21 Crossley

Churchill’s Admiral in Two World Wars: Admiral of the Fleet Lord Keyes of Zeebrugge and Dover GCBKCVO CMG DSO

by J. Crossley,

Pen and Sword Maritime, 2020, £25 (hb)

200 pages, illustrations, bibliography, index ISBN: 9781526748393

Derek Law

The Mariner's Mirror, 107:2, 247-249,

DOI: 10.1080/00253359.2021.1862515

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/00253359.2021.1862515

Churchill’s Admiral in Two World Wars: Admiral of the Fleet Lord Keyes of Zeebrugge and Dover GCB KCVO CMG DSO by J. Crossley

Pen and Sword Maritime, 2020, £25 (hb)200 pages, illustrations, bibliography, index

ISBN: 9781526748393

This is the first biography of Roger Keyes for some decades and fills a surprising gap in the literature. Keyes had a hugely successful career and was an archetypal son of the British Empire. Born in India in 1872, where his father was commander of the Punjab Frontier Force, he was one of nine children. Educated in England, he was a poor scholar (the author suggests he was possibly dyslexic) but had an unshakeable resolve to join the Royal Navy. If not academic, he was likeable and gregarious and a good sportsman despite his small build. After training he was sent to the South Africa Station,where he quickly demonstrated his abilities and developed his love of hunting, shooting and fishing. He also developed his ability to network, and showed a desire for action which allowed him to begin the lifelong habit of pestering his superiors until he was transferred into small cutters fighting the slave trade off Zanzibar. For the first time he displayed both his hunger for action and excellent seamanship.He returned to England seen as a promising midshipman, passed his lieutenant’s exams with second-class results then was given a prestigious appointment on the royal yacht. Although he disliked this, it confirmed his ability to build his network of friends and allies in the highest circles. He next spent some time with the South East America Squadron, but his first big challenge came with a move to the China Station. Now commanding a destroyer, he was soon to show that he was a man of action as well as a socialite sportsman and eagerly became involved in the actions of the Boxer Uprising, nagging endlessly to be at the front and turning a blind eye to some orders which would have removed him from the fight. After two years he returned to England aged 28, but now a very young and successful commander, clearly marked out for a bright future. He was a fine seaman and a born fighter and leader, but the responsibilities of senior office were to prove less appealing to him.

After some leave and a signals course he was appointed commodore of the Devonport Destroyer Flotilla and spent two years relentlessly turning the rather poor flotilla into a fine fighting force. He showed in this as in many appointments the ability to empathize with his men, to win their respect and to get the best from them. Then, somewhat unusually, rather than a posting to a big ship he was appointed to the Naval Intelligence Department headed by Prince Louis of Battenberg where he was to monitor the navies of Italy, Russia and Japan and in 1905 he went to Rome as naval attaché. The knowledge and contacts gained here were to prove hugely important during the First World War and although his seagoing ambitions were being denied, his social circle continued to grow. In 1908 he was given command of the armoured cruiser Venus and two years later became Inspecting Captain of Submarines based in Portsmouth, where he soon developed a lifelong friendship with Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty. Technically challenged in this role, Keyes proved excellent at developing tactics and motivating the submariners while delegating the technical and administrative responsibilities. When war came, Keyes was desperate for action and spent as much time at sea as possible, usually in the destroyer Lurcher, and engaging in action whenever possible, even rescuing Admiral Tirpitz’s son from the sinking cruiser Mainz. But as he typically exceeded his orders, he was soon forbidden to go to sea. Fisher’s appointment as First Sea Lord and Keyes’ lack of empathy with Fisher led to his being transferred to the naval force about to launch an attack on the Dardanelles. As chief of staff to the Mediterranean Commander-in-Chief, he championed an aggressive (but unadopted) naval strategy, again spending as much time in the front line as possible, regularly missing interservice planning meetings to be on the Gallipoli beaches. After a spell in command at Scapa he was promoted rear-admiral in April 1917 and appointed second in command of the Fourth Battle Squadron in Colossus, with Dudley Pound as his flag captain.In summer 1917 there was a shake-up at the Admiralty and he moved to London as Director of Plans. There he turned his attention to blocking the Dover Straits regularly used by U-boats in transit from Zeebrugge and Ostend. As ever, he decided aggression was the best policy and a raid on the two ports was planned to block access and egress to German submarines and coastal craft. Keyes inevitably took part in the attack leading the starboard column in the destroyer Warwick. The raid proved more of a public relations success than a real success, but for a nation starved of naval victories, Keyes returned a hero and was immediately knighted. The inter-war years saw his steady rise continue, but he was passed over as First Sea Lord and retired from the navy in 1931. He moved to the country where he could pursue his favoured sports and hobbies and in 1934 became MP for Portsmouth. He was a poor speaker and settled into a role as a well-connected backbencher. As the Second World War arrived, he sought an active role and almost immediately acted for Churchill as intermediary with their mutual friend, the king of the Belgians. As the Phoney War ended he was to be found dashing round France and Belgium with the king as the Germans advanced. Continuing his habit of pestering his contacts, he was then appointed to the newly created role of Director of Combined Operations. He again showed his motivational skills in setting up the organization and ensuring good training, but his suggested raids and actions were turned down, often with some acrimony, and after a reshuffle in late 1941 he resigned to be replaced by Mountbatten. He continued to support the war effort and undertook a great deal of travel, visiting the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to drum up support. In Washington he was soon visiting the White House and was befriended by Admiral King, head of the US Navy. As a result, and typically, he managed to wangle a berth on the US command ship Appalachian for the Leyte landings. But all of the travel had proved a great strain on his health. Although unwell with lung and heart damage he completed the tour, but on his return to England soon died in December 1945.In sum, Keyes was an inspirational leader, who preferred to lead from the front, he was no intellectual and a poor administrator, perhaps affected by his dyslexia. Paradoxically, his shore appointments gave him enormous power as he had developed a network of friends ranging from European royal families to successful politicians. Throughout his life he displayed energy, courage and fine seamanship. The book itself is an interesting mix. Crossley is an experienced author with several books to his credit and he writes fluently and engagingly. His style is particularly well suited to this almost Boy’s Own Paper life story, full of tales of derring-do, action and adventure, and it makes for a good read. However, everything has to be taken on trust. Although there is a brief select bibliography, Crossley (in his usual style) has chosen not to provide any notes, references or citations. The book appears to be based on many original sources and it quotes liberally from them, but without formal attribution or comment, which makes it a somewhat unreliable academic source. It is however a well-produced and thoroughly enjoyable read which brings an astonishing, active and varied career to life, but it is still some way from being a definitive study.

Derek Law

University of Strathclyde