Difference between revisions of "Thomas Jackson"

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[[File:Jackson, NPG x43725.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Admiral Thomas Jackson as a Rear-Admiral, 1917.<br><small>Photograph: © National Portrait Gallery, London.</small>]]
 
[[File:Jackson, NPG x43725.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Admiral Thomas Jackson as a Rear-Admiral, 1917.<br><small>Photograph: © National Portrait Gallery, London.</small>]]
  
[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] S<small>IR</small> '''Thomas Jackson''', K.B.E., C.B., M.V.O., Royal Navy, Retired (20 February, 1868 &ndash; 7 July, 1945) was an officer of the [[Royal Navy]].  He took four firsts in his Lieutenancy exams and qualified for gunnery duties.  He was promoted to Captain at the relatively early age of 36 and was present (as was [[William Christopher Pakenham]]) in the [[Japanese Empire|Japanese]] fleet at the [[Battle of Tsushima]] in 1905 and was praised for his cool bearing by Admiral [[Heicharo Togo|Togo]].
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[[Admiral (Royal Navy)|Admiral]] S<small>IR</small> '''Thomas Jackson''', K.B.E., C.B., M.V.O., Royal Navy, Retired (20 February, 1868 &ndash; 7 July, 1945) was an officer of the [[Royal Navy]].  He took four firsts in his Lieutenancy exams and qualified for gunnery duties.  He was promoted to Captain at the relatively early age of 36 and was present (as was [[William Christopher Pakenham]]) in the [[Japanese Empire|Japanese]] fleet at the [[Battle of Tsushima]] in 1905 and was praised for his cool bearing by Admiral [[Tōgō Heihachirō, First Kōshaku|Togo]].
  
 
==Early Life & Career==
 
==Early Life & Career==
 
Jackson was born at Stoke Damaral, Devonport on 20 February, 1868, the son of {{LieutRN}} [[Thomas Sturges Jackson]], [[Royal Navy]].  He scored 1,241 marks in the competitive examinations for cadetships in the Royal Navy, coming sixth out of his batch of twenty.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 27 June, 1881.  Issue '''30231''', col E, p. 8.</ref>  He entered the [[H.M.S. Britannia (Training Ship)|''Britannia'']] on 15 July, 1881.  He performed so well in ''Britannia'' that he gained twelve months and was rated Midshipman immediately upon leaving the training ship on 15 July, 1883.  He was sent to join the ''Achilles'' in the China Squadron, where he remained until appointed to the ''Bacchante'' in the East Indies Squadron on 14 April, 1885.  On 20 November, 1887 Jackson returned to England as an acting Sub-Lieutenant to take his lieutenantcy exams at [[H.M.S. Excellent (Gunnery Training School)|H.M.S. ''Excellent'']], the gunnery school at Portsmouth.
 
Jackson was born at Stoke Damaral, Devonport on 20 February, 1868, the son of {{LieutRN}} [[Thomas Sturges Jackson]], [[Royal Navy]].  He scored 1,241 marks in the competitive examinations for cadetships in the Royal Navy, coming sixth out of his batch of twenty.<ref>"Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices).  ''The Times''.  Monday, 27 June, 1881.  Issue '''30231''', col E, p. 8.</ref>  He entered the [[H.M.S. Britannia (Training Ship)|''Britannia'']] on 15 July, 1881.  He performed so well in ''Britannia'' that he gained twelve months and was rated Midshipman immediately upon leaving the training ship on 15 July, 1883.  He was sent to join the ''Achilles'' in the China Squadron, where he remained until appointed to the ''Bacchante'' in the East Indies Squadron on 14 April, 1885.  On 20 November, 1887 Jackson returned to England as an acting Sub-Lieutenant to take his lieutenantcy exams at [[H.M.S. Excellent (Gunnery Training School)|H.M.S. ''Excellent'']], the gunnery school at Portsmouth.
  
