Early years of George King-Hall (1850-70). [PAGE5010]
An historical background to the career of George King-Hall. [PAGE5020]
Warship design in the second half of the 19th century. [PAGE5030]
Ships that George King-Hall served in. [PAGE5040]
Prices and pay between 1865 and 1913. [PAGE5050]
DIARIES
1870-3 HMS LORD WARDEN-I- Wooden broadside ironclad - Mediterranean - Flagship [PAGE5100]
GKH started his diaries in August 1870 on his 20th birthday. At the time he was on leave staying with his parents in London. During this period he met his cousin James who was back from India and whose tragic life will be described elsewhere. In November the Lord Warden sailed for the Mediterranean and the remainder of this section gives a lively account of the life of a junior officer serving on board the Flagship of the Mediterranean Fleet in the early 1870s.
In most of the entries the emphasis is on the social aspects of his life ashore and afloat and there are amusing descriptions of many of the social functions in which he took part. Perhaps one the most enjoyable of these is his description of the gunroom picnic in Vigo. GKH was an enthusiastic sightseer and took every opportunity to visit and describe some of the famous places of interest in the ports that the ship visited. However life was not one long party and there is an interesting account of the salvage of the Lord Clyde which went aground on the island of Pantelleria.
Although GKH and his family were great correspondents one only gets brief references to what is happening at home. The most important of these glimpses are the references to developments at Thorndean, Halifax, Nova Scotia, the home of his maternal grandfather. The full details of this story are described elsewhere.
1873-4 HMS RESISTANCE - Broadside ironclads - Channel Fleet [PAGE5200]
On returning to England GKH spent some months on leave in Devonport where his father was Admiral Superintendent of the Dockyard. His diaries of this period cover family and social life in a dockyard port and visits to London where he sees his Forman grandparents and helps his father sort out the affairs of his brother Russell. They also describe a voyage to sea in Devastation, the first RN capital ship to have no sails. Having joined Resistance he describes life at Lisbon and Madeira where the Channel Fleet used to winter. On return to the UK the Channel Fleet carries out a cruise around the United Kingdom. The highlight of this cruise was a visit to Liverpool, the description of which will "ring a bell" with any modern naval officer. This section ends with a graphic description of his mother's operation for lung cancer.
1874-6 ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE, GREENWICH and HMS EXCELLENT at Portsmouth. [PAGE5300]
On leaving Resistance GKH joined the RNC Greenwich and Excellent to carry out a Gunnery Course, however this section is dominated by family affairs. In 1874 his sister Meta is married to Edward Grogan, an army officer in the Black Watch. In 1875 his beloved mother dies of cancer and his two younger brothers, Russell and Robbie, give the first signs of trouble that are to be a recurring theme throughout the diaries. The section ends with an amusing description of a levee at St James Palace.
1877-8 HMS LORD WARDEN II- Queensferry - Guardship. [PAGE5400]
This is a short section covering a year that GKH spent in Lord Warden, now demoted to Guardship in the Firth of Forth. The diaries cover his social activities in Scotland and visits to his Scottish cousins, the family of his mother's brother Robert Forman. The main family event of the period was the dispatch, in disgrace, of his brother Russell to Australia. GKH and his father, who had recently been appointed Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, also pay a visit to his cousin James at the criminal lunatic asylum, Broadmoor.
1878-9 HMS AUDACIOUS - Central battery ironclad -China Station - Flagship. [PAGE5500]
After a year in Scotland GKH is appointed to Audacious on the China Station. The section opens with a description of his passage to the Far East in the P & O liner Pekin. This is the first of a series of similar voyages that he describes in his diaries. On arriving at Malta he meets his sister Meta whose husband is stationed there. He is distressed to find that they are being socially ostracised because of the extra marital behaviour of her husband's sister, Esme, who is married to a fellow officer. Unfortunately few details of this affair are given.
