Hugh Tweedie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Hugh Justin Tweedie
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| Born | 5 April 1877 Old Charlton, Kent |
| Died | 20 August 1951 (aged 74) Somerset |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom |
| Service/ |
Royal Navy |
| Years of service | 1891–1939 |
| Rank | Admiral |
| Commands held | Nore Command |
| Awards | KCB (1933); CB (1919); Order of the Rising Sun (Japan); Officier Légion d'honneur (France) |
| Other work | Convoy Commodore (1940); Younger Brother, Trinity House; Justice of the Peace; Deputy Lieutenant; Somerset County Councillor; Published: The story of a naval life (1939) |
Sir Hugh Justin Tweedie was a brave officer in the Royal Navy. He served in both the First World War and the Second World War. He was born on April 5, 1877, and passed away on August 20, 1951.
Contents
Sir Hugh Justin Tweedie was born in Charlton, Kent. His father, General Michael Tweedie, was also a military man. Hugh joined the Royal Navy in 1891 when he was just 14 years old.
As a young midshipman on HMS Dreadnought, Hugh saw a very sad event. He witnessed the sinking of HMS Victoria. This ship sank after it crashed into another ship, HMS Camperdown.
Later, he served on Rodney. Here, he took a special course on mine warfare. His teacher for this course was the famous explorer Robert Falcon Scott.
First Commands and Adventures Abroad
In 1897, Tweedie was part of the Diamond Jubilee Review. He was then sent to serve on Virago and Phoebe in Africa.
As a lieutenant, he got his first command. This was the governor's yacht, Countess of Derby. He led an operation on the Bumpeh River in Sierra Leone. There was an uprising because of a new tax. Tweedie helped transport troops and later led a local militia to stop the rebels.
He continued his service on other ships like Flying Fish and Minerva. He also served on the new battleship Albion in China.
Rising Through the Ranks
In 1910, Tweedie was promoted to commander. He was in charge of several destroyers, including Bonetta and Wolf.
His next command as a captain was the cruiser Essex. This was during a time of trouble in Mexico. He was sent to deliver important messages through rebel lines to Mexico City. He also helped bring about one hundred American refugees to safety. For this, he received thanks from President Woodrow Wilson.
While on Essex, he received a distress call from the RMS Empress of Ireland. This ship had collided with another vessel. Essex rushed to help, but arrived only to find the ship had sunk. They helped pick up bodies from the water.
World War I Service
In 1915, Tweedie took command of Marshal Ney. This was a special type of warship called a monitor. Monitors were like barges with huge guns. Marshal Ney was difficult to handle and very slow. However, it saw action off the coast of Belgium, firing its large guns at German positions.
In 1916, he commanded another monitor, Sir Thomas Picton. He saw action in the Mediterranean Sea near Salonica and the Dardanelles.
In 1917, Tweedie became Commodore of the Grand Fleet Flotillas. This meant he was in charge of about 150 ships! His main ship was Castor. At the end of World War I, he had a very important job. He led his destroyer fleet to meet the German High Seas Fleet. He then escorted them safely into the Firth of Forth. This was a huge task of navigation and teamwork. He was recognized for his service and received the Commander of the Order of the Bath (CB) award in 1919.
After the Wars and Later Life
After World War I, Tweedie was involved with the coastguard. In 1922, he commanded the battleship Marlborough in the Mediterranean.
He was promoted to rear admiral in 1926. He became the Senior Naval Officer on the Yangtze River in China. This was a challenging time with many conflicts on the river. His main ship there was HMS Bee.
In 1930, he became vice admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the Africa Station. His command covered a huge area along the African coast. In 1933, he was knighted, becoming Sir Hugh Tweedie. He was promoted to admiral in 1935.
Admiral Tweedie retired from the navy in 1936. He even published his autobiography in 1939. However, he was called back to duty when the Second World War began. In 1940, he became a Convoy Commodore. This meant he helped guide groups of ships safely across the seas.
Sir Hugh Tweedie passed away in 1951 at the age of 74.
Family Life
Sir Hugh Tweedie married Constance Marion Crossman in Japan in 1907. They had three sons and four daughters. His sons also served their country:
- Michael was killed in 1937 while serving in the Guides Cavalry.
- Hugo followed his father into the navy. He received an award in 1942 for his bravery during the St Nazaire Raid.
- Vere served in the Gold Coast Regiment. He received an award in 1945 for his actions behind Japanese lines in Burma.