He was promoted to the rank of {{CommRN}} on 31 December, 1899.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27150/pages/3 no. 27150.  p. 3.]  2 January, 1900.</ref>
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He was promoted to the rank of {{CommRN}} on 31 December, 1899.{{Gaz|27150|3|2 January, 1900}}
  
Jackson was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 1 January, 1905.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27750/pages/25 no. 27750.  p. 25.]  3 January, 1905.</ref> At the Battle of Tsushima between the Japanese and Russian fleets on 27 May, Jackson was present, on board the Japanese cruiser ''Adzuma''.<ref>Report in {{TNA|CAB|37|79|157.}}</ref>  He was praised by Admiral Togo, commander of the Japanese fleet, for his "cool & gallant bearing" during the battle.<ref>ADM 196/42.  f. 496.</ref>
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Jackson was promoted to the rank of {{CaptRN}} on 1 January, 1905.{{Gaz|27750|25|3 January, 1905}} At the Battle of Tsushima between the Japanese and Russian fleets on 27 May, Jackson was present, on board the Japanese cruiser ''Adzuma''.<ref>Report in {{TNA|CAB|37|79|157.}}</ref>  He was praised by Admiral Togo, commander of the Japanese fleet, for his "cool & gallant bearing" during the battle.<ref>ADM 196/42.  f. 496.</ref> Six years later Captain [[Philip Wylie Dumas|Philip W. Dumas]] recorded a meeting with Jackson:
  
On the occasion of the special Mission of Prince Arthur of Connaught to Japan to invest the Emperor of Japan with the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Jackson was appointed a Member of the Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) dated 15 March, 1906.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27913/pages/3326 no. 27913.  p. 3326.]  15 May, 1906.</ref>  He was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 9 November.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/27965/pages/7551 no. 27965.  p. 7551.]  9 November, 1906.</ref>  He received the C.B. in an investiture at Buckingham Palace on 18 December.<ref>"Court Circular" (Court and Social).  ''The Times''.  Wednesday, 19 December, 1906.  Issue '''38207''', col F, p. 9.</ref>
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<blockquote>who was very interesting regarding the battle of Tsushima & spoke of the religious thoughts evolved by the death all around. He confessed he was rather in a cold sweat & a tremble & yet his note book (which he showed me) written at the time demonstrated a steady hand.</blockquote>
  
He was appointed command of the {{UK-Cressy|f=t}} on 21 May, 1907.<ref>''The Navy List'' (October, 1908).  p. 297.</ref>
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On the occasion of the special Mission of Prince Arthur of Connaught to Japan to invest the Emperor of Japan with the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Jackson was appointed a Member of the Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) dated 15 March, 1906.{{Gaz|27913|3326|15 May, 1906}}  He was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 9 November.{{Gaz|27965|7551|9 November, 1906}} He received the C.B. in an investiture at Buckingham Palace on 18 December.<ref>"Court Circular" (Court and Social).  ''The Times''.  Wednesday, 19 December, 1906Issue '''38207''', col F, p. 9.</ref>
  
On 1 November, 1913, Jackson was appointed in command of the dreadnought battleship [[H.M.S. Thunderer (1911)|''Thunderer'']].<ref>Jackson Service Record.  The National Archives.  ADM 196/42.  f. 496.</ref>
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He was appointed in command of the {{UK-Cressy|f=t}} on 21 May, 1907.{{NLOct08|p. 297}}  He would hold this command for more than two years.
 +
 
 +
After commanding the {{UK-LCS|3}} of the Blue Fleet in the Annual Manoeuvres of 1913, in November Jackson was appointed in command of the dreadnought battleship [[H.M.S. Thunderer (1911)|''Thunderer'']].<ref>Jackson Service Record.  The National Archives.  ADM 196/42.  f. 496.</ref>
  