GKH joins Audacious in Hong Kong and almost immediately sails for Nagasaki. The entries that follow give a fascinating picture of Japan shortly after it had been opened up to Western influence. While in Japanese waters the Audacious meets the Russian Fleet on several occasions. These encounters are diplomatically tense as the two countries were close to war over a crisis in the Balkans. The situation was resolved by the successful conclusion of the Congress of Berlin where Disraeli and Bismark persuaded the Russians to moderate the terms of their peace treaty with the defeated Turks.
The section ends with a description of a visit to Vladivostok and Canton, and the passage home in Audacious.
1879-82 HMS DRUID - Wooden screw corvette - West Indies and North American Station. [PAGE5600]
On his return to England GKH was appointed to Druid as First Lieutenant. In February the ship commissioned for service on the West Indies and North American Station and sailed for Bermuda in March 1879. His father was still Commander-in-Chief at the Nore and he was able to see something of his family during this period.
There are no diaries covering the first 18 months of the commission. In general the ship's programme consisted of visiting Newfoundland and Labrador in the summer and the West Indies in the winter.
When the diaries start in October 1880 Druid is at St John's, Newfoundland, however at the end of the month the ship sail for Bermuda. The next few months are spent visiting various West Indian islands. The diaries give a very interesting description of a visit to Haiti and a Grand Ball given by the President.
In April Druid returns to Newfoundland and on the way calls in at Halifax where GKH visits his Canadian cousins. In May GKH returned to England where he had a fortnight's leave and met his new stepmother whom his father had married the previous year. It was also the first time his family had seen him with a beard, which he kept for the rest of his life.
The remainder of the summer was spent in Newfoundland waters and after running aground and having the keel repaired in Halifax the ship returned to Bermuda. In late December GKH learnt that his beloved sister Meta had died of typhoid in Scotland, leaving three young children.
The next six months were spent cruising in West Indian and Central American waters. Highlights of this cruise were GKH investing in a coconut farm in Inagua (Bahamas), a mass marriage and christening of the inhabitants of the Bay Islands (now part of Honduras) and a bit of "gunboat diplomacy" in Haiti demanding satisfaction for an insult to the British Flag caused by the imprisonment of two of our consuls (both of whom turned out to be absolute rogues).
At the end of this cruise Druid returned to England, paying off at Sheerness.
1883-4 HMS LORD WARDEN III - Queensferry - Guardship [PAGE5700]
The diaries cover only a short period of this appointment and the only incident of any interest is the marriage of his sister Frances who married a banker called Edward Banbury.
1884-5 HMS EURYALUS - Iron screw corvette - East Indies Station - Flagship [PAGE5800]
Having been appointed to Euryalus he joined RMS Norham Castle for his passage to Mauritius where he was to join his ship. He gives an amusing description of his second "liner" voyage and takes a surprisingly relaxed attitude to some of the goings-on.
After joining Euryalus the ship sails for Zanzibar where he makes a number of contacts which prove useful to him when he is in command of Penguin five years later. The ship then sails to Aden where it nearly gets involved in disturbances in Ethiopia and further inland. Fortunately the Admiral's champagne inspired offer to rescue General Gordon, who was besieged in Khartoum, were turned down by the Admiralty.
For the next four months the ship visits ports in India and Ceylon. During this period GKH is promoted to Commander. He also takes some leave and visits Delhi, Agra and Benares. While in Calcutta, then the vice regal capital of India, he meets Lady Dufferin, the Viceroys wife, His friendship with her continues for the rest of his life and in the 1930s he is still visiting her for tea in Chelsea.
Having been promoted he returns to England in the Malabar, on the third of his "liner" voyages.
1885-7 HMS SHANNON - Armoured cruiser - Coast of Ireland [PAGE5900]
On completion of his leave he takes a language course in Paris, however he had only been there for a month when he was appointed to Shannon, an armoured cruiser carrying out Coastguard duties on the coast of Ireland. Her main base was at Bantry Bay in the SW of Ireland, but she spent part of the year in Lough Swilly in the NW. Entries in this section describe life in these two harbours and visit to other places in Ireland.
