Montague Browning

Sir Montague Browning

Browning in 1916
Born (1863-01-18)18 January 1863
Died 4 November 1947(1947-11-04) (aged 84)
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Navy
Years of service 1876–1926
Rank Admiral
Commands held Plymouth Command
Second Sea Lord
4th Battle Squadron
North America and West Indies Station
3rd Cruiser Squadron
HMS Ariadne
Battles/wars Anglo-Egyptian War
First World War
Awards Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
Commander of the Legion of Honour (France)
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan)
Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Brilliant Golden Grain (China)

Admiral Sir Montague Edward Browning, GCB, GCMG, GCVO (18 January 1863 – 4 November 1947) was a senior Royal Navy officer who served as Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel.

Military career

Browning joined the Royal Navy in 1876.[1] He served in the Anglo-Egyptian War and then became Secretary to the Parliamentary Committee on Water Tube Boilers in 1900.[1]

He was promoted to captain on 1 January 1902,[2] and in June that year was appointed flag captain in command of the cruiser HMS Ariadne.[3] She was commissioned on 5 June 1902 as flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Archibald Douglas, the new Commander-in-Chief of the North America and West Indies Station, where she arrived to take up the position on 15 July.[4] Browning became Chief of Staff for the Channel Fleet in 1908 and Inspector of Target Practice in 1911.[1]

He served in the First World War as Commander of the 3rd Cruiser Squadron of the Grand Fleet and then, from 1916, as Commander-in-Chief North America and West Indies.[1] He commanded 4th Battle Squadron of the Grand Fleet from 1918.[1]

After the War he became President of the Allied Naval Armistice Commission and had the task of dismantling the German Fleet.[5]

He then became Second Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Personnel in 1919.[1] In this capacity he also sought to dismantle the Royal Canadian Navy but this time faced determined and successful opposition from Rear Admiral Walter Hose.[6] His last appointment was as Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth from 1920.[1] He also became First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King in 1925 and retired in 1926.[1]

He was also Rear Admiral of the United Kingdom from 1929 to 1939[1] and then Vice Admiral of the United Kingdom from 1939 to 1945.[7]

He lived at Crawley near Winchester.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  2. The London Gazette: no. 27393. p. 3. 3 January 1902.
  3. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36754). London. 29 April 1902. p. 7.
  4. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36822). London. 17 July 1902. p. 9.
  5. Disarming other ships The Adalaide Advertiser, 25 November 1918
  6. Rear Admiral Walter Hose: Saving the Royal Canadian Navy CFB Esquimalt Naval and Military Museum
  7. The London Gazette: no. 34599. p. 1136. 17 February 1939. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  8. The London Gazette: no. 33299. p. 5022. 2 August 1929. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
Military offices
Preceded by
Sir George Patey
Commander-in-Chief, North America and West Indies Station
1916–1918
Succeeded by
Sir William Grant
Preceded by
Sir Herbert Heath
Second Sea Lord
1919–1920
Succeeded by
Sir Henry Oliver
Preceded by
Sir Cecil Thursby
Commander-in-Chief, Plymouth
1920–1923
Succeeded by
Sir Richard Phillimore
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Sir Somerset Gough-Calthorpe
First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp
1925–1926
Succeeded by
Sir Arthur Leveson
Preceded by
Sir Stanley Colville
Rear-Admiral of the United Kingdom
1929–1939
Succeeded by
Sir Hubert Brand
Preceded by
Sir Stanley Colville
Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom
1939–1945
Succeeded by
Sir Martin Dunbar-Nasmith
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