sail in his flagship for his war station at [Scapa Flow](/source/Scapa_Flow). There he met his successor-designate [Sir John Jellicoe](/source/John_Jellicoe%2C_1st_Earl_Jellicoe) who had received orders from [First Lord of the Admiralty](/source/First_Lord_of_the_Admiralty) [Winston Churchill](/source/Winston_Churchill) to relieve the ageing Callaghan of command of his fleet. Callaghan was bitterly disappointed not to command his fleet in the war he had completely readied it for. He went on to be [Commander-in-Chief, The Nore](/source/Commander-in-Chief%2C_The_Nore).

## Naval career

### Early career

Born the grandson of [Daniel Callaghan MP](/source/Daniel_Callaghan_(politician)), and the son of Captain Frederic Marcus Callaghan (an Irish landowner)[1] and Georgina Frances Callaghan (née Hodgson), Callaghan joined the Royal Navy as a [cadet](/source/Cadet) in the training ship [HMS *Britannia*](/source/HMS_Britannia_(1820)) in January 1866.[2] Promoted to [midshipman](/source/Midshipman) on 15 October 1867, he joined the [screw frigate](/source/Screw_frigate) [HMS *Liffey*](/source/HMS_Liffey_(1856)) at [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool) later that month.[3] He then transferred to the [corvette](/source/Corvette) [HMS *Wolverine*](/source/HMS_Wolverine_(1863)) on the [East Indies Station](/source/East_Indies_Station) in October 1870.[3] Promoted to [sub-lieutenant](/source/Sub-lieutenant) on 15 April 1872 and to [lieutenant](/source/Lieutenant) on 15 April 1875,[4] he joined the corvette [HMS *Ruby*](/source/HMS_Ruby_(1876)) on the East Indies Station in June 1877.[3] In this post he was awarded a commendation by the [Admiralty](/source/Admiralty_(United_Kingdom)) for saving the lives of sailors after a boat capsized in the [Irrawaddy River](/source/Irrawaddy_River).[3]

He attended the gunnery school [HMS *Excellent*](/source/HMS_Excellent_(shore_establishment)) in 1880 and then joined the staff there in 1882.[3] He returned to HMS *Ruby* on the [South East Coast of America Station](/source/South_East_Coast_of_America_Station) in 1885 and, having been promoted to [commander](/source/Commander) on 31 December 1887,[5] he became executive officer in the [battleship](/source/Battleship) [HMS *Bellerophon*](/source/HMS_Bellerophon_(1865)), flagship of the [North America and West Indies Station](/source/North_America_and_West_Indies_Station) in 1888.[3] He went on to be commanding officer of the despatch vessel [HMS *Alacrity*](/source/Surprise-class_cruiser#HMS_Alacrity), yacht of the Commander-in-Chief, [China Station](/source/China_Station) in 1892.[3] Promoted to [captain](/source/Captain_(Royal_Navy)) on 1 January 1894,[6] he became naval advisor to the Inspector-General of Fortifications at the [War Office](/source/War_Office) later that year.[3] He went on to be commanding officer of the cruiser [HMS *Hermione*](/source/HMS_Hermione_(1893)) in the [Channel Fleet](/source/Channel_Fleet) in 1897 and commanding officer of the cruiser [HMS *Endymion*](/source/HMS_Endymion_(1891)) on the China Station in 1899.[3]

### Boxer rebellion

In April 1900, Callaghan became commander of a [naval brigade](/source/Naval_brigade) sent ashore to form an element of a larger expedition under Lieutenant-General [Sir Alfred Gaselee](/source/Alfred_Gaselee) as part of the British response to the [Boxer Rebellion](/source/Boxer_Rebellion). The expedition entered [Peking](/source/Beijing) and successfully rescued the legations which had been held hostage there.[3] Callaghan was [mentioned in dispatches](/source/Mentioned_in_dispatches) and appointed a [Companion of the Order of the Bath](/source/Order_of_the_Bath) on 9 November 1900.[7]

### Higher rank

The carnage after the [Messina earthquake](/source/1908_Messina_earthquake); Callaghan assisted with the provision of aid to survivors

