George Borrett

Admiral George Holmes Borrett, CB (10 March 1868 – 10 June 1952) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the First World War, commanding a battleship at the Battle of Jutland, and later rising to the rank of admiral.[1]

George Borrett
Born	10 March 1868 Wimbledon, United Kingdom
Died	10 June 1952
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Years of service	1881 – 1925/27
Rank	Admiral
Commands held	See Ships commanded
Battles/wars	First World War
Awards	Most Honourable Order of the Bath

Early life

George Borrett was born on 10 March 1868 in Wimbledon to G. Borrett. He joined the competitive examinations for cadetships in the Royal Navy on 15 July 1889 and he was one of the best of the class, making him a Naval Cadet.[2] He later married and had one daughter named Ellen.

Naval career

Borrrett was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant on 13 November 1887, and again on 13 November 1889, to Lieutenant.[3] He was promoted to Commander on 1 January 1901 for services in China,[4] and in June the following year was posted to the signals school at HMS Victory.[5] He served at Victory during the coronation fleet review on 16 August 1902.[6] From 1 September 1902 he was posted to the pre-dreadnought battleship HMS Revenge, which became flagship of the Home Fleet the following month. While in command of HMS Pioneer, he was promoted to Captain on 31 December 1906.[7] Borrett served during the First World War, commanding the battleship HMS Monarch at the Battle of Jutland in 1916.[8] For his actions during the war, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) on 1 January 1918.[9] He would finally become Rear-Admiral on 16 August 1918 and Vice-Admiral on 14 October 1923, before retiring after achieving the rank of Admiral on 1 August 1927.[10]

Later life

After the war, Borrett stayed in the Navy and received further promotions. On 17 February 1925 he was placed at his own request on the retired list, though he remained in the navy until 1927.[11] When he was finally promoted to Admiral on 1 August 1927, he fully retired from naval service.[12]

He died on 10 June 1952 at the age of 84, after a career of 46 years in the Navy.

Ships commanded

Preceded by George P. W. Hope	Captain of HMS Pioneer 29 August 1904 – 9 January 1907	Succeeded by Charles B. Miller
Preceded by Philip Nelson-Ward	Captain of HMS Indefatigable 1 January 1908 – 25 January 1910	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Arthur W. Ewart	Captain of HMS Ramillies 18 April 1910 – 24 February 1911	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Bertram M. Chambers	Captain of HMS Majestic 24 February 1911 – 20 September 1912	Succeeded by Guy R. A. Gaunt
Preceded by Lionel Halsey	Captain of HMS Donegal 20 September 1912 – 25 August 1913	Succeeded by Cunningham R. de C. Foot
Preceded by James A. Fergusson	Captain of HMS Warrior 25 August 1913 – 16 December 1915	Succeeded by Vincent B. Molteno
Preceded by Frederick L. Field	Captain of HMS Monarch 16 December 1915 – 15 March 1916	Succeeded by Michael H. Hodges
Preceded by Michael H. Hodges	Captain of HMS Monarch April 1916 – 6 April 1918	Succeeded by Sidney R. Drury-Lowe
Preceded by New Command	Rear-Admiral Commanding, Seventh Light Cruiser Squadron 6 April 1918 – 28 February 1919	Succeeded by Command Abolished
Preceded by Reginald Y. Tyrwhitt	Rear-Admiral Commanding, Harwich Force 1 March 1919	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by Alfred A. Ellison	Senior Naval Officer, Yangtze May 1920 – October 1921	Succeeded by Crawford Maclachlan

Bibliography

• "Admiral G. H. Borrett" (Obituaries). The Times. Wednesday, 11 June 1952. Issue 52335, col D, p. 8.

Footnotes

1. "Admiral George Holmes Borrett C.B." admirals.org.uk. 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
2. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Monday, 27 June 1881. Issue 30231, col E, p. 8.
3. The London Gazette: no. 25994. p. 6135. 19 November 1889.
4. The London Gazette: no. 27263. p. 82. 4 January 1901.
5. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36793). London. 13 June 1902. p. 10.
6. "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36840). London. 7 August 1902. p. 3.
7. The London Gazette: no. 27982. p. 31. 1 January 1907.
8. "George Holmes Borrett". musterbook.com. 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
9. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 30451. p. 80. 1 January 1918.
10. Borrett Service Record. f. 505.
11. The London Gazette: no. 33025. p. 1426. 27 February 1925.
12. The London Gazette: no. 33300. p. 5105. 5 August 1927.