 
==Great War==
 
==Great War==
On 2 November, 1914, Jackson was appointed a [[Naval Aide-de-Camp]] to King George V, vice [[Robert John Prendergast|Prendergast]].<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29011/pages/10816 no. 29011.  p. 10816.]  18 December, 1914.</ref> He was relieved in command of ''Thunderer'' on 19 December, and appointed to ''President'' on the same day.  On 17 January, 1915, he succeeded Rear-Admiral [[Arthur Cavenagh Leveson|Arthur C. Leveson]] as [[Operations Division (Royal Navy)|Director of the Operations Division]] (D.O.D.) of the [[Admiralty War Staff]].  
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On 2 November, 1914, Jackson was appointed a [[Naval Aide-de-Camp]] to King George V, vice [[Robert John Prendergast|Prendergast]].{{Gaz|29011|10816|18 December, 1914}} He was relieved in command of ''Thunderer'' on 19 December, and appointed to ''President'' on the same day.  On 17 January, 1915, he succeeded Rear-Admiral [[Arthur Cavenagh Leveson|Arthur C. Leveson]] as [[Operations Division (Royal Navy)|Director of the Operations Division]] (D.O.D.) of the [[Admiralty War Staff]].  
  
On 9 June, 1916, he was promoted to the rank of {{RearRN}}.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/29629/supplements/6066 (Supplement) no. 29629.  p. 6066.]  20 June, 1916.</ref>
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On 9 June, 1916, he was promoted to the rank of {{RearRN}}.{{GazSup|29629|6066|20 June, 1916}}
  
 
On 11 June, 1917, Jackson was superseded as D.O.D. by Rear-Admiral [[George Price Webley Hope|George P. W. Hope]], and appointed to ''President'' for Special Service on the same day.  On 6 July he was appointed [[Senior Naval Officer, Egypt]] and took up his duties on 20 July.  Vice-Admiral Oliver commented in his memoirs, "I was very sorry to lose Jackson[;] we had always got on well and he was a great help[,] always at hand and very dependable."<ref>Oliver Typescript Memoirs.  '''II'''.  p. 195.</ref>  He was superseded on 28 December, 1918.
 
On 11 June, 1917, Jackson was superseded as D.O.D. by Rear-Admiral [[George Price Webley Hope|George P. W. Hope]], and appointed to ''President'' for Special Service on the same day.  On 6 July he was appointed [[Senior Naval Officer, Egypt]] and took up his duties on 20 July.  Vice-Admiral Oliver commented in his memoirs, "I was very sorry to lose Jackson[;] we had always got on well and he was a great help[,] always at hand and very dependable."<ref>Oliver Typescript Memoirs.  '''II'''.  p. 195.</ref>  He was superseded on 28 December, 1918.
  
 
==Post-War==
 
==Post-War==
On 26 March, 1920 Jackson was promoted to the rank of {{ViceRN}}, vice [[Heathcoat Salusbury Grant|Grant]].<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/31870/pages/4575 no. 31870.  p. 4575.]  20 April, 1920.</ref> On the occasion of the King's birthday Jackson was appointed a Knight Commander of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (K.B.E.) on 2 June, 1923.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32830/supplements/3947 (Supplement) no. 32830.  p. 3947.]  20 April, 1920.</ref> On 7 October he was placed on the Retired List at his own request.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/32871/pages/6966 no. 32871.  p. 6966.]  16 October, 1923.</ref> He was advanced to the rank of {{AdmRN}} on 8 May, 1925.<ref>''The London Gazette'': [http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/33049/pages/3445 no. 33049.  p. 3445.]  22 May, 1925.</ref>
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On 26 March, 1920 Jackson was promoted to the rank of {{ViceRN}}, vice [[Heathcoat Salusbury Grant|Grant]].{{Gaz|31870|4575|20 April, 1920}} On the occasion of the King's birthday Jackson was appointed a Knight Commander of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (K.B.E.) on 2 June, 1923.{{GazSup|32830|3947|20 April, 1920}} On 7 October he was placed on the Retired List at his own request.{{Gaz|32871|6966|16 October, 1923}} He was advanced to the rank of {{AdmRN}} on 8 May, 1925.{{Gaz|33049|3445|22 May, 1925}}
  
 
Jackson died in a nursing home in London from carcinoma of the rectum on 7 July, 1945 at the age of seventy-seven.
 