Callaghan became commanding officer of the cruiser [HMS *Edgar*](/source/HMS_Edgar_(1890)) and commanded her in manoeuvres in Summer 1901 before becoming commanding officer of the [battleship](/source/Battleship) [HMS *Caesar*](/source/HMS_Caesar_(1896)) on the [Mediterranean Station](/source/Mediterranean_Fleet) in December 1901.[3] He went on to be Captain of [Portsmouth Dockyard](/source/HMNB_Portsmouth) early in 1904 and commanding officer of the battleship [HMS *Prince of Wales*](/source/HMS_Prince_of_Wales_(1902)) on the Mediterranean Station shortly thereafter.[8] He was appointed naval [aide-de-camp](/source/Aide-de-camp) to [the King](/source/Edward_VII) on 25 April 1904.[9] Promoted to [rear-admiral](/source/Rear-admiral) on 1 July 1905,[10] he became Second-in-Command, Channel Fleet, with his flag in the battleship [HMS *Illustrious*](/source/HMS_Illustrious_(1896)), in 1906 and commander of the 5th Cruiser Squadron, with his flag in the armoured cruiser [HMS *Leviathan*](/source/HMS_Leviathan_(1901)), in 1907.[8] Appointed a [Commander of the Royal Victorian Order](/source/Royal_Victorian_Order) on 3 August 1907,[11] he went on to be Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet with his flag in the battleship [HMS *Duncan*](/source/HMS_Duncan_(1901)) in 1908.[8] In the latter role he assisted with the provision of aid to survivors of the [Messina earthquake](/source/1908_Messina_earthquake), which had caused the loss of circa 123,000 lives, in December 1908 for which he was advanced to [Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order](/source/Royal_Victorian_Order) on 30 April 1909[12] and appointed a Grand Officer of the [Order of the Crown of Italy](/source/Order_of_the_Crown_of_Italy) on 15 April 1912.[13] Promoted to [vice-admiral](/source/Vice-admiral) on 27 April 1910,[14] he became Second-in-Command of the [Home Fleet](/source/Home_Fleet), with his flag in the battleship [HMS *King Edward VII*](/source/HMS_King_Edward_VII) later that month.[8] He was advanced to [Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath](/source/Order_of_the_Bath) on 24 June 1910.[15]

Callaghan became Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet, with his flag in the battleship [HMS *Neptune*](/source/HMS_Neptune_(1909)) and with the acting rank of [admiral](/source/Admiral) in November 1911.[8] Following an inspection of his fleet by [King George V](/source/George_V) he was advanced to [Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order](/source/Royal_Victorian_Order) on 11 May 1912[16] and, after a separate visit by the President [Raymond Poincaré](/source/Raymond_Poincar%C3%A9) of France in 1913, he was also awarded the Grand Cordon of the French [Legion of Honour](/source/Legion_of_Honour).[17] He was promoted to the substantive rank of full admiral on 17 May 1913[18] and was advised in December 1913 that his tenure would be extended for another twelve months. With increasing international tension he started preparing his fleet for war.[8]

### The First World War

 The battleship [HMS *Iron Duke*](/source/HMS_Iron_Duke_(1912)), Callaghan's flagship as Commander-in-Chief of the [Home Fleet](/source/Home_Fleet)

At the outbreak of the [First World War](/source/World_War_I) in July 1914, Callaghan set sail in his flagship, the battleship [HMS *Iron Duke*](/source/HMS_Iron_Duke_(1912)), for his war station at [Scapa Flow](/source/Scapa_Flow). There he met his successor-designate [Sir John Jellicoe](/source/John_Jellicoe%2C_1st_Earl_Jellicoe), who had received orders from [First Lord of the Admiralty](/source/First_Lord_of_the_Admiralty) [Winston Churchill](/source/Winston_Churchill) to relieve the ageing Callaghan of command of his fleet. Jellicoe had resisted the order, believing it would cause tension in the fleet, but the order was confirmed by the [Admiralty](/source/Admiralty_(United_Kingdom)) and Jellicoe was instructed to carry it out. Callaghan was bitterly disappointed not to command his fleet in the war he had completely readied it for.[8]

In Autumn 1914 Callaghan took part in a Court of Inquiry into the conduct of Rear Admiral [Ernest Troubridge](/source/Ernest_Troubridge) for his failure to pursue the [battlecruiser](/source/Battlecruiser) [SMS *Goeben*](/source/SMS_Goeben) and the [light cruiser](/source/Light_cruiser) [SMS *Breslau*](/source/SMS_Breslau). He referred the matter to a [court-martial](/source/Court-martial) which ultimately found the case against Troubridge not proven.[8]

Callaghan was appointed [First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King](/source/List_of_First_and_Principal_Naval_Aides-de-Camp) on 11 September 1914[19] and became [Commander-in-Chief, The Nore](/source/Commander-in-Chief%2C_The_Nore) in January 1915.[8] He was advanced to [Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath](/source/Order_of_the_Bath) on 3 June 1916[20] and was promoted to [Admiral of the Fleet](/source/Admiral_of_the_Fleet_(Royal_Navy)) on 2 April 1917.[21]