During this commission William King-Hall dies while on a visit to London. As eldest son GKH is responsible with his stepmother for the funeral and other family arrangements. Relations between the two of them become rather strained. There is a moving account of GKH's last meeting with his father at Devonport.
1888-9 HMS PENGUIN - Composite screw sloop - East Indies Station - Zanzibar Channel [PAGE6000]
After taking command of Penguin at Trincomalee GKH set sail for Zanzibar, from where he was to carry out anti-slavery patrols off the East coast of Africa. His passage took him by way of the Maldive Islands and Seychelles. While at the Maldive Islands he carried out delicate negotiations with the Sultan ruler and his leading officials. He also investigated the suspicious presence of a Russian warship in the area.
His arrival at Zanzibar coincided with a political crisis caused by Sultan dying, The diaries show how the question of succession was efficiently handled by General Matthews, Commander of the Sultan's army, who had started his career in the Royal Navy.
GKH spent his first week meeting local officials and being briefed on the anti-slavery situation. He then sailed on his first patrol. Throughout this section the diaries give a fascinating picture of the ant-slavery operations. Between patrols the ship also visited Madagascar and the Portuguese colony of Mozambique.
The diaries covers two other subjects. They give a moving picture of the work of the missionaries on the mainland. They also give an interesting picture of the Anglo German rivalries over spheres of influence on the mainland. These were resolved by the Treaty of Heligoland in 1890 from which the modern states of Kenya and Tanzania developed.
After a year based on Zanzibar Penguin returned to England, stopping for six weeks at Aden, from where a number of anti-slavery patrols in the Red Sea were carried out.
1889 HMS RACOON - 3rd Class Cruiser - Fleet exercises. English Channel [PAGE6100]
Having paid off Penguin in Chatham he takes command of Racoon, a 3rd Class Cruiser, which was being commissioned for the annual fleet exercises. His main concern on commissioning her was to find there were no Prayer Books on board! Before taking part in the exercises the ship took part in the Review and he attended the reception which welcomed the visit of Kaiser Wilhelm and the German squadron. After taking part in the exercises he had some more leave and visited his stepmother.
1889-92 MELITA - Composite Screw Sloop - Mediterranean Station [PAGE6200]
In October he sailed for Malta to take command of Melita. On the passage out he met and started his long and close friendship with Prince Louis of Battenberg. Having commissioned Melita, a screw sloop he sails to take up the post of Senior Officer Alexandria and Port Said.
For the next six months the ship remains in the E. Mediterranean and the diaries describe social life in Egypt. During this period he meets and becomes engaged to Olga Ker, who was visiting Egypt with her mother and brother. In May 1890 Olga returned to England. For the remainder of the year the diaries cover Melita's activities in the Levant and also a visit to Suakin, Sudan in the Red Sea. 1891 was again spent mainly in the E. Mediterranean. Special events described in the diaries include the embarkation of a Capital from near Famagusta (this can still be seen in the British Museum), another visit to Suakin where Britain was having trouble with the Dervishes, the salvage with Lord Charles Beresford, of a French warship that had gone aground near Jaffa, and a cruise in the Adriatic and Ionian Sea.
He had been very disappointed not be promoted during the year, but on Jan 1st 1892 the news of his promotion to Captain came through. He left his ship at Port Said in early February and eleven days later arrived in Plymouth.
1892-8 HALF PAY and HMS VOLAGE - Home waters - Training squadron [PAGE6250]
There are no diaries covering the period February 1892 and March 1898, but this small section, written by GKH in 1920s gives a brief description of his activities during this period.
Having married Olga on the 5th April 1892 he was on Half Pay for the next two and a half years. During this period his son Stephen was born. They appear to have lived in various lodgings in the London area and also stayed with his sister-in-law, Nini, at her home at Quinton Castle in Co Down.
