Guy Percival Bowles

Captain (retired) Guy Percival Bowles, D.S.O., (18 December, 1885 – ) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Bowles was born in London and was raised by his mother.

Bowles was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 May, 1907 and spent four years in a series of four separate torpedo boat commands based in the Nore, at the outset of which Bowles applied to take but failed to pass a navigation course. Bowles suffered his first misstep when he grounded his first command, the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 053, though he got away with a simple request that he be more cautious in future. Although he'd been "strongly recd for cd of large torpedo craft" by Commander Dawson in January of 1911, upon completing his fourth command, of T.B. 28 on 4 June 1912, Bowles was appointed to join H.M.S. Lion.

While in Lion, Bowles applied to go to Germany to study the language and was told he should first complete two years in his current appointment. In the meantime, he prepared a report on landing facilities on the Scottish coast which was appreciated by the Admiralty. Bowles's time in the battlecruiser proved prolonged, as he was still there when he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 30 May, 1915, having recently asked if he could receive a destroyer command appointment. He was superseded on 9 October 1915 and soon thereafter was appointed to Blake for the new "M" Class destroyer Mindful, to take command upon her commissioning.

On 8 March 1916, Rifleman collided with a trawler and Bowles's services in dealing with the aftermath were commended.

Bowles was appointed, temporarily, to command Obedient on 18 August, 1916, but this was cancelled and he may never have joined the ship. Instead, he was appointed to Sandhurst for Orcadia on 26 August, to take command upon her commissioning.

Bowles was appointed in command of the destroyer Venturous on 5 November, 1917.

In early 1918, Captain (D), Thirteenth Destroyer Flotilla was asked to report in three months on Bowles's fitness for command. This apparent lack of confidence in the Lieutenant-Commander is not explained, and on 30 May, Captain (D) Arthur Brandreth Scott Dutton reported that Bowles was "quite fit [for?] cmd & handles his ship well". Bowles completed his command appointment in Venturous while also working on the staff of Captain Superintendent, T.B.Ds. in January, 1921.

Post-War

Bowles was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1921.

After so many small ship command appointments, it is a bit odd to consider that Bowles's last seagoing appointment was one in H.M.S. Tiger dated 16 December, 1926 and extending to 2 January, 1929.

Bowles was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Captain on 2 March, 1931.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Clive Phillipps-Wolley as Captain of H.M. T.B. 53	Captain of H.M. T.B. 053 25 Jul, 1908 – 31 May, 1910	Succeeded by Claude B. Evans
Preceded by John A. Scott	Captain of H.M. T.B. 115 31 May, 1910 – Dec, 1910	Succeeded by Harold F. Alderton
Preceded by Bernard M. Harvey	Captain of H.M. T.B. 6 Dec, 1910 – 15 Feb, 1911	Succeeded by Hugh C. Johnson
Preceded by Hugh C. Johnson	Captain of H.M. T.B. 28 15 Feb, 1911 – 4 Jun, 1912	Succeeded by Horace Walker
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Mindful 19 Oct, 1915 – Nov, 1915	Succeeded by Arthur G. H. Bond
Preceded by Arthur G. H. Bond	Captain of H.M.S. Rifleman c. Nov, 1915 – 20 Jul, 1916	Succeeded by Alexander L. Fletcher
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Orcadia 26 Aug, 1916 – 17 Jul, 1917	Succeeded by Godfrey R. Chambers
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Urchin 17 Jul, 1917 – 13 Oct, 1917	Succeeded by George A. Scott
Preceded by Henry E. Horan	Captain of H.M.S. Nereus 13 Oct, 1917 – 5 Nov, 1917	Succeeded by Reginald Nash
Preceded by New Command	Captain of H.M.S. Venturous 5 Nov, 1917 – 15 Jan, 1921	Succeeded by John H. Jauncey
Preceded by Lawrence L. Dundas	Captain of H.M.S. Phaeton 15 Jan, 1921 – 13 Jun, 1922	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Reginald B. C. Hutchinson	Captain of H.M.S. Clematis 10 Sep, 1922 – Jul, 1924	Succeeded by Hugh J. Woodward