Jackson died in a nursing home in London from carcinoma of the rectum on 7 July, 1945 at the age of seventy-seven.
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Jackson has been the target of much posthumous criticism, centred on his service as Director of the Operations Division, and specifically for his alleged actions in connection with the Battle of Jutland.
 
Jackson has been the target of much posthumous criticism, centred on his service as Director of the Operations Division, and specifically for his alleged actions in connection with the Battle of Jutland.
  
The historian Andrew Gordon has seen fit to tar Jackson with all manner of calumnies.  Gordon claims that Jackson "disliked the miscellany of gifted amateurs who comprised the Room's crew [Room 40], and resented the notion that such people could contribute anything of use to naval affairs."<ref>Gordon.  p. 72.</ref>  He labels him as a "ridiculous, blustering officer", a "buffoon", and "execrable."<ref>Gordon.  pp. 72, 416, 486, respectively.</ref>
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Dr. Andrew Gordon has seen fit to tar Jackson with all manner of calumnies.  Gordon claims that Jackson "disliked the miscellany of gifted amateurs who comprised the Room's crew [Room 40], and resented the notion that such people could contribute anything of use to naval affairs."<ref>Gordon.  p. 72.</ref>  He labels him as a "ridiculous, blustering officer", a "buffoon", and "execrable."<ref>Gordon.  pp. 72, 416, 486, respectively.</ref> Massie, based on nothing more than Gordon, wrote that "Jackson exemplified those British naval officers who scorned such modern capabilities and techniques as deciphering secret codes."<ref>Massie.  p. 580.</ref>
 +
 
 +
Referring to Jackson's appointment as S.N.O., Egypt, Lieutenant-Commander Patrick Beesly wrote: "Some relief may have been provided by the despatch of the ineffable Thomas Jackson to Alexandria, where he attempted to reverse the the reforms introduced by Admiral Wemyss, until suppressed by Wemyss's successor, Gough-Calthorpe."<ref>Beesly.  p. 178.</ref>  Beesly provided no evidence or source for any of these comments.  He also ignored the fact that Jackson was Wemyss's successor in the Mediterranean and not Gough-Calthorpe.
 +
 
 +
Michael Clemmesen has described Jackson as "limited" in his capacity as D.O.D.,<ref>Clemessen.  p. 31.</ref> yet naturally gives no context or evidence for this.
  
Referring to Jackson's appointment as S.N.O., Egypt, Patrick Beesly wrote: "Some relief may have been provided by the despatch of the ineffable Thomas Jackson to Alexandria, where he attempted to reverse the the reforms introduced by Admiral Wemyss, until suppressed by Wemyss's successor, Gough-Calthorpe."<ref>Beesly. p. 178.</ref>  Beesly provides no evidence or source for any of these comments.
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Jackson's reputation has been salvaged somewhat by more searching minds, for example Captain Jason Hines, U.S.N., in his article on Jutland signals intelligence, and Dr. Norman Friedman in his work on naval command and control.
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==
{{WP|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jackson_(Royal_Navy_officer)}}
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{{refbegin}}
 
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{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jackson_(Royal_Navy_officer)}}
==Footnotes==
+
{{refend}}
{{reflist}}
 
  
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
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*"Admiral Sir Thomas Jackson" (Obituaries).  ''The Times''.  Tuesday, 10 July, 1945.  Issue '''50190''', col F, p. 6.
 
*"Admiral Sir Thomas Jackson" (Obituaries).  ''The Times''.  Tuesday, 10 July, 1945.  Issue '''50190''', col F, p. 6.
 
*Beesly, Patrick (1982).  ''Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914-1918''.  London: Hamish Hamilton.  ISBN 0241108640.
 
