Andrew Lancelot Besant

Commander Andrew Lancelot Besant, C.B.E., R.N., Retired (10 August, 1895 – ) was an submarine officer in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

Besant gained no time on passing out of the Training Establishment on 15 May, 1913.

Besant was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 15 April, 1917.

Post-War

On 5 August, 1920, Besant was placed in command of four "H" class boats in reserve submarine group "F" at Portland: H 21, H 25, H 26 and H 29.

Besant was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander on 15 April, 1925.

Besant was appointed in command of the "P" class submarine Pandora on 30 January, 1930. Some time later that year, a leading cook named Dewey was lost when because he'd not gotten below before the submarine dived. The Admiralty found Besant to blame for having failed to ensure that men he'd permitted on deck had gotten below before submerging. A Court Martial, for this or another incident, proved charges against Besant of having by negligence or default hazarded Pandora. He was severely reprimanded. In February, 1931 he was superseded in Pandora. In April, he was placed in command of X1.

Shortly after being superseded in command of X 1, Besant reverted to General (as opposed to Submarine) Service on 21 January, 1932 and was appointed to Portsmouth to being a year on training duties.

In 1933, Besant was appointed to Hong Kong. This was followed by various staff appointments and a temporary appointment in Durban.

World War II

Besant started on the staff of the Flag Officer in Charge, Greenock.

Though Besant was placed on the Retired List on account of age with the rank of Commander on 10 August, 1940, he continued to work at a wide variety of appointments through the end of the war. On 6 April, 1943, he was gazetted for a mention in despatches for his "bravery and skill in the hazardous operations in which the Allied Forces were landed in North Africa." He was awarded a C.B.E. for distinguished service in the war in Europe, gazetted 11 December, 1945.

See Also

• Service Records
• Wikipedia

Naval Appointments
Preceded by Alexander McG. McCulloch	Captain of H.M.S. H 21 5 Aug, 1920 – 3 Jan, 1921	Succeeded by ?
Preceded by ?	Captain of H.M.S. H 29 5 Aug, 1920 – 3 Jan, 1921	Succeeded by The Hon. Walter S. Carson
Preceded by ?	Captain of H.M.S. H 25 5 Aug, 1920 – 3 Jan, 1921	Succeeded by Robert C. C. Roe
Preceded by ?	Captain of H.M.S. H 26 5 Aug, 1920 – 3 Jan, 1921	Succeeded by George C. P. Menzies
Preceded by Arthur E. Hodgson	Captain of H.M.S. H 33 3 Jan, 1921 – Jan, 1922	Succeeded by John H. Macnair
Preceded by Leslie H. Ashmore	Captain of H.M.S. L 52 7 Feb, 1922	Succeeded by Frank D. Morris
Preceded by Robert N. Stopford	Captain of H.M.S. L 15 10 Apr, 1923	Succeeded by George C. P. Menzies
Preceded by Edward M. Loly	Captain of H.M.S. L 25 15 Dec, 1926 – 1 Sep, 1927	Succeeded by Thomas I. S. Bell
Preceded by Philip E. Phillips	Captain of H.M.S. X1 9 Apr, 1931 – 30 Dec, 1931	Succeeded by ?