### Retirement and Later Life

Callaghan retired in March 1918 and became [King of Arms of the Order of the Bath](/source/Bath_King_of_Arms) in May 1919.[8] He died at 11 Cadogan Court, [Chelsea, London](/source/Chelsea%2C_London) on 23 November 1920 and was given a funeral at [Westminster Abbey](/source/Westminster_Abbey),[2] following which he was buried in the churchyard of [St Mary the Virgin](/source/St_Mary_the_Virgin's_Church%2C_Bathwick) at [Bathwick](/source/Bathwick), [Somerset](/source/Somerset).[22]

He was a member of the [Bath and County Club](/source/Bath_and_County_Club).[23]

Sir George Callaghan as Second-in-Command of the [Home Fleet](/source/Home_Fleet)

## Family

In 1876, Callaghan married Edith Saumarez; they had one son and three daughters.[3]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Estate: Callaghan"](https://web.archive.org/web/20141214151418/http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/estate-show.jsp?id=3084). Landed Estates. Archived from [the original](http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie:8080/LandedEstates/jsp/estate-show.jsp?id=3084) on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-odnb_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-odnb_2-1) "Sir George Callaghan". *[Oxford Dictionary of National Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_National_Biography#Oxford_Dictionary_of_National_Biography)* (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/ref:odnb/32247](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F32247). (Subscription, [Wikipedia Library](https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/partners/88/) access or [UK public library membership](https://www.oxforddnb.com/help/subscribe#public) required.)

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-9) [***k***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-10) [***l***](#cite_ref-heath38_3-11) Heathcote, p. 38

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["No. 24204"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/24204/page/2342). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 30 April 1875. p. 2342.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["No. 25772"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/25772/page/15). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 3 January 1888. p. 15.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["No. 26471"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/26471/page/7580). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 29 December 1893. p. 7580.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["No. 27246"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27246/page/6927). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 13 November 1900. p. 6927.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-7) [***i***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-8) [***j***](#cite_ref-heath39_8-9) Heathcote, p. 39

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["No. 27676"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27676/page/3081). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 13 May 1904. p. 3081.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["No. 27814"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/27814/page/4700). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 7 July 1905. p. 4700.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["No. 28048"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28048/page/5390). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 6 August 1907. p. 5390.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["No. 28246"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28246/page/3277). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 30 April 1909. p. 3277.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["No. 28599"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28599/page/2702). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 16 April 1912. p. 2702.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["No. 28362"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28362/page/3063). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 3 May 1910. p. 3063.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["No. 28388"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28388/supplement/4475). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)* (Supplement to the London Gazette Extraordinary). 23 June 1910. p. 4475.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["No. 28607"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28607/page/3475). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 14 May 1912. p. 3475.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Walford, E., *The county families of the United Kingdom* vol. 59 (1919) page 59

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** ["No. 28722"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28722/page/3753). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 27 May 1913. p. 3753.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["No. 28902"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/28902/page/7293). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 15 September 1914. p. 7293.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["No. 29608"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29608/supplement/5553). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)* (Supplement). 2 June 1916. p. 5553.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["No. 30008"](https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/30008/page/3206). *[The London Gazette](/source/The_London_Gazette)*. 3 April 1917. p. 3206.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** ["Sir George Callaghan"](https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/4028730/callaghan-sir-george-astley/). CWGC Casualty record. Retrieved 16 June 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** F R Stephen, A History of the Bath & County Club, 1983

## Sources

- Heathcote, Tony (2002). *The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 – 1995*. Pen & Sword Ltd. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-85052-835-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-85052-835-6).

## External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Sir George Astley Callaghan](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Sir_George_Astley_Callaghan).

- The Dreadnought Project: [George Callaghan](http://dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php/George_Astley_Callaghan)

Military offices Preceded by Sir Francis Bridgeman Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet 1911–1914 Succeeded by none Preceded by Sir Richard Poore Commander-in-Chief, The Nore 1915–1918 Succeeded by Sir Doveton Sturdee Honorary titles Preceded by Sir Edmund Poë First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp 1914–1917 Succeeded by Sir Henry Jackson Heraldic offices Preceded by Vacant Title previously held by Sir Spencer Ponsonby-Fane King of Arms of the Order of the Bath 1919–1920 Succeeded by Sir Charles Monro

Authority control databases International VIAF GND WorldCat People Commonwealth War Graves Commission

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