Rosslyn Wemyss, 1st Baron Wester Wemyss
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| Admiral of the Fleet The Right Honourable The Lord Wester Wemyss GCB, CMG, MVO |
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|---|---|
| 12 April 1864 – 24 May 1933 | |
 Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss in 1919 |
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| Place of birth | Fife, United Kingdom |
| Place of death | Cannes, France |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/branch |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1877 - 1919 |
| Rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | GCB, CMG, MVO |
Admiral of the Fleet Rosslyn Erskine Wemyss, 1st Baron Wester Wemyss, GCB, CMG, MVO (12 April 1864 – 24 May 1933), known before 1919 as Sir Rosslyn Wemyss, served in active naval command positions during the First World War, with postings to the Mediterranean and Egypt, and was appointed First Sea Lord in December 1917.
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[edit] Early life
Wemyss was the third and youngest son of James Erskine Wemyss and the former Millicent Erskine. His mother was a descendant of the 1st Marquess of Ailsa, and his father, born James Wemyss, was the only son of Rear-Admiral James Wemyss, eldest son of Lieutenant-General William Wemyss, eldest son of the Hon. James Wemyss, third son of the 5th Earl of Wemyss. He married Victoria Morier (died 22 April 1945), daughter of the Rt Hon. Sir Robert Morier, on 21 December 1903. The couple had one daughter, Alice Elizabeth Millicent (born 1906, died 31 December 1994; married 11 February 1953 to Francis Henry Cunnack, died 5 January 1974). Wemyss lived in Wemyss in Fife[1].
[edit] Naval career
Wemyss joined the training ship Britannia in 1877 and went to sea as a midshipman in 1879.
He was promoted to Lieutenant on 31 March 1887 and to Commander on 31 August 1898. On 17 January 1911, by now a Captain, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, and on 20 April that year was promoted to Rear-Admiral.
His war activity began with command of a cruiser squadron, followed in February 1915 he was despatched to Lemnos with a brief to prepare the harbour of Mudros for operations against the Dardanelles. Following command of a battle squadron working along the Gallipoli Front and its later evacuation, Wemyss was given command in January 1916, as head of the Egyptian Squadron where he aided operations on the Palestine Front. Wemyss was a supporter of the Arab Revolt under T. E. Lawrence, and is mentioned greatly in Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom. On 1 January 1916, he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath. He was Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet between 1916 and 1917.
Returning to the Admiralty in 1917, Admiral Wemyss was appointed Second Sea Lord. In light of Sir Eric Geddes's decision to dismiss the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, due to his opposition to the adoption of naval convoys, Wemyss was appointed Jellicoe's replacement.
Although Wemyss enjoyed cordial relations with Geddes, he was regarded warily by colleagues given the nature of Jellicoe's ousting from office. Wemyss was in favour of the Zeebrugge raid that ultimately failed in April 1918 and also sponsored the Northern Barrage.
After representing Britain at the Armistice, Wemyss attended the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 as Britain's naval representative.
Wemyss resigned in November 1919 following persistent calls for Sir David Beatty to be given his job. He was promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on resignation, and on 18 November he was raised to the Peerage as Baron Wester Wemyss, of Wemyss in the County of Fife.
[edit] Retirement
In retirement he wrote his memoirs under the title "The Navy in the Dardanelles Campaign". He died at Cannes on 24 May 1933.
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- James Goldrick, Admiral Sir Rossyln Wemyss in Malcolm H. Murfett, The First Sea Lords (1995) ISBN 0-275-94231-7
- Andrew Gordon, The rules of the game - Jutland and British Naval Command ISBN 0-7195-5542-6
- Heathcote, T. A. (2002). The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734 - 1995. Pen & Sword Ltd. ISBN 0 85052 835 6
- Wemyss, Rosslyn Erskine, Baron Wester Wemyss, The Navy in the Dardanelles Campaign, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1924
[edit] External links
- Entry at Janus
- Who's Who in the First World War
- Entry at The Peerage
- Coat of Arms
- Entry at the National Portrait Gallery
- Notes on the Armistice meeting
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Cecil Burney |
Second Sea Lord 1917 |
Succeeded by Sir Herbert Heath |
| Preceded by The Earl Jellicoe |
First Sea Lord 1917–1919 |
Succeeded by The Earl Beatty |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Baron Wester Wemyss 1919–1933 |
Succeeded by Extinct |
