Walter Reginald Glynn Petre

Rear-Admiral Walter R. G. Petre as a Captain, 1918.
Portrait: © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Rear-Admiral (retired) Walter Reginald Glynn Petre, D.S.O., R.N. (14 December, 1873 – 26 December, 1942) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Petre gained five months' time on passing out of Britannia. His first naval service was aboard Orlando, on the Australia Station, appointed 17 October, 1889. On 18 December, he went to join Opal, but he returned to Orlando in May 1890 and remained in her through 9 May, 1893.

Petre was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 June, 1896.

Petre was appointed as first officer in Halcyon of the Special Service Squadron on 30 June, 1904, and then as first officer in Dido in the Channel 28 February, 1905.

Petre was appointed as first officer in Natal of the Fifth Cruiser Squadron on 5 March, 1907, but was sent to Haslar Hospital on 2 May with a compound fracture to his left leg which he sustained in an accident handling an anchor. To add insult to this, a Court of Enquiry found that he had taken inadequate precautions in the mooring exercise. Petre was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1907 but remained unfit until 28 January, 1908. He attended a three month War Course at Portsmouth and then a three week torpedo and gunnery course before being sent to spend a two year stint in Blenheim, where he was additional though his duties are not specified.

Petre spent 1911 in Indefatigable and then 1912–1913 in the second class protected cruiser Andromache.

Following a Signal and a War course early in 1914, Petre was appointed in command of the armoured cruiser Leviathan at the outset of the war, serving in her until 22 November 1914 when he was appointed in command of the second class protected cruiser Apollo.

Petre was appointed in command of the minelayer Angora in May, 1915 and promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1915. He would command this ship for three years.

On 6 September, 1915, Petre came down with the flu. He was landed from Angora on the 9th and rejoined her on the 13th, but was not expected to be fit enough to return her to sea for another week. On 17 September, it was noted that "great credit due to him & all concerned for having successfully carried out a minelaying operation under adverse circumstances of wind & sea."

On 24 November 1916, Petre was granted two weeks leave in England.

On 17 January, 1917, Petre grounded Angora. In late March, he would ground Moorsom while passing through a channel. But in April, he was again praised for successful operations in the face of difficult conditions. Petre was awarded a D.S.O. for minelaying operations between 1 January, 1916 and 1 August, 1917, gazetted 1 October, 1917.

Petre was appointed in command of the light cruiser Cleopatra on 29 November, 1918.

Petre was placed on the Retired List at his own request on expiration of his foreign service leave upon his relief, on 21 March, 1923. He was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on the Retired List on 8 July, 1926.

Though he offered his services in 1938, there is no indication that Petre served in World War II. He died of peritonitis and a perforated appendix in 1942.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Vincent L. Bowring	Captain of H.M. T.B. 102 5 Nov, 1900 – Dec, 1901	Succeeded by John C. Powles
Preceded by Cecil H. France-Hayhurst	Captain of H.M.S. Fervent 21 Jun, 1902 – 15 Oct, 1903	Succeeded by Claude Seymour
Preceded by Rowland H. Bather	Captain of H.M.S. Erne 2 Oct, 1905 – 28 May, 1906	Succeeded by Percy G. Brown
Preceded by Mervyn H. Cobbe	Captain of H.M.S. Andromache 9 Jan, 1912 – 9 Feb, 1914	Succeeded by Reginald L. Crichton
Preceded by Octavius H. Daniel	Captain of H.M.S. Leviathan 8 Jul, 1914 – c. 30 Jul, 1914[Inference]	Succeeded by Marcus R. Hill
Preceded by Forster D. Arnold-Forster	Captain of H.M.S. Apollo 22 Nov, 1914 – 10 May, 1915	Succeeded by Arthur E. Wood
Preceded by ?	Captain of H.M.S. Angora 11 May, 1915 – 4 Apr, 1918	Succeeded by Edgar R. Morant
Preceded by The Hon. Arthur C. Strutt	Captain of H.M.S. Cleopatra 29 Nov, 1918 – 4 Mar, 1919	Succeeded by Charles J. C. Little