Roger Backhouse
Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet (1878–1939)
title: "Roger Backhouse" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["backhouse-family", "first-sea-lords-and-chiefs-of-the-naval-staff", "lords-of-the-admiralty", "royal-navy-admirals-of-the-fleet", "knights-grand-cross-of-the-order-of-the-bath", "1878-births", "1939-deaths", "younger-sons-of-baronets", "knights-grand-cross-of-the-royal-victorian-order", "companions-of-the-order-of-st-michael-and-st-george", "people-from-richmondshire-(district)", "military-personnel-from-north-yorkshire", "19th-century-royal-navy-personnel"] description: "Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet (1878–1939)" topic_path: "history/military" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Backhouse" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Royal Navy Admiral of the Fleet (1878–1939) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox military person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| honorific_prefix | Admiral of the Fleet |
| name | Sir Roger Backhouse |
| honorific_suffix | |
| image | Rbackhouse.jpg |
| caption | Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Backhouse |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Middleton Tyas, Yorkshire, England |
| death_date | |
| death_place | London, England |
| allegiance | United Kingdom |
| branch | Royal Navy |
| serviceyears | 1892–1939 |
| rank | Admiral of the Fleet |
| commands | First Sea Lord |
| Home Fleet | |
| 1st Battle Squadron | |
| 3rd Battle Squadron |
| | battles | First World War | | awards | Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George | ::
| honorific_prefix = Admiral of the Fleet | name = Sir Roger Backhouse | honorific_suffix = | image = Rbackhouse.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Backhouse | nickname = | birth_date = | birth_place = Middleton Tyas, Yorkshire, England | death_date = | death_place = London, England | placeofburial = | allegiance = United Kingdom | branch = Royal Navy | serviceyears = 1892–1939 | rank = Admiral of the Fleet | unit = | commands = First Sea Lord Home Fleet 1st Battle Squadron 3rd Battle Squadron
| battles = First World War | awards = Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George | relations = | laterwork = Admiral of the Fleet Sir Roger Roland Charles Backhouse, (24 November 1878 – 15 July 1939) was a Royal Navy officer. He served in the First World War as a cruiser commander and after the war became a battle squadron commander and later Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet. Becoming First Sea Lord in November 1938, his major contribution in that role was to abandon the official British policy of sending a major fleet to Singapore to deter Japanese aggression (the Singapore strategy), realising the immediate threat was closer to home (from Germany and Italy) and that such a policy was no longer viable. He died from a brain tumour in July 1939 just before the outbreak of the Second World War.
Naval career
Backhouse was fourth son of Sir Jonathan Backhouse, 1st Baronet and Florence Backhouse (née Salusbury-Trelawny); his elder brother, Admiral Oliver Backhouse, also achieved flag rank in the Royal Navy. Backhouse joined the Royal Navy as a cadet in the training ship HMS Britannia in 1892 and went to sea as a midshipman in the battleship in the Channel Squadron in 1894. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/HMS_Conquest.jpg" caption="6}}, which Backhouse commanded during the First World War"] ::
Backhouse transferred to the corvette on the Pacific Station in October 1895 and, having been promoted to sub-lieutenant on 15 March 1898 and to lieutenant on 15 March 1899, he rejoined the directing staff at HMS Excellent in February 1910. He became Flag Commander to the Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, first in from March 1911 and then in from March 1914.
Backhouse served in the First World War, earning promotion to captain on 1 September 1914, and being appointed commanding officer of the light cruiser in the Harwich Force in November 1915 before being given command of the battle cruiser , flagship of the Battle Cruiser force, in November 1916. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/HMS_Nelson_off_Spithead_for_the_Fleet_Review.jpg" caption="6}}, Backhouse's flagship as Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet"] ::
Backhouse became Director of Naval Ordnance at the Admiralty in September 1920 and then commanding officer of the battleship in January 1923, before receiving promotion to rear admiral on 24 February 1925 and being given command of the 3rd Battle Squadron in May 1926. he became Commander of the 1st Battle Squadron and Second-in-Command of the Mediterranean Fleet in April 1932. Appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1933 New Year Honours, he was promoted to full admiral on 11 February 1934 and became Commander-in-Chief, Home Fleet, with his flag in the battleship , on 20 August 1935. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order on 20 May 1937.
Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath in the 1938 New Year Honours and appointed First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp to the King on 1 July, Backhouse became First Sea Lord on 7 September 1938. Taking office shortly before the signing of the Munich Agreement, his major contribution as First Sea Lord was to abandon the official British policy of sending a major fleet to Singapore to deter Japanese aggression (the Singapore strategy), realising the immediate threat was closer to home (from Germany and Italy) and that such a policy was no longer viable. With failing health, he resigned as First Sea Lord in May 1939 and, having been promoted to Admiral of the Fleet on 29 June 1939, he died from a brain tumour in London on 15 July 1939 just before the outbreak of the Second World War.
Family
In 1907 Backhouse married Dora Louise Findlay, daughter of John Ritchie Findlay proprietor of the British newspaper, The Scotsman; they had two sons and four daughters.
References
Sources
References
- (27 March 1943). "Admiral O. Backhouse". [[The Times]].
- Heathcote, p. 20
- {{London Gazette. (16 May 1899)
- he joined the battleship {{HMS. Victorious. 1895. Excellent. shore establishment. 6, he was posted as gunnery officer to the battleship {{HMS. Russell. 1901. 6 in the Mediterranean Fleet in February 1903 and then to the battleship {{HMS. Queen. 1902. Dreadnought. 1906. 6 in the [[Channel Fleet]] in August 1907 and, having been promoted to [[commander]] on 31 December 1909,{{London Gazette. (1 January 1910)
- {{London Gazette. (15 September 1914)
- He was appointed a [[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]] on 4 June 1917.{{London Gazette. (1 June 1917)
- {{London Gazette. (27 February 1925)
- Heathcote, p. 21
- {{London Gazette. (30 December 1932)
- {{London Gazette. (13 February 1934)
- (1966). "The Supermarine Walrus: The Story of a Unique Aircraft". G.T. Foulis.
- {{London Gazette. (23 July 1937)
- {{London Gazette. (31 December 1937)
- {{London Gazette. (1 July 1938)
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