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23-10-2009, 18:20
Vice-Admiral H. Baillie-Grohman
Vice-Admiral H. T. Baillie-Grohman, CB, DSO, OBE, who had a distinguished naval career spanning both world wars, died on September 23 1978 at the age of 90. Harold Tom Baillie-Grohman was born in British Columbia on January 15, 1888, the only son of the late W. A. Baillie-Grohman whose books on the Tyrol, where late in life he inherited the beautiful Schloss Matzen, near Innsbruck on big game shooting and on medieval hunting were well known. He entered the Britannia as a naval cadet in 1903. Most of his naval service was in destroyers and small craft. for which he had a natural aptitude. He was appointed to command the destroyer Lively in March, 1914. This was the first of four commands which he held during the First World War, the others being the destroyer Gurkha, the sloop Gentian and the minesweeper Totnes. He served both in the Grand Fleet and the Dover Patrol, and in April, 1918, was awarded the DSO for mine- sweeping operations. After the war he was employed on mine-clearance off the Belgian coast and in 1921-22 he attended the Naval Staff College, and afterwards commanded the sloop Crocus in the Persian Gulf. In 1923 be was made an OBE and promoted to commander. After commanding the First Minesweeping Flotilla he was lent to Australia as Assistant Chief of Staff at the Navy Office, Melbourne from 1925 to 1927; attended the Military Staff College, Camberley, in 1928; and was executive officer of the battle cruiser Tiger until promoted captain in June, 1930. From 1931 to 1933 he was head of the British Naval Mission to China with the rank of Commodore in the Chinese Navy. Later he commanded the First Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean, and the St. Vincent Boys' training establishment at Gosport. During the early months of the second world war he commanded the battleship Ramillies in the Mediterranean. After his promotion to Rear-Admiral in January, 1941, he was attached to the staff of the GOC, Middle East, and the outstanding achievement of his career-for which he was made a CB. During the withdrawal of the British Army from Greece in 1941, when he organized its embarkation in the face of rapidly advancing German forces by which it was greatly outnumbered. Lord Cunningham wrote of him on that occasion that he did ground work in the most onerous conditions imaginable. With everything in confusion in a strange country, with the language difficulty and his uncertain communications, with the changing political situation and the uncertainty of aiming at firm figures and dates for the number of troops to be embarked, and from where, he yet succeeded in producing something like order out of chaos." Later he held a command in the Combined Operations organization at home, but to his bitter disappointment, illness compelled him to relinquish it before the operation for which he had been preparing took place, and enforced his retirement. He recovered sufficiently to hold shore commands at Harwich, and at Kiel after the German surrender. He married in 1915 Evelyn, eldest daughter of Arthur S. Taylor, MD, FRCS, and had two sons the younger of whom died earlier this year
Taken from The Times Archive
Vice-Admiral H. T. Baillie-Grohman, CB, DSO, OBE, who had a distinguished naval career spanning both world wars, died on September 23 1978 at the age of 90. Harold Tom Baillie-Grohman was born in British Columbia on January 15, 1888, the only son of the late W. A. Baillie-Grohman whose books on the Tyrol, where late in life he inherited the beautiful Schloss Matzen, near Innsbruck on big game shooting and on medieval hunting were well known. He entered the Britannia as a naval cadet in 1903. Most of his naval service was in destroyers and small craft. for which he had a natural aptitude. He was appointed to command the destroyer Lively in March, 1914. This was the first of four commands which he held during the First World War, the others being the destroyer Gurkha, the sloop Gentian and the minesweeper Totnes. He served both in the Grand Fleet and the Dover Patrol, and in April, 1918, was awarded the DSO for mine- sweeping operations. After the war he was employed on mine-clearance off the Belgian coast and in 1921-22 he attended the Naval Staff College, and afterwards commanded the sloop Crocus in the Persian Gulf. In 1923 be was made an OBE and promoted to commander. After commanding the First Minesweeping Flotilla he was lent to Australia as Assistant Chief of Staff at the Navy Office, Melbourne from 1925 to 1927; attended the Military Staff College, Camberley, in 1928; and was executive officer of the battle cruiser Tiger until promoted captain in June, 1930. From 1931 to 1933 he was head of the British Naval Mission to China with the rank of Commodore in the Chinese Navy. Later he commanded the First Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean, and the St. Vincent Boys' training establishment at Gosport. During the early months of the second world war he commanded the battleship Ramillies in the Mediterranean. After his promotion to Rear-Admiral in January, 1941, he was attached to the staff of the GOC, Middle East, and the outstanding achievement of his career-for which he was made a CB. During the withdrawal of the British Army from Greece in 1941, when he organized its embarkation in the face of rapidly advancing German forces by which it was greatly outnumbered. Lord Cunningham wrote of him on that occasion that he did ground work in the most onerous conditions imaginable. With everything in confusion in a strange country, with the language difficulty and his uncertain communications, with the changing political situation and the uncertainty of aiming at firm figures and dates for the number of troops to be embarked, and from where, he yet succeeded in producing something like order out of chaos." Later he held a command in the Combined Operations organization at home, but to his bitter disappointment, illness compelled him to relinquish it before the operation for which he had been preparing took place, and enforced his retirement. He recovered sufficiently to hold shore commands at Harwich, and at Kiel after the German surrender. He married in 1915 Evelyn, eldest daughter of Arthur S. Taylor, MD, FRCS, and had two sons the younger of whom died earlier this year
Taken from The Times Archive