Difference between revisions of "William Edmund Middleton"

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==Life & Career==
 
==Life & Career==
<!--Middleton was promoted to the rank of {{LieutRN}} on
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The son of retired Lieutenant-General Sir Fred Middleton.
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Middleton died when his {{UK-Tiger}} was sunk in a collision with the {{UK-1Berwick|f=t}} on 2 April, 1908.<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Tiger_(1900) Wikipedia].</ref>
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Middleton was promoted to the rank of {{LieutRN}} on 1 October, 1901.
  
At the time of the loss, {{UK-Tiger}} was conducting night exercises off the Isle of Wight with the Portsmouth Flotilla.  The "enemy" were six ships led by the {{UK-PrinceGeorge|f=t}} on transit to Portland.  ''Tiger'' was the second of three destroyers in the second division to make an attack, led by {{UK-1Recruit}}.  When ''Recruit'' fired a flare to signal a mock torpedo firing, she peeled off to starboard to clear the enemy ships, but ''Tiger'' kept going straight for some reason.  The second ship in the enemy line, {{UK-1Berwick}} struck her amidships and broke her in two.  The bow section sank quickly without survivors, and twenty-two survived from the stern section.{{HepperLosses|p. 20}}
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Middleton was appointed in command of {{UK-1Tiger}} on 28 May, 1906.  On 26 September, 1907, he grounded the destroyer and was faulted for an error in judgment in navigating by bearings of searchlights whose position he could only assume.
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Middleton was killed when {{UK-1Tiger}} was sunk in a collision with the {{UK-1Berwick|f=t}} on 2 April, 1908.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Tiger_(1900) Wikipedia].</ref>
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 +
At the time of the loss, {{UK-1Tiger}} was conducting night exercises off the Isle of Wight with the Portsmouth Flotilla.  The "enemy" were six ships led by the {{UK-PrinceGeorge|f=t}} on transit to Portland.  ''Tiger'' was the second of three destroyers in the second division to make an attack, led by {{UK-1Recruit}}.  When ''Recruit'' fired a flare to signal a mock torpedo firing, she peeled off to starboard to clear the enemy ships, but ''Tiger'' kept going straight for some reason.  The second ship in the enemy line, {{UK-1Berwick}} struck her amidships and broke her in two.  The bow section sank quickly without survivors, and twenty-two survived from the stern section.{{HepperLosses|p. 20}}
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==
 
{{refbegin}}
 
{{refbegin}}
 
* [http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_rv=simple&_q=ADM+William+Edmund+Middleton Service Records]
 
* [http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_rv=simple&_q=ADM+William+Edmund+Middleton Service Records]
{{WP|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Edmund_Middleton}}
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{{WP|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Edmund_Middleton}}
 
{{refend}}
 
{{refend}}
  
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<div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}}
 
<div name=fredbot:appts>{{TabApptsBegin}}
 
{{TabNaval}}
 
{{TabNaval}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Ernest Kindersley Loring|Ernest K. Loring]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Welland (1904)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Welland'']]'''<br>10 Mar, 1905{{NLNov05|p. 397}}|Succeeded by<br>'''[[William Frederick Blunt|William F. Blunt]]'''}}
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{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Clement Loftus Long|Clement L. Long]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Wolf (1897)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Wolf'']]'''<br>8 Feb, 1905 &ndash; 10 Mar, 1905|Succeeded by<br>'''[[Ernest Kindersley Loring|Ernest K. Loring]]'''}}
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Reginald Gay Coplestone|Reginald G. Coplestone]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Tiger (1900)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Tiger'']]'''<br>28 May, 1906{{NLMar07|p. 386}} &ndash; 2 Apr, 1908<ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Tiger_(1900) Wikipedia].</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''Vessel Lost'''}}
+
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[Ernest Kindersley Loring|Ernest K. Loring]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Welland (1904)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Welland'']]'''<br>10 Mar, 1905{{NLNov05|p. 397}} &ndash; 7 Apr, 1906|Succeeded by<br>'''[[William Frederick Blunt|William F. Blunt]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[William Frederick Blunt|William F. Blunt]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Teazer (1895)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Teazer'']]'''<br>7 Apr, 1906 &ndash; 28 May, 1906|Succeeded by<br>'''[[George Knightley Chetwode|George K. Chetwode]]'''}}
 +
{{TabApptsRow|Preceded by<br>'''[[William Stronack Foster Forbes|William S. F. Forbes]]'''|'''[[H.M.S. Tiger (1900)|Captain of H.M.S. ''Tiger'']]'''<br>28 May, 1906{{NLMar07|p. 386}} &ndash; 2 Apr, 1908<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Tiger_(1900) Wikipedia].</ref>|Succeeded by<br>'''Vessel Lost'''}}
 
{{TabEnd}}
 
{{TabEnd}}
 
</div name=fredbot:appts>
 
</div name=fredbot:appts>
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{{CatPerson|UK|1880|1908}}
 
{{CatPerson|UK|1880|1908}}
{{CatLieutenant|UK}}
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{{CatLieut|UK}}
 
{{CatKilledOnActiveService|UK}}
 
{{CatKilledOnActiveService|UK}}
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{{CatBritannia|January, 1894}}
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{{CatRN}}

Latest revision as of 11:46, 7 April 2022

Lieutenant William Edmund Middleton, R.N. (18 January, 1880 – 2 April, 1908) served in the Royal Navy.

Life & Career

The son of retired Lieutenant-General Sir Fred Middleton.

Middleton was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 1 October, 1901.

Middleton was appointed in command of Tiger on 28 May, 1906. On 26 September, 1907, he grounded the destroyer and was faulted for an error in judgment in navigating by bearings of searchlights whose position he could only assume.

Middleton was killed when Tiger was sunk in a collision with the armoured cruiser Berwick on 2 April, 1908.[1]

At the time of the loss, Tiger was conducting night exercises off the Isle of Wight with the Portsmouth Flotilla. The "enemy" were six ships led by the battleship Prince George on transit to Portland. Tiger was the second of three destroyers in the second division to make an attack, led by Recruit. When Recruit fired a flare to signal a mock torpedo firing, she peeled off to starboard to clear the enemy ships, but Tiger kept going straight for some reason. The second ship in the enemy line, Berwick struck her amidships and broke her in two. The bow section sank quickly without survivors, and twenty-two survived from the stern section.[2]

See Also

Bibliography

Naval Appointments
Preceded by
Clement L. Long
Captain of H.M.S. Wolf
8 Feb, 1905 – 10 Mar, 1905
Succeeded by
Ernest K. Loring
Preceded by
Ernest K. Loring
Captain of H.M.S. Welland
10 Mar, 1905[3] – 7 Apr, 1906
Succeeded by
William F. Blunt
Preceded by
William F. Blunt
Captain of H.M.S. Teazer
7 Apr, 1906 – 28 May, 1906
Succeeded by
George K. Chetwode
Preceded by
William S. F. Forbes
Captain of H.M.S. Tiger
28 May, 1906[4] – 2 Apr, 1908[5]
Succeeded by
Vessel Lost

Footnotes

  1. Wikipedia.
  2. Hepper. British Warship Losses in the Ironclad Era: 1860-1919. p. 20.
  3. The Navy List. (November, 1905). p. 397.
  4. The Navy List. (March, 1907). p. 386.
  5. Wikipedia.