Desmond Maxwell

Commander (retired) Desmond Maxwell (16 October, 1886 – ) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Maxwell was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 31 December, 1908.

Maxwell was appointed as Lieutenant & Commander of the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 35 on 16 April, 1912. On 4 June, 1912, Maxwell was admitted to Chatham Naval Hospital with syphilis. He emerged fit eight days later and resumed his work in T.B. 35. On 21 January, 1914, the Admiral of Patrols ordered him to take command of the "C" Class destroyer Bat, though his appointment date is also given as February in his Service Record.

Great War

Maxwell left Bat to command the destroyer Arun, part of the Portsmouth Local Defence Flotilla, on 9 December, 1915. Maxwell's work at Portsmouth ended when he commissioned the new destroyer Narborough of the Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla on 4 April, 1916 but was superseded in her by Geoffrey Corlett on 7 May and thus was not her captain at the Battle of Jutland. Maxwell instead was given command of the Acheron Class destroyer Hind, which was part of a flotilla screening the Third Battle Squadron. In November, 1916, he was given charge of the new Rigorous, which was screening the Grand Fleet as part of the new Fifteenth Destroyer Flotilla.

Maxwell was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 31 December, 1916.

In March 1918, Maxwell was sick on shore. His illness is not specified and might well have been related to his earlier diagnosis of syphilis. This recurrence proved persistent – though he was officially still in command of Rigorous until May 14 and was not invalided, upon being superseded he was kept idle thereafter until a medical survey found him fit for shore service only on 28 July. On 1 August, he was sent to provide special service on shore for Vice-Admiral, Dover until he was found fit for sea service. This did not occur until the following April.

Interbellum

He was appointed in command of the destroyer Woolston on 22 May, 1919. Discrepancies in her accounts in 1920 were attributed to insufficient supervision by Maxwell. Nonetheless, in June Commodore Tweedie recommended that Maxwell be promoted.

On 19 February, 1923, Maxwell was appointed to Blenheim as executive officer. In 1924, Maxwell's valuable work on Reserve Fleet Exercises was brought to notice by Commodore, Minesweepers. Maxwell left Blenheim in February 1925 and spent one month on unpaid time. After short gunnery and torpedo courses at Excellent and Vernon, he became an officer instructor for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in April, 1925. Following this, Maxwell was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Commander on 17 March, 1927.

World War II

Maxwell was called up in 1938. Though he required a respirator at times, he was assigned work on the Staff of the Naval Officer in Charge, Clyde as Senior Equipment Officer in August 1939. In late 1942 he was re-appointed in continuation, being now known as Senior Naval Equipment Officer (T) on the staff of the Flag Officer in Charge, Glasgow. In 1943, similar work continued on the East Coast of Scotland.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Henry P. Boxer	Captain of H.M. T.B. 071 24 Oct, 1911 – 16 Apr, 1912	Succeeded by William P. English
Preceded by Spencer F. Russell	Captain of H.M. T.B. 35 16 Apr, 1912 – Feb, 1914	Succeeded by Arthur K. Betty
Preceded by Roy Bacchus	Captain of H.M.S. Bat 3 Feb, 1914 – 9 Dec, 1915	Succeeded by George A. Scott
Preceded by Donald P. MacGregor	Captain of H.M.S. Arun 9 Dec, 1915 – 2 Apr, 1916	Succeeded by George A. Scott
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Narborough 4 Apr, 1916 – 7 May, 1916	Succeeded by Geoffrey Corlett
Preceded by Hugh J. Woodward	Captain of H.M.S. Hind Apr, 1916 – 12 Nov, 1916	Succeeded by Frank A. Rothera
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Rigorous 12 Nov, 1916 – 14 May, 1918	Succeeded by Richard M. King
Preceded by Ian C. S. Hilton	Captain of H.M.S. Larne 26 Mar, 1919 – 3 Apr, 1919	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Serene 3 Apr, 1919 – 7 May, 1919	Succeeded by Herbert W. Wyld
Preceded by Alexander S. Douglas	Captain of H.M.S. Woolston 22 May, 1919 – 14 Jul, 1921	Succeeded by Hamilton E. Snepp