Admiral Sir George Frederick Basset Edward-Collins KCB KCVO ADC DL (26 December 1883 – 17 February 1958) was a British senior officer in the Royal Navy during the first half of the twentieth century.[1][2]
Sir Frederick Edward-Collins | |
|---|---|
 Edward-Collins as Flag Officer Commanding Gibraltar and Mediterranean Approaches | |
| Birth name | George Frederick Basset Edward-Collins |
| Born | 26 December 1883 Bodmin, Cornwall |
| Died | 17 February 1958 (aged 74) Lostwithiel, Cornwall |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service |  Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1898–1944 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands | 18th Cruiser Squadron 2nd Cruiser Squadron HMS Renown HMS Comus HMS Carysfort |
| Battles / wars | Boxer Rebellion First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order Mentioned in Despatches Commander of the Legion of Merit (United States) Order of Polonia Restituta, fourth Class (Poland) |
| Relations | Major General Charles Edward-Collins (brother) |
Early life
editEdward-Collins was born in Bodmin, Cornwall,[3] the son of Edward Charles Edward-Collins, of Trewardale, Blisland, a local landowner. He was the younger brother of Charles Edward-Collins, who served in both the British and Indian armies and rose to the rank of major general.[4][5]
Naval career
editEdward-Collins enrolled in the navy on 15 January 1898.[6] As a midshipman he was appointed to HMS Goliath on 27 March 1900,[7][8] on her first commission, to the China station. During the First World War Edward-Collins served on both HMS Superb and HMS Tiger.[9]
Edward-Collins commanded the light cruisers HMS Carysfort from April till September 1925, and HMS Comus from September 1925 till April 1927. He was also captain of the battlecruiser HMS Renown from December 1930 till March 1932,[10] and was appointed Chief of Staff to the Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet on 13 September 1935.[11] From 1938 until 1940 he commanded the 2nd Cruiser Squadron, and later in 1940 he became second in command of the Home Fleet.[8] From June to November 1940 he commanded the 18th Cruiser Squadron. In December 1940 Edward-Collins became Flag Officer Commanding, North Atlantic, at Gibraltar, assuming duties on 1 January 1941. He flew his flag from HMS Cormorant (1877). He was acting Governor of Gibraltar from 08.05.1942-19.06.1942.[12] He was promoted to admiral on 21 January 1943,[3] and retired on 7 February 1944.[3]
Awards and recognition
editEdward-Collins became Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order on 17 June 1939.[13] He was mentioned in dispatches in 1940,[14] and became Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath on 1 January 1941.[15] He was awarded the Order Odrodzenia Polski (4th class) in recognition of services to the Polish Navy[16][17] on 22 December 1942.[18]
He died on 17 February 1958, at the age of 74.
References
edit- ^ Gregory-Smith, Frank (2008). Red Tobruk. Pen and Sword. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-84415-862-1.
- ^ "Edward-Collins, Admiral Sir (George) Frederick (Basset)". Who Was Who (online ed.). Oxford University Press. April 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "Admiral Sir George Frederick Basset Edward-Collins K.C.B., K.C.V.O." admirals.org.uk. Archived from the original on 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945". unithistories.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ "Indian Army Officers 1939-1945". unithistories.com. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ "Name Edward-Collins, George Frederick Basset Date of Birth: 26 December 1883 ..." The National Archives. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times. No. 36083. London. 7 March 1900. p. 10.
- ^ a b Gilbert, Martin (2000). The Churchill War Papers: The Ever-Widening War 1941. Ebury Publishing. p. 452. ISBN 9780434007394. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ "The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa, · Page 12". The Ottawa Journal. 16 May 1939. p. 12. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
- ^ "Royal Navy Warship" (PDF). Gulabin. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ Svonavec, Stephen. "Royal Navy Flag Officers, December 1, 1937". Fleet Organization Web Site. Stephen Svonavec. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Royal Navy (RN) Officers 1939-1945: E".
- ^ Christopher McCreery (2008). On Her Majesty's Service: Royal Honours and Recognition in Canada. Dundurn. p. 110. ISBN 978-1-77070-282-0.
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette, 11 July 1940" (PDF). The Gazette. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette, 1 January 1941" (PDF). The Gazette. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ Andrzej S. Bartelski. Polish decorations for British Royal Navy personnel. Warsaw.
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette" (PDF). The London Gazette. 22 December 1942. Retrieved 20 January 2014.