From October 1894 to October 1896 he commanded Volage, a training ship in Home Waters. He describes briefly visits to the West Indies and the Arctic. Once again on Half Pay he has a short period of employment taking relief crews out to Australia. His daughter Louise was born the day before he sailed.
In October 1897 he was appointed in command of the armoured cruiser Narcissus serving on the China Station.
1898-9 HMS NARCISSUS - Armoured cruiser - China Station [PAGE6300]
In March 1898 GKH took command of the armoured cruiser Narcissus in Nagasaki. In his diaries he notes that this was the first ship he had served in that was entirely dependant on steam propulsion.
For the next six months the diaries describe GKH's time as Commissioner at Wei-Hai-Wei, the Chinese naval base in the North of China which Britain had recently taken over from the Japanese. He gives an interesting description of the take-over ceremony from the Japanese and subsequent negotiations with the Chinese authorities. He also had a number of interesting meetings with Prince Henry of Prussia, brother of the Kaiser, who was in command of the German naval squadron that had been sent out to China at the time of the Boxer rebellion.
In January 1899 he was ordered to Manila Bay as Senior Naval Officer to protect British interests during the war that was being fought between the United States and the recently "liberated" Filipinos. The latter had mistakenly assumed that after the Spanish defeat at Manila Bay, they would obtain their independence. The diaries describe some of the fighting that took place and also conversations that GKH had with the American military leaders, Admiral Dewey and General Otis. The diaries also describe some tense negotiations with a Filipino general and some alarming navigational experiences.
In March the ship returned to Hong Kong before sailing for the United Kingdom to decommission. While in Hong Kong he had a bad attack of rheumatic gout and was a semi-invalid on the passage home. The ship arrived in Portsmouth at the end of May where he was met by Olga.
1900-2 HMS REVENGE and CHIEF OF STAFF - Mediterranean Station [PAGE6400]
For the remainder of 1899 GKH was on leave convalescing and waiting for a new appointment. He and his family were based on Margate, but he also took the waters at Bath.
In January 1900 he was appointed in command of the battleship Revenge. The diaries tell of his first dealings with the Commander-in-Chief, Sir John Fisher, and the good impression that he made with his tactical game and proposals to paint his ship grey. After a month Fisher offers him the post of Chief of Staff, which he accepts with reservations. After his new appointment the diaries cover the various aspects of his life as COS, an important feature of which was his relations with the Commander-in-Chief and his second in command Lord Charles Beresford. There are interesting descriptions of events such as the visit of the Duke (future King George V) and Duchess of York, the Lords of the Admiralty and Fleet exercises. The diaries also give a picture of social and family life in Malta, including his friendship with Prince Louis of Battenberg.
In June 1902 the Admiral and his staff return to England. The Renown takes them to Genoa and there, having been joined by their ladies, they take a specially hired wagon-lits direct to Boulogne, where they arrive 30 hours later.
1902-4 ADMIRALTY - Assistant to Admiral Supt. Naval Reserves [PAGE6500]
For the next two years GKH is employed in the Admiralty. Apart from his Gunnery Course in the mid 1870s, this was the first shore appointment he had had since first going to sea in 1865. In this section the emphasis is mainly on his social and family life with only passing reference to his professional life. Important family events are the death of his mother-in-law, the birth of his younger daughter, Magdalen. He also seems to have restored relations with his stepmother, who having been widowed for the third time, allows him use her Nottingshire home, The Elms, as an English base.
In May GKH learns that he has been promoted Rear Admiral, news he receives with mixed feelings as it means being placed on Half Pay.
1904-6 HALF PAY-I [PAGE6600]
As with the previous section the diaries concentrate largely on family and social matters. He rents a cottage near Kidderminster.
During this period he meets the young Winston Churchill at a weekend party, takes a trip in a submarine and makes his first recorded car journey. Important family events described are his attempts to make sure his son is accepted into the Royal Navy and the marriage of his naval brother Bertie.
While having lunch with Sir John Fisher, now 1st Sea Lord, he learns that he has been selected for the post of Senior Officer Coast of Ireland.
