Henry Blagrove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry Blagrove
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| Born | 26 April 1887 Harbledown, Kent, UK |
| Died | 14 October 1939 (aged 52) Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Navy |
| Service years | 1901–1939 |
| Rank | Rear-admiral |
| Commands held |
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| Battles/wars | First World War |
Rear-Admiral Henry Evelyn Charles Blagrove (born April 26, 1887 – died October 14, 1939) was an important officer in the Royal Navy. He was the first British officer of his high rank (called "flag rank") to die in the Second World War.
Henry Blagrove was a skilled officer who had fought in several battles during the First World War. He served on the large warship HMS Tiger. Just before his death, he was made commander of the 2nd Battleship Squadron of the Home Fleet. Sadly, he was killed when his ship, HMS Royal Oak, was sunk by a German submarine, German submarine U-47.
Contents
About Henry Blagrove
His Early Life
Henry Blagrove was born in April 1887 in Harbledown, Kent, UK. His father, Henry John Blagrove, was a Colonel in the military. His family also owned land in Jamaica that was once a slave plantation.
In 1901, when he was 14, Henry joined the navy. He trained on HMS Prince of Wales. By 1903, at age 17, he became a midshipman on HMS Good Hope. A midshipman is a junior officer in training.
Over the next three years, he became a sub-lieutenant and then a full lieutenant. He served on several ships, including HMS Sapphire, HMS Arab, and HMS Invincible. The Invincible was a very large warship, known as a "capital ship."
Serving in the First World War
After becoming a lieutenant in 1909, Blagrove served on a few more ships. These included HMS Highflyer, HMS Fox, and the battleship HMS Vengeance. He was studying at Dartmouth College when the First World War began.
In October 1914, Blagrove joined HMS Tiger. This was a new battlecruiser, a fast and powerful warship. It was part of the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron led by Admiral David Beatty. The Tiger had a crew made up of sailors from other ships.
Just three months later, Blagrove saw his first battle. The Tiger joined other ships in the Battle of Dogger Bank. During this fight, the Tiger fired many shells. Its performance was not perfect, and it lost ten men. However, the Tiger was there when the German ship SMS Blücher sank, taking nearly 800 lives.
In May 1916, the Tiger was much improved. It took part in the biggest naval battle of the war, the Battle of Jutland. The Tiger fought from start to finish. It was hit at least 15 times and lost one of its main gun turrets. But it only lost 24 sailors. The battle was confusing, and neither side won clearly. However, the Tiger was ready to fight again within 24 hours. Few German ships could say the same.
In November 1917, Blagrove moved to HMS Queen Elizabeth. This battleship had spent much of the war in the Mediterranean Sea. It was based in Scapa Flow in the Orkney Islands. There, Blagrove met Edith Lowe, who was a Wren (a woman serving in the Royal Navy). They married in 1921 and later had two daughters.
Blagrove stayed on the Queen Elizabeth until the end of the war. He was there when the German fleet surrendered and later sank their own ships in Scapa Flow. During the war, he was promoted to lieutenant-commander and then to full commander in 1919. He also received an Italian medal for bravery in 1917. After leaving the Queen Elizabeth in 1920, he worked in staff roles, including at Cambridge University.
Between the World Wars
In 1922, Blagrove continued his training. He then served on HMS Cardiff. For a month, he was the temporary captain of HMS Ceres. He then returned to the Cardiff as its executive officer until 1925.
He continued to hold staff and training jobs. In 1927, he was given command of HMS Curacoa and was promoted to captain. A captain is a very senior officer. In 1932, he briefly commanded HMS Norfolk. Then, in 1934, he returned to shore duties at the Admiralty, which is the headquarters of the Royal Navy.
In 1937, Blagrove commanded HMS Sussex (96) for a year. In 1938, he was promoted to rear-admiral. This is a very high rank, often called a "flag officer." He also served as a naval Aide-de-Camp to King George VI.
In January 1939, as war was about to begin, Blagrove was given command of the 2nd Battle Squadron. This group included the battleships HMS Royal Oak and HMS Royal Sovereign, based at Scapa Flow. Blagrove was a skilled and efficient officer. He worked hard to train his forces before and during the first weeks of the Second World War.
His Death Aboard Royal Oak
HMS Royal Oak was sunk late on the night of October 13, 1939. A German submarine, German submarine U-47, managed to sneak into Scapa Flow. The submarine's commander, Günther Prien, was surprised to find the harbor mostly empty. This was because Admiral Charles Forbes had ordered most ships to leave in case of air attacks. However, the Royal Oak had stayed because it had many anti-aircraft guns.
Prien saw the battleship and fired three torpedoes at 12:58 AM. Only one hit the front of the Royal Oak, causing a small explosion. An alarm was raised, but sailors thought it was an internal explosion, not a submarine attack. When nothing else happened, most crew members went back to bed.
At 1:13 AM, Prien fired again. This time, all three torpedoes hit the middle of the Royal Oak. There was a huge explosion, and the ship began to tilt heavily to one side. Prien used the confusion to escape from Scapa Flow.
As the crew tried to leave the sinking ship, rescue boats came from the shore. Nearby ships also helped. But it was dark, there was oil in the water, and the water was very cold. Many who escaped the ship drowned before they could be rescued. The Royal Oak turned over and sank just 15 minutes after being hit.
A total of 835 crew members died in the disaster. Only 386 were rescued. Rear-Admiral Blagrove was not among those who survived. His body was never found, and no one knows exactly how he died. His family learned about the sinking from newspaper headlines the next day. They were told of his death 24 hours later.
His Legacy
Henry Blagrove's name is on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial. This is a memorial for sailors whose bodies were never recovered. The wreck of the Royal Oak is a protected war grave. It is a memorial to all the men who died on board. A memorial also stands in St. Magnus Cathedral in the Orkney Islands. The people of the islands remember those lost on the battleship with an annual ceremony at the wreck site.
Blagrove's wife later worked to break the codes of the German Enigma machine at Bletchley Park. His family has visited the Orkney Islands many times to remember him.
Rear-Admiral Henry Blagrove was a very good officer. He was efficient, capable, and well-liked. His death ended a promising career too soon. One of his commanders, when recommending him for captain in 1927, described him this way:
He was an exceptionally good officer. He had great leadership skills and was easy to work with. He was cheerful, energetic, and honest. He was physically fit and enjoyed all sports, especially rugby. He was popular and well-liked. He had amazing energy and was very organized, with a mind above average. He was recommended for more important jobs.
His Family
Henry Blagrove's wife was Edith Gordon Lowe from Edinburgh, Scotland. Their daughter, Mary Alice Blagrove, married another Royal Navy officer, Peter Gerald Charles Dickens. Henry Blagrove's great-grandson is the actor Harry Lloyd.