*Beesly, Patrick (1982).  ''Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914-1918''.  London: Hamish Hamilton.  ISBN 0241108640.
 +
*Clemmesen, Michael H. (2013).  ''The Royal Navy's strategy discourse up to the Great War - in outline''.
 +
*Friedman, Norman (2009).  ''Network-Centric Warfare: How Navies Learned to Fight Smarter Through Three World Wars''.  Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.  ISBN 9781591142867.
 
*{{GordonRules2005}}
 
*{{GordonRules2005}}
 
*Hines, Commander Jason, U.S.N. (October 2008).  "Sins of Omission and Commission: A Reassessment of the Role of Intelligence in the Battle of Jutland".  ''The Journal of Military History'' '''72''' (4): pp. 1117-1153.
 
*Hines, Commander Jason, U.S.N. (October 2008).  "Sins of Omission and Commission: A Reassessment of the Role of Intelligence in the Battle of Jutland".  ''The Journal of Military History'' '''72''' (4): pp. 1117-1153.
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{{refend}}
 
{{refend}}
  
 +
<div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}}
 +
{{TabNaval}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Claud Arthur William Hamilton|Claud A. W. Hamilton]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Rosario (1898)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Rosario'']]'''<br>16 Mar, 1903<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  p. 249/496.</ref> &ndash; 31 Dec, 1904<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  p. 249/496.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Nicholas Edward Archdale|Nicholas E. Archdale]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Charles Langdale Ottley|Charles L. Ottley]]'''|'''[[Naval Attaché (Royal Navy)|Royal Navy Naval Attaché at Tokyo]]'''<br>1 Jan, 1906<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref> &ndash; 1 May, 1906<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  p. 249/496.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Charles Joseph Thaddeus Dormer, Fourteenth Baron Dormer|Charles J. T. Dormer]]'''<br><small>as '''Naval Attaché to Japan and China'''</small>}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[William Blewett Fawckner|William B. Fawckner]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Cressy (1899)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Cressy'']]'''<br>21 May, 1907{{NLJul09|p. 297}}<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref> &ndash; 6 Aug, 1909<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Walter Henry Cowan, First Baronet|Walter H. Cowan]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[William Lowther Grant|William L. Grant]]'''|'''[[Naval Intelligence Department (Royal Navy)|Head of Foreign Division]]'''<br>20 Dec, 1909<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref> &ndash; 7 Jan, 1912<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''?'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Alexander Edward Bethell|The Hon. Alexander Edward Bethell]]<br>as [[Naval Intelligence Department (Royal Navy)|Director of Naval Intelligence]]'''|'''[[Naval Intelligence Division (Royal Navy)|Director of the Intelligence Division]]'''<br>9 Jan, 1912<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref> &ndash; 1 Nov, 1913<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Henry Francis Oliver|Henry F. Oliver]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Christopher Russell Payne|Christopher R. Payne]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Attentive (1904)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Attentive'']]'''<br>17 Jul, 1913<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref> &ndash; Aug, 1913|Succeeded by<br>'''[[William Frederick Blunt|William F. Blunt]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Guy Reginald Archer Gaunt|Guy R. A. Gaunt]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Thunderer (1911)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Thunderer'']]'''<br>1 Nov, 1913<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref> &ndash; 19 Dec, 1914<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Charles Lionel Vaughan-Lee|Charles L. Vaughan-Lee]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Arthur Cavenagh Leveson|Arthur C. Leveson]]'''|'''[[Operations Division (Royal Navy)|Director of Operations Division]]'''<br>17 Jan, 1915{{UKNavalStaff|p. 121}}<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref> &ndash; 11 Jun, 1917<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  f. 496.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[George Price Webley Hope|George P. W. Hope]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''?'''|'''[[Egypt|Senior Naval Officer, Egypt]]'''<br>6 Jul, 1917<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  p. 249/496.</ref> &ndash; 28 Dec, 1918<ref>Jackson Service Record.  {{TNA|ADM 196/42.}}  p. 249/496.</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Henry Bertram Pelly|Henry B. Pelly]]'''}}
 +
{{TabEnd}}
 +
</div name=fredbot:appts>
  
