Salisbury Hamilton Simpson

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Captain (retired) Salisbury Hamilton Simpson, D.S.O. (24 September, 1884 – ) was an officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Simpson was appointed in command of the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 50 on 28 August, 1906.[1]

Simpson was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 April, 1907.[2]

He was appointed in command of the first-class torpedo boat T.B. 042 on 15 May, 1909.[3]

In April, 1912, Simpson was appointed in command of the gunboat Peterel.[4]

Great War

Simpson was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 1 April, 1915.[5]

Simpson was appointed to H.M.S. Westphalia, a Q-ship, on 19 March, 1917, to assume command upon her commissioning. She was renamed Cullist at some point prior to her loss to U 97 on 11 February, 1918 in the Irish Sea while under Simpson's command. Five officers, twenty-seven ratings, two R.M.L.I., and nine Mercantile Marine Reservists were lost, but Simpson survived.[6] Simpson was sent to Portland where he became an Auxiliary Patrol officer with some shore-based duty spelled out as "P.M.S.O.".

Post-War

Simpson was promoted to the rank of Commander on 30 June, 1919.[7]

He was loaned to the Royal Australian Navy to take up command of H.M.A.S. Anzac. The tenure in command may have been brief, but his service on the books of Australia continued to mid April 1923, when he returned to England and Royal Naval service.[8]

He spent a year in command of destroyers in Reserve, being borne in Hecla from 29 August, 1923. On 26 December, 1924, he was appointed to the shallow draught steamer Widgeon, in service on the Yangtze, to take command vice Montague Legge in January 1925. His services in the roiled waters of the Yangtze prompted the Admiralty to thank him in 1926 for "his good service in difficult situations during the disturbances in China."[9]

On 5 July, 1927, he was appointed to Columbine for command of a reserve group of destroyers, but after just three months he was appointed to the Admiralty for just ten days duty in the Naval Intelligence Division.[10]

18 October 1927 saw him supersede Cecil Crocker in command of Emergency destroyers. He left this posting when he was appointed in command of the light cruiser Cambrian on 10 December, 1929, being superseded there on 11 June, 1930.[11]

Retirement

Simpson was placed on the Retired List at his own request with the rank of Captain on 16 December, 1930.[12]

He was called back for service in World War II, serving as D.S.T.O., Plymouth from 4 September, 1939 and as D.S.T.O., Plymouth from 14 April, 1941, and then from Glasgow for the latter half of 1945.[13]

See Also

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Arthur G. Harrington
Captain of H.M. T.B. 50
28 Aug, 1906[14]c. Mar, 1907
Succeeded by
Herbert A. Forster
as Captain of H.M.T.B. 050
Preceded by
Clive N. Rolfe
Captain of H.M. T.B. 042
15 May, 1909[15]
Succeeded by
George Collins
Preceded by
Edmond A. T. de P. de la Poer
Captain of H.M. T.B. 108
26 May, 1910[16]
Succeeded by
John Daly
Preceded by
Mark G. Newton
Captain of H.M.S. Peterel
Apr, 1912[17]
Succeeded by
George F. Hole

Footnotes

  1. The Navy List. (January, 1907). p. 400.
  2. Simpson Service Records. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. 151.
  3. The Navy List. (April, 1910). p. 401.
  4. The Navy List. (July, 1913). p. 356.
  5. Simpson Service Records. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. 151.
  6. Kindell. Royal Navy Roll of Honour Part 2. pp. 461-2.
  7. Simpson Service Records. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. 151.
  8. Simpson Service Records. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. 151.
  9. Simpson Service Records. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. 151.
  10. Simpson Service Records. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. 151.
  11. Simpson Service Records. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. 151.
  12. Simpson Service Records. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. 151.
  13. Simpson Service Records. The National Archives. ADM 196/49. f. 151.
  14. The Navy List. (January, 1907). p. 400.
  15. The Navy List. (April, 1910). p. 401.
  16. The Monthly Navy List. (March, 1911). p. 401a.
  17. The Navy List. (July, 1913). p. 356.


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