Richard Henry Peirse

From The Dreadnought Project
Jump to navigationJump to search
Admiral Richard H. Peirse as a Vice-Admiral, 1917.
Portrait: © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Admiral SIR Richard Henry Peirse, K.C.B., K.B.E., M.V.O., Royal Navy (4 September, 1860 – 10 July, 1940) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies at the outbreak of the First World War, and afterwards assisted The Lord Fisher on the Board of Invention and Research.

Early Life & Career

Peirse was born in York on 4 September, 1860, the son of Lieutenant-Colonel C.H. Peirse. In 1873 he joined the Royal Navy, passing in seventh out of the twenty-four who sat the July entry examination. He served as a Midshipman in the Channel Squadron and in the corvette Charybdis on the China Station.

Peirse was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant with seniority of 1 January, 1881 on the basis of examination scores strong enough to grant him both the Goodenough Medal and Beaufort Testimonial for the year 1880.[1]

As a Lieutenant, Peirse served in the masted turret ship Inflexible (1881-84), the second class battleship Edinburgh from 1887-88, and as first and gunnery officer in the light cruiser Galatea (1890-92). The balance of his time was largely spent in work at the gunnery training school H.M.S. Excellent.

On 1 January, 1893, Peirse was promoted to the rank of Commander.[2]

His time as a Commander seems confused. ADM 196/87/88 claims he commanded Ferret, Lightning and Porpoise, but nothing else I find shows this to be true. I suspect a clerical error.— TONY LOVELL, Editor.

Captain

Peirse was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1900.[3]

His work in revising the Gunnery Manual Part II elicited appreciative remarks from Their Lordships in October, 1902. A Signal Course at Portsmouth followed in February.[4]

On 21 May, 1903, he was appointed to the second class protected cruiser Dido.[5] On the occasion of the King's visit to Austria he was appointed a Member of the Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) on 9 October.[6]

In November 1904, he became Captain of the armoured cruiser Bedford, remaining about one year.[7]

He commanded the battleship H.M.S. Commonwealth from December 1905, possibly until October 1907.[8]

In a letter of 13 April, 1907, the Director of Naval Ordnance, John R. Jellicoe, mentioned to the Captain-designate of Excellent, Reginald G. O. Tupper, "entre nous that Peirse will be DNO. He doesn't know of it yet so please say nothing even to him."[9] Commodore Frederick T. Hamilton, whom Tupper was to succeed and who was to become Inspector of Target Practice, wrote, "I am sure we shall find Peirse as DNO a first rate man to work with."[10] In the end, however, Jellicoe was succeeded by Captain Reginald H. S. Bacon.

Flag Rank

Peirse was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 9 February, 1909, vice Adair.[11]

Peirse was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Civil Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 1 January, 1913.[12]

On the occasion of King George V's birthday Peirse was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.) on 22 June, 1914.[13]

Great War

Peirse was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral dated 24 October, 1914.[14]

Peirse was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 11 March, 1918.[15] He was placed on the Retired List at his own request on 17 January, 1919.[16]

Bibliography

  • "Admiral Sir Richard Peirse" (Obituaries). The Times. Thursday, 11 July, 1940. Issue 48665, col D, p. 7.

See Also

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Henry J. Keane 		Captain of H.M.S. Barracouta
10 Aug, 1898[17] – 23 Oct, 1900[18] 		Succeeded by
Hugh Cotesworth
Preceded by
Horatio N. Dudding 		Captain of H.M.S. Iphigenia
16 Jul, 1901[19][20] – 24 Aug, 1901[21] 		Succeeded by
Spencer V. Y. de Horsey
Preceded by
Robert S. D. Cumming 		Captain of H.M.S. Dido
21 May, 1903[22][23] – 14 Nov, 1904[24] 		Succeeded by
Charles E. Anson
Preceded by
Frederick C. D. Sturdee 		Captain of H.M.S. Bedford
14 Nov, 1904[25][26] – 28 Dec, 1905[27] 		Succeeded by
Herbert Lyon
Preceded by
James Startin 		Captain of H.M.S. Commonwealth
28 Dec, 1905[28] – 27 May, 1907[29] 		Succeeded by
Montague E. Browning
Preceded by
Arthur H. Limpus 		Naval Member of the Ordnance Committee
30 Oct, 1907[30] – 2 Jan, 1908[31] 		Succeeded by
Richard H. Peirse
as Naval Member of the Ordnance Board
Preceded by
Richard H. Peirse
as Naval Member of the Ordnance Committee 		Naval Member of the Ordnance Board
2 Jan, 1908[32][33] – 16 Feb, 1909[34] 		Succeeded by
Rudolf W. Bentinck
Preceded by
Frederick T. Hamilton 		Inspector of Target Practice
16 Feb, 1909[35] – 5 Jan, 1911[36] 		Succeeded by
Montague E. Browning
Preceded by
Frederick C. D. Sturdee 		Rear-Admiral in the First Division, Home Fleet
5 Jan, 1911[37] – 5 Jan, 1912[38] 		Succeeded by
Charles E. Madden
Preceded by
The Hon. Sir Alexander E. Bethell 		Commander-in-Chief, East Indies Station
20 Dec, 1912[39][40] – 25 Jan, 1916[41] 		Succeeded by
Sir Rosslyn E. Wemyss

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 24934. p. 547. 8 February, 1881.
  2. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 26359. p. 2. 2 January, 1893.
  3. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27211. p. 4433. 17 July, 1900.
  4. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/87. f. 88.
  5. ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Thursday, 21 May, 1903. Issue 37086, col B, p. 8.
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 27604. p. 6147. 9 October, 1903.
  7. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/87. f. 88.
  8. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/87. f. 88.
  9. ↑ Tupper Papers. National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth. 1987/130 (53).
  10. ↑ Tupper Papers. National Museum of the Royal Navy, Portsmouth. 1987/130 (80).
  11. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28223. p. 1111. 12 February, 1909.
  12. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28677. p. 1. 1 January, 1913.
  13. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 28842. p. 4876. 22 June, 1914.
  14. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 28984. p. 9690. 24 November, 1914.
  15. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 30599. p. 3756. 26 March, 1918.
  16. ↑ The London Gazette: no. 31162. p. 1798. 4 February, 1919.
  17. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1024.
  18. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1024.
  19. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39/262. f. 1024.
  20. ↑ "The Naval Manoeuvres." The Times (London, England), Thursday, July 11, 1901, Issue 36504, p.8.
  21. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39/262. f. 1024.
  22. ↑ "Naval & Military Intelligence". The Times. Thursday, 21 May, 1903. Issue 37086, col B, p. 8.
  23. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  24. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  25. ↑ The Navy List. (November, 1905). p. 283.
  26. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  27. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  28. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  29. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  30. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  31. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  32. ↑ The Navy List. (September, 1908). p. 542.
  33. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  34. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  35. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  36. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  37. ↑ "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Friday, 6 January, 1911. Issue 39475, col F, p. 3.
  38. ↑ "Naval Appointments." The Times (London, England), Friday, 6 January, 1912. Issue 39787, col C, p. 4.
  39. ↑ The Navy List. (December, 1914). p. 383.
  40. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.
  41. ↑ Peirse Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/39. f. 1026.

Retrieved from "http://dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php?title=Richard_Henry_Peirse&oldid=327342"