{{TabAppts}}
+
==Footnotes==
{{Appt
+
{{reflist}}
|[[Naval Intelligence Division (Royal Navy)|Director of the Intelligence Division]]|[[Alexander Edward Bethell|The Hon. Alexander E. Bethell]]<br><small>As [[Naval Intelligence Department (Royal Navy)|Director of Naval Intelligence]]</small>|1912 &ndash; 1913|[[Henry Francis Oliver|Henry F. Oliver]]
 
}}
 
{{Appt
 
|[[Operations Division (Royal Navy)|Director of the Operations Division]]|[[Arthur Cavenagh Leveson|Arthur C. Leveson]]|1915 &ndash; 1917|[[George Price Webley Hope|George P. W. Hope]]
 
}}
 
{{Appt
 
|[[Mediterranean Station|Senior Naval Officer, Egypt]]|New Command|1917 &ndash; 1918|[[Henry Bertram Pelly|Henry B. Pelly]]
 
}}
 
{{TabEnd}}
 
  
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Thomas}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Thomas}}
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{{CatBritannia|July, 1881}}
 
{{CatBritannia|July, 1881}}
 
{{CatGunneryOfficer|UK}}
 
{{CatGunneryOfficer|UK}}
[[Category:Directors of the Intelligence Division (Royal Navy)]]
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{{CatAdm|UK}}
[[Category:Directors of the Operations Division (Royal Navy)]]
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{{CatRN}}
[[Category:Senior Naval Officers, Egypt]]
 
{{CatAdmiral|UK}}
 

Latest revision as of 17:38, 21 December 2023

Admiral Thomas Jackson as a Rear-Admiral, 1917.
Photograph: © National Portrait Gallery, London.

Admiral SIR Thomas Jackson, K.B.E., C.B., M.V.O., Royal Navy, Retired (20 February, 1868 – 7 July, 1945) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He took four firsts in his Lieutenancy exams and qualified for gunnery duties. He was promoted to Captain at the relatively early age of 36 and was present (as was William Christopher Pakenham) in the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Tsushima in 1905 and was praised for his cool bearing by Admiral Togo.

Early Life & Career

Jackson was born at Stoke Damaral, Devonport on 20 February, 1868, the son of Lieutenant Thomas Sturges Jackson, Royal Navy. He scored 1,241 marks in the competitive examinations for cadetships in the Royal Navy, coming sixth out of his batch of twenty.[1] He entered the Britannia on 15 July, 1881. He performed so well in Britannia that he gained twelve months and was rated Midshipman immediately upon leaving the training ship on 15 July, 1883. He was sent to join the Achilles in the China Squadron, where he remained until appointed to the Bacchante in the East Indies Squadron on 14 April, 1885. On 20 November, 1887 Jackson returned to England as an acting Sub-Lieutenant to take his lieutenantcy exams at H.M.S. Excellent, the gunnery school at Portsmouth.

He was promoted to the rank of Commander on 31 December, 1899.[2]

Jackson was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 January, 1905.[3] At the Battle of Tsushima between the Japanese and Russian fleets on 27 May, Jackson was present, on board the Japanese cruiser Adzuma.[4] He was praised by Admiral Togo, commander of the Japanese fleet, for his "cool & gallant bearing" during the battle.[5] Six years later Captain Philip W. Dumas recorded a meeting with Jackson:

who was very interesting regarding the battle of Tsushima & spoke of the religious thoughts evolved by the death all around. He confessed he was rather in a cold sweat & a tremble & yet his note book (which he showed me) written at the time demonstrated a steady hand.

On the occasion of the special Mission of Prince Arthur of Connaught to Japan to invest the Emperor of Japan with the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Jackson was appointed a Member of the Fourth Class of the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) dated 15 March, 1906.[6] He was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 9 November.[7] He received the C.B. in an investiture at Buckingham Palace on 18 December.[8]

He was appointed in command of the armoured cruiser Cressy on 21 May, 1907.[9] He would hold this command for more than two years.

After commanding the Third Light Cruiser Squadron of the Blue Fleet in the Annual Manoeuvres of 1913, in November Jackson was appointed in command of the dreadnought battleship Thunderer.[10]

Great War

On 2 November, 1914, Jackson was appointed a Naval Aide-de-Camp to King George V, vice Prendergast.[11] He was relieved in command of Thunderer on 19 December, and appointed to President on the same day. On 17 January, 1915, he succeeded Rear-Admiral Arthur C. Leveson as Director of the Operations Division (D.O.D.) of the Admiralty War Staff.

On 9 June, 1916, he was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral.[12]

On 11 June, 1917, Jackson was superseded as D.O.D. by Rear-Admiral George P. W. Hope, and appointed to President for Special Service on the same day. On 6 July he was appointed Senior Naval Officer, Egypt and took up his duties on 20 July. Vice-Admiral Oliver commented in his memoirs, "I was very sorry to lose Jackson[;] we had always got on well and he was a great help[,] always at hand and very dependable."[13] He was superseded on 28 December, 1918.

Post-War

On 26 March, 1920 Jackson was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral, vice Grant.[14] On the occasion of the King's birthday Jackson was appointed a Knight Commander of the Military Division of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (K.B.E.) on 2 June, 1923.[15] On 7 October he was placed on the Retired List at his own request.[16] He was advanced to the rank of Admiral on 8 May, 1925.[17]

Jackson died in a nursing home in London from carcinoma of the rectum on 7 July, 1945 at the age of seventy-seven.

Criticism

Jackson has been the target of much posthumous criticism, centred on his service as Director of the Operations Division, and specifically for his alleged actions in connection with the Battle of Jutland.

Dr. Andrew Gordon has seen fit to tar Jackson with all manner of calumnies. Gordon claims that Jackson "disliked the miscellany of gifted amateurs who comprised the Room's crew [Room 40], and resented the notion that such people could contribute anything of use to naval affairs."[18] He labels him as a "ridiculous, blustering officer", a "buffoon", and "execrable."[19] Massie, based on nothing more than Gordon, wrote that "Jackson exemplified those British naval officers who scorned such modern capabilities and techniques as deciphering secret codes."[20]

Referring to Jackson's appointment as S.N.O., Egypt, Lieutenant-Commander Patrick Beesly wrote: "Some relief may have been provided by the despatch of the ineffable Thomas Jackson to Alexandria, where he attempted to reverse the the reforms introduced by Admiral Wemyss, until suppressed by Wemyss's successor, Gough-Calthorpe."[21] Beesly provided no evidence or source for any of these comments. He also ignored the fact that Jackson was Wemyss's successor in the Mediterranean and not Gough-Calthorpe.

Michael Clemmesen has described Jackson as "limited" in his capacity as D.O.D.,[22] yet naturally gives no context or evidence for this.

Jackson's reputation has been salvaged somewhat by more searching minds, for example Captain Jason Hines, U.S.N., in his article on Jutland signals intelligence, and Dr. Norman Friedman in his work on naval command and control.

See Also

Bibliography

  • "Admiral Sir Thomas Jackson" (Obituaries). The Times. Tuesday, 10 July, 1945. Issue 50190, col F, p. 6.
  • Beesly, Patrick (1982). Room 40: British Naval Intelligence 1914-1918. London: Hamish Hamilton. ISBN 0241108640.
  • Clemmesen, Michael H. (2013). The Royal Navy's strategy discourse up to the Great War - in outline.
  • Friedman, Norman (2009). Network-Centric Warfare: How Navies Learned to Fight Smarter Through Three World Wars. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 9781591142867.
  • Gordon, Andrew (2005). The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command. London: John Murray (Publishers). ISBN 0719561310. (on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk).
  • Hines, Commander Jason, U.S.N. (October 2008). "Sins of Omission and Commission: A Reassessment of the Role of Intelligence in the Battle of Jutland". The Journal of Military History 72 (4): pp. 1117-1153.

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Claud A. W. Hamilton
Captain of H.M.S. Rosario
16 Mar, 1903[23] – 31 Dec, 1904[24]
Succeeded by
Nicholas E. Archdale
Preceded by
Charles L. Ottley
Royal Navy Naval Attaché at Tokyo
1 Jan, 1906[25] – 1 May, 1906[26]
Succeeded by
Charles J. T. Dormer
as Naval Attaché to Japan and China
Preceded by
William B. Fawckner
Captain of H.M.S. Cressy
21 May, 1907[27][28] – 6 Aug, 1909[29]
Succeeded by
Walter H. Cowan
Preceded by
William L. Grant
Head of Foreign Division
20 Dec, 1909[30] – 7 Jan, 1912[31]
Succeeded by
?
Preceded by
The Hon. Alexander Edward Bethell
as Director of Naval Intelligence
Director of the Intelligence Division
9 Jan, 1912[32] – 1 Nov, 1913[33]
Succeeded by
Henry F. Oliver
Preceded by
Christopher R. Payne
Captain of H.M.S. Attentive
17 Jul, 1913[34] – Aug, 1913
Succeeded by
William F. Blunt
Preceded by
Guy R. A. Gaunt
Captain of H.M.S. Thunderer
1 Nov, 1913[35] – 19 Dec, 1914[36]
Succeeded by
Charles L. Vaughan-Lee
Preceded by
Arthur C. Leveson
Director of Operations Division
17 Jan, 1915[37][38] – 11 Jun, 1917[39]
Succeeded by
George P. W. Hope
Preceded by
?
Senior Naval Officer, Egypt
6 Jul, 1917[40] – 28 Dec, 1918[41]
Succeeded by
Henry B. Pelly

Footnotes

  1. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 27 June, 1881. Issue 30231, col E, p. 8.
  2. The London Gazette: no. 27150. p. 3. 2 January, 1900.
  3. The London Gazette: no. 27750. p. 25. 3 January, 1905.
  4. Report in The National Archives. CAB
  5. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  6. The London Gazette: no. 27913. p. 3326. 15 May, 1906.
  7. The London Gazette: no. 27965. p. 7551. 9 November, 1906.
  8. "Court Circular" (Court and Social). The Times. Wednesday, 19 December, 1906. Issue 38207, col F, p. 9.
  9. The Navy List. (October, 1908). p. 297.
  10. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  11. The London Gazette: no. 29011. p. 10816. 18 December, 1914.
  12. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29629. p. 6066. 20 June, 1916.
  13. Oliver Typescript Memoirs. II. p. 195.
  14. The London Gazette: no. 31870. p. 4575. 20 April, 1920.
  15. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 32830. p. 3947. 20 April, 1920.
  16. The London Gazette: no. 32871. p. 6966. 16 October, 1923.
  17. The London Gazette: no. 33049. p. 3445. 22 May, 1925.
  18. Gordon. p. 72.
  19. Gordon. pp. 72, 416, 486, respectively.
  20. Massie. p. 580.
  21. Beesly. p. 178.
  22. Clemessen. p. 31.
  23. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 249/496.
  24. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 249/496.
  25. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  26. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 249/496.
  27. The Navy List. (July, 1909). p. 297.
  28. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  29. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  30. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  31. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  32. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  33. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  34. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  35. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  36. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  37. The Naval Staff of the Admiralty. p. 121.
  38. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  39. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 496.
  40. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 249/496.
  41. Jackson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. p. 249/496.