1906-8 SENIOR OFFICER ON THE COAST OF IRELAND - At Queenstown [PAGE6700]
Senior Naval Officer on the Coast of Ireland GKH was based at Queenstown (now Cobh) about 15 miles from the city of Cork. As the Navy's senior representative he was directly responsible to the Viceroy in Dublin on all naval matters and one of his most important duties was to administer the Coastguard Service, situated on the headlands of the Irish Coast, which was in effect the early warning system of the times.
These responsibilities led to GKH leading a life of great variety. At one time he would be attending a levee at Vice Regal Lodge in Dublin and at another time taking a ten mile walk to inspect a Coastguard station in the wildest parts of Connemara. Politically he was a Liberal and in favour of Home Rule and he did not hesitate to discuss these matters with nationalists like the Mayor of Cork. On the other hand he was married to a member a prominent Anglo-Irish family and was equally at ease with this aspect of Irish society.
The diaries cover in a balanced way his varied life and give a fascinating picture of Ireland at the beginning of the XXth Century.
In July 1908 GKH is promoted to Vice Admiral and once again is placed on Half Pay.
1908-11 HALF PAY-II [PAGE6800]
As with the first period of Half Pay the diaries covering this period are largely concerned with social and family affairs, and in particular they reflect the financial pressures he suffered trying to bring up a young family on half pay. However despite this overriding theme they cover a wide range of activities, some of which are of general interest and others which are perhaps only of interest to members of the family. The wide variety of this section of the diaries is best seen in the detailed contents listed at the beginning of the section.
On the 31st October 1910, while economising with his family in Switzerland, GKH receives a telegram from the Secretary to the First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr Reginald McKenna, asking him to see him at his convenience. He caught the over night train for London. The next day he was offered the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Station. In the next two months his life was transformed. From being an impecunious naval officer staying in a pension in Lausanne, he was busily engaged organising his Staff and Suite, buying a Landau and Victoria and finally having an audience with King George V.
1911-13 COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, AUSTRALIA [PAGE6900]
On 14th January 1911 GKH sailed with his staff for Australia. He left behind his son Stephen who was about join his first ship as a Midshipman, and his wife and two daughters, aged 13 and 6 who were to follow him later.
Although the naval forces under his command were not particularly impressive GKH had received an important appointment. As the naval Commander-in-Chief GKH was the second most important UK official, after the Governor General, in Australia. He was also taking up this appointment at an important moment in Australian naval history. It had recently been decided that Australia should have its own navy and GKH was to be the last RN Commander-in-Chief of the Australia Station, before handing the command over to the Royal Australian Navy.
This special position meant that there was a strong political content in his work and many of the diary entries describe his dealings with Australia's leading politicians. From these entries it appears that his appointment had been a wise one. His unpretentious middle class background went down well with Australians. However his independent outlook did get him into trouble with the new First Lord, Winston Churchill.
In addition to the political aspects of his work the diaries give an interesting picture of many other aspects of life in Australia ranging from ceremonial occasions in Sydney, to life on a station in the Outback.
The station boundaries also included New Zealand and some of the Pacific Islands and the diaries give interesting descriptions of visits to New Zealand, Fiji, Norfolk Island and New Hebrides.
In places he cannot resist recording gossip about the private lives and drinking habits of some of his colleagues and he also describes a particularly interesting meeting with the polar explorer Amundsen on his return from the South Pole. Neither of them at the time knew that Scott was already dead.
On the family side the diaries tell us about his meeting with his niece, the daughter of his brother Russell. This fascinating story is described in detail elsewhere.
In October 1913 the Australian Fleet Unit entered Sydney Harbour and having handed over his command to the Royal Australian Navy, GKH returned home via South Africa, where he met his brother Herbert, who was Commander-in-Chief of the South Africa Station.
On his return to England he went on Half Pay and finally retired on 12th March 1914, after 50 years service in the Royal Navy.