Frank Elliott

Rear-Admiral Frank Elliott, O.B.E., Royal Navy (10 October, 1885 – 23 December, 1974) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Elliott was born in Croyden.

Elliott was promoted to Lieutenant on 15 October, 1906.

He married Edith Lily Nicholls on 1 January, 1910 at St. Jude's in Southsea.

Elliott served as Gunnery Officer of H.M.S. Agincourt from 4 August, 1914 to 9 March, 1915 when he moved to Benbow, where he replaced William Raigersfeld Phillimore, whom the Commander-in-Chief had determined was "not suitable for so important a ship as Benbow".

Elliott would remain in Benbow until 10 July, 1918 and would be her gunnery officer at the Battle of Jutland.

He was promoted to Commander on 30 June, 1918.

Post-War

Elliott was awarded the O.B.E. (M) for his services as gunnery officer in Benbow, gazetted 17 July, 1919:

Commander Elliott carried out exceptional, arduous and successful work in developing the gunnery plot and fire control, to meet the changed condition of modern warfare. His work in conjunction with Lt. Clausen, of H.M.S. Benbow, has been of great value in improving the gunnery efficiency of the Fleet.

Elliott was promoted to the rank of Captain on 31 December, 1925.

In 1934, he was praised by Admiral Dreyer, Commander in Chief, China, for his promptitude and efficiency in assisting the U.S.S. Fulton after she'd caught fire.

Elliott was subjected to a Court of Enquiry convened in Hong Kong on 27 January, 1936 to investigate the accountant procedure in Tamar in the period 1 June, 1933 to 21 July, 1935. He incurred some measure of Their Lordships' displeasure (a scrap of paper covers part of the service record) for "[h]is failure on the subject [obscured] of a large amount of public money".

Several hospitalisations followed, including one in mid 1936 for "flatulent dyspepsia".

Elliott was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 22 July, 1936 and was placed on the Retired List the following day.

World War II

On 14 March, 1939, Elliott was appointed to Warspite, additional, to serve temporarily on the staff of the Commander in Chief, Mediterranean. It was decided to make him a Rear Admiral at Alexandria, to provide liaison services between the Egyptian port authority and the Fleet, working from H.M.S. Maidstone.

Elliott died suddenly on Monday, 23 December, 1974 "in full sail", aged eighty-nine. His funeral ceremony took place at Botley Parish Church on Tuesday, 31 December.

Papers

• Memoirs in the possession of the National Maritime Museum.

See Also

• H.M.S. Benbow at the Battle of Jutland

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Lewis G. E. Crabbe	Captain of H.M.S. Mackay 16 Aug, 1927	Succeeded by Donald C. Brock
Preceded by Lewis G. E. Crabbe	Captain (D), Fifth Destroyer Flotilla 16 Aug, 1927 – 16 Aug, 1929	Succeeded by Ronald H. C. Hallifax
Preceded by Lewis G. E. Crabbe	Captain of H.M.S. Wallace 28 Nov, 1927 – 16 Aug, 1929	Succeeded by Ronald H. C. Hallifax
Preceded by Alan R. Dewar	Deputy Director of Naval Ordnance 21 Sep, 1929 – 28 Mar, 1932	Succeeded by Arthur F. Pridham
Preceded by Cloudesley V. Robinson	Captain of H.M.S. Courageous 16 Aug, 1932 – 15 May, 1933	Succeeded by Brian Egerton
Preceded by Hugh R. Marrack	Commodore in Charge at Hong Kong 14 Jul, 1933 – Apr, 1935	Succeeded by Cyril G. Sedgwick
Preceded by Bertram H. Ramsay	Captain of H.M.S. Royal Sovereign 18 Jun, 1935 – 31 Aug, 1936	Succeeded by Roderick B. T. Miles