Arthur Cavenagh Leveson

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Sir Arthur C. Leveson, portrayed as a Rear-Admiral.
Portrait: Francis Dodd, 1917. © IWM (Art.IWM ART 1758).

Admiral SIR Arthur Cavenagh Leveson, G.C.B., F.R.G.S., Royal Navy (27 January, 1868 – 26 June, 1929) was an officer of the Royal Navy.

Early Life & Career

Arthur Cavenagh Leveson was born on 27 January, 1868, in Kingston, the son of Mr. Edward J. Leveson, an East Indies Merchant, and Mary Leveson. He entered the Royal Navy through the training ship Britannia on 15 January, 1881.

Leveson was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant dated 27 July, 1887.[1] He was awarded the Goodenough Medal for 1887, being the Sub-Lieutenant who achieved the highest gunnery examination for the year and while also achieving a first-class certificate in seamanship.

Leveson was promoted to the rank of Commander on 1 January, 1899.[2]

Captain

Leveson was promoted to the rank of Captain on 30 June, 1903.[3]

He was appointed Captain of Bulwark on 3 January, 1908.[4]

He was appointed in command of the battleship King Edward VII on 7 February, 1905.[5]

He was appointed in command of the battleship Africa on 13 June, 1908.[6]

From 15 December, 1911, to 5 January, 1912, Leveson served as Vice-President of a Conference on Gunnery held at the Admiralty.[7]

He was appointed an Ordinary Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Civil Division of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (C.B.) on 21 September.[8] He was invested with the insignia of the order by the King in an investiture held at Buckingham Palace on 10 October.[9]

Flag Rank

Leveson was promoted to the rank of Rear-Admiral on 1 December, 1913, vice Baker-Baker.[10] He was forty-five years and ten months old.

Great War

Oliver later recounted:

Fisher had a hatred of the D.O.D. R.A. Leveson, and when Fisher was yarning in my office, as he often did, and Leveson came in, as soon as he went out Fisher would say he was a 'traitor'. I asked him once what he had against Leveson and he said he could not remember but he knew he had something. Fisher was so set against Leveson that I went to Churchill and told him and asked that he might get a command at sea and Churchill sent him to the 2nd Battle Cruiser Squadron to relieve R.A. Moore. A month after Leveson had gone Fisher said he remembered what he had against Leveson and said "He was Willie May's Flag Capt." That was about 6 years before and Fisher and Sir William May were anything but friends.[11]

Leveson was discharged as D.O.D. on 16 January, 1915, and on 17 January he was appointed Rear-Admiral, Second-in-Command, of the Second Battle Squadron in the Grand Fleet.

Jutland

Post-Jutland

On 15 September he was appointed an Additional Member of the Third Class, or Companion, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (C.B.) dated 31 May.[12]

He struck his flag on 4 December, and hoisted his flag in Australia as Rear-Admiral Commanding the Second Battle Cruiser Squadron in the Battle Cruiser Force. On 10 January, 1917, he was also appointed Rear-Admiral Commanding the Australian Fleet.[13]

From 1 September to 1 October, 1918, he was appointed to President for Special Service at the Admiralty. On 1 October he was took command of the Fifth Battle Squadron with the rank of Acting Vice-Admiral.

Post-War

Leveson was confirmed in the rank of Vice-Admiral on 1 January, 1919.[14] On the same day he was appointed an Additional Member of the Second Class, or Knight Commander, in the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (K.C.B.).[15]

Leveson was promoted to the rank of Admiral on 1 June, 1922, vice Heath.[16]

On the occasion of the King's birthday Leveson was appointed an Ordinary Member of the First Class, or Knight Grand Cross, of the Military Division of the Order of the Bath (G.C.B.) on 3 June, 1927.[17]

He was placed on the Retired List on 22 February, 1928.[18]

Bibliography

  • "Admiral Sir Arthur Leveson" (Obituaries). The Times. Friday, 28 June, 1929. Issue 45241, col D, p. 18.
  • Mackay, Ruddock Finlay (1973). Fisher of Kilverstone. London: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0198224095.

Service Records

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Prince George of Wales
Captain of H.M. T.B. 79
22 Jul, 1890[19][20] – 25 Aug, 1890[21]
Succeeded by
Gordon C. Fraser
Preceded by
John R. Jellicoe
Naval Assistant to the Third Sea Lord and Controller of the Navy
12 Aug, 1903[22] – 7 Feb, 1905[23]
Succeeded by
Charles E. Madden
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. King Edward VII
3 Jan, 1905[24] – 5 Mar, 1907[25]
Succeeded by
Henry B. Pelly
Preceded by
Bertram M. Chambers
Captain of H.M.S. Bulwark
3 Jan, 1908[26][27] – 13 Jun, 1908[28]
Succeeded by
Robert F. Scott
Preceded by
Robert H. Johnston Stewart
Captain of H.M.S. Africa
13 Jun, 1908[29][30] – 11 Jun, 1910[31]
Succeeded by
Edmund H. Smith
Preceded by
New Command
Captain of H.M.S. Indefatigable
17 Jan, 1911[32][33] – 8 Mar, 1913[34]
Succeeded by
Charles F. Sowerby
Preceded by
George A. Ballard
Director of Operations Division
1 May, 1914[35] – 16 Jan, 1915[36]
Succeeded by
Thomas Jackson
Preceded by
Sir Robert K. Arbuthnot, Bart.
Rear-Admiral, Second-in-Command, Second Battle Squadron
17 Jan, 1915[37] – 4 Dec, 1916[38]
Succeeded by
Sir William E. Goodenough
Preceded by
William C. Pakenham
Rear-Admiral Commanding the Australian Fleet
1 Dec, 1916[39] – 1 Sep, 1918[40]
Succeeded by
Lionel Halsey
Preceded by
William C. Pakenham
Rear-Admiral Commanding, Second Battle Cruiser Squadron
1 Dec, 1916[41][42] – 1 Oct, 1918[43]
Succeeded by
Sir Lionel Halsey
Preceded by
Sir Hugh Evan-Thomas
Vice-Admiral in Command, Fifth Battle Squadron
1 Oct, 1918[44][45] – 7 Apr, 1919[46]
Succeeded by
Command Abolished
Preceded by
Sir Henry F. Oliver
Vice-Admiral Commanding, Second Battle Squadron
8 Apr, 1919[47] – 1 Oct, 1920[48]
Succeeded by
Sir William C. M. Nicholson
Preceded by
Sir Alexander L. Duff
Commander-in-Chief, China Station
10 Sep, 1922[49] – 10 Sep, 1924[50]
Succeeded by
Sir Allan F. Everett
Court Appointments
Preceded by
Sir Montague E. Browning
First and Principal Naval Aide-de-Camp
4 Oct, 1926[51]
Succeeded by
Sir Richard F. Phillimore

Footnotes

  1. The London Gazette: no. 25875. p. 6204. 16 November, 1888.
  2. The London Gazette: no. 27040. p. 84. 6 January, 1899.
  3. The London Gazette: no. 27572. p. 4187. 3 July, 1903.
  4. "Naval and Military Intelligence" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Friday, 3 January, 1908. Issue 38533, col A, p. 4.
  5. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  6. The Navy List. (October, 1908). p. 273.
  7. G.024/1912. The National Archives. ADM 1/8328.
  8. The London Gazette: no. 28648. p. 7107. 27 September, 1912.
  9. "Court Circular" (Court and Social). The Times. Friday, 11 October, 1912. Issue 40027, col A, p. 9.
  10. The London Gazette: no. 28780. p. 9083. 9 December, 1913.
  11. Oliver Typescript Memoirs. II. National Maritime Museum. OLV/12. ff. 119-120.
  12. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 29751. p. 9070. 15 September, 1916.
  13. M-2213/17 of 10 January, 1917. The National Archives. ADM 137/2134. f. 613.
  14. The London Gazette: no. 31104. p. 199. 3 January, 1919.
  15. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 31099. p. 106. 1 January, 1919.
  16. The London Gazette: no. 32717. p. 4329. 6 June, 1922.
  17. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 33280. p. 3605. 3 June, 1927.
  18. The London Gazette: no. 33362. p. 1493. 2 March, 1928.
  19. "Naval Intelligence". The Times. Friday, 19 July, 1890. Issue 33068, col C, p. 12.
  20. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  21. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  22. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  23. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  24. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  25. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  26. The Navy List. (January, 1908). p. 288.
  27. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  28. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  29. The Navy List. (January, 1910). p. 273.
  30. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  31. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  32. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  33. The Navy List. (April, 1911). p. 330.
  34. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  35. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  36. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  37. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  38. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  39. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  40. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  41. Squadrons and Senior Naval Officers in Existence on 11th November, 1918. f. 10.
  42. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  43. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  44. Squadrons and Senior Naval Officers in Existence on 11th November, 1918. f. 6.
  45. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  46. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  47. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 472.
  48. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/42. f. 215.
  49. "Naval and Military" (Official Appointments and Notices). The Times. Saturday, 1 April, 1922. Issue 42995, col B, p. 10.
  50. Leveson Service Record. The National Archives. ADM 196/88. f. 10.
  51. The London Gazette: no. 33209. p. 6440. 8 